WANDERING AUS: THE SHANLEY FAMILY

THE FINAL CHAPTER ON OUR JOURNEY TO THE TIP!

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THE fourth and final part of our Cape York adventure was to the very top of Queensland and the northernmost point of mainland Australia. We spent the good part of a week at The Tip, relaxing and exploring the great north before embarking on the journey back home.

Once across the Jardine, we hit up Bamaga for a restock of groceries and alcohol, and then ended up at Australia's northernmost pub for an afternoon enjoying the air-con and cold beers. One of the great things about the Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) is that everything is so close. While we took our time around the NPA, you could cover this area in just a few days if you were limited for time.

We decided to base ourselves at Loyalty Beach for the first four nights and, wow, what a spot. We were lucky enough to jag a campsite right on the beach with uninterrupted views of the Endeavour Strait and surrounding islands. We witnessed some cracker sunsets with great company and it made for a rewarding break after a couple of weeks of red dirt, dust and 4WDing. Beware of crocodiles taking your children and a few unsavoury locals taking your gear, though.

From Loyalty, we did a few day trips exploring, including a fishing charter for the boys and a visit to Thursday Island for the girls (and kids). The boys had a ball with Bully's fishing charters out of Seisia, catching longtail tuna, spangled emperor, coral trout, and plenty of sharks. It was hard going, as everywhere they went, they were sharked. However, despite braving the crocs in a few estuaries, we still couldn't get the elusive barra.