Way back in our planning for this trip to the northernmost tip of mainland Australia, we made the decision to book a two night stay at Punsand Bay, the closest campground to the tip.

Our reason for this was so that we would have a couple of opportunities to visit the tip if weather or other road conditions worked against us.

We made the booking back in February this year and just as well we did, as we saw quite a few caravans and campers turned away because the campground and other accommodation was booked out. We actually rolled up one day early and were lucky to get a tent site, which another person had given up. Our initial site was unpowered on the beach front but a day later we moved to our pre-booked powered site under the shade of trees.

We wanted power to be able to charge our phones, and importantly my camera batteries. It also enabled us to plug in our car fridge and not have to rely on our solar panels. In the Corrugation Bar of the resort, you can find power points and USB charging points to also power up devices.

The Corrugation Bar is a terrific spot to meet up with other travellers and swap stories, there’s a swimming pool and shady beer garden area and great meals are served up daily, including wood oven pizzas.

One thing we’ve really noticed lacking are camp kitchen areas? With our set up we have a folding table and shelter from the car awning, a butane burner and a butane deep pan cooker which can be used to cook all our meals. We have a dish washing tub but a basic camp kitchen area makes cleaning up easier, especially with hot water on tap. There isn’t one at Punsand Bay though so all the cooking and clean up has to be done on your site.

The ablutions are all very clean and comfortable and even though there is meant to be a resident croc at the front of the resort, the only wildlife we’ve seen are geckos, green ants, bush turkeys and one very big huntsman spider in the ladies ablution block.

On our second day at Punsand Bay the weather is perfect and we take off early to drive and then walk the last 700 metres to the tip. At the corner of the Pajinka Road where you turn into Punsand Bay, is the Croc Tent.

This giant marquee is a souvenir shop that has all things to prove you’ve made it to the very top, but more than that, the friendly staff have a wealth of information on the local roads and conditions which they regularly drive and visit to give travellers the most reliable information.

From the Croc Tent, the road to the tip is 18 kilometres (slightly more than the roadsign says). The road is in pretty great condition on the day we drive, and very interesting with twists and turns, thick rainforest and so narrow in some places that one car has to give way to another to pass heading in or out. There is one water crossing which we were told to take on the very left side where it was shallower.

At the tip we manage to get a car park close to where the walk begins. The rocks you have to walk over look steeper than I had imagined, but you can see a well worn path to take up and over. Some people say that you can walk along the beach at low tide and then onto rocks further along the beach but in croc infested waters, fringed with mangroves, I much prefer to clamber over the rocks.

At the car park before we begin our walk, we coincidentally meet up again with Bruce and Judy (from Bramwell Station) and we take off together towards the tip.  The views from the top of the climb looking back along the coast are spectacular, and it’s not until you get over the very last rise of rocks that you can see the sign embedded at the tip that we’ve all come so many kilometres to see.

The day we are there wasn’t a huge crowd of people that we’d also heard could happen, and we stroll to the very tip of Australia, happy and elated – We Made It! The water rushing past the edge of the land is powering through at a fast rate and after the obligatory photos, we sit back and just take in the magnificent landscape. It’s really such an epic journey that we are in no hurry to leave.

One amazing thing is that there is 5G mobile reception at the tip, so the photo proof is sent off on the spot, very exciting.

After maybe an hour spent just enjoying this incredible part of the country, we make our journey back to Punsand Bay and have a celebratory drink on our achievement.

The next day, our final in Punsand Bay is spent just enjoying the scenery, relaxing at the resort and watching the helicopter taking people on scenic flights, come and go all day. It’s also an opportunity to swap out the air filter in the Landcruiser, a tip we’d seen in our planning for this trip too. The before and after colour speaks for itself.  

Taking the air filter out and tapping the dust out or blowing out with a compressor is a good idea too and then replacing it before the return trip is a smart thing to do.

We are not in a hurry to leave the Cape after spending so long getting here, so with other campgrounds and caravan parks not too far away, we have decided to visit them all. Why not!

To be continued…

Glenys