Trip to Cape York

The short answer is yes.

Questions to be asked are: Tyres, weight of camper and ground clearance, fuel range, and have you got plenty of time to do it safely.

like dave said you have to make sure you're car is in a-1 condition before taking a trip like that but there is no reason you cant make it.

cheer sam

At the moment my Pajero is stock standard. Should I put a lift kit in it with larger tyres or is this not needed.

I am in very early planning stage, how much time should I allow to do this trip?

thanks

We did it in a stock 1985 pajero, including driving the Jardine. Only thing I did was put some good reasonably agressive AT tyres on.

The four of us. We used a roof rack rather than a trailer.

Make sure the vehicle is in good shape. Corrugations are the problem. If it will shake loose or break off it will.
If you do the old telegraph line, there are creek crossings, but there are also detours. So if you take the trailer, you might detour a little more often, if it doesn't shake apart.

So use conservative judgement and remember it is a holiday, not a chance to show how tough you think you are!

Be prepared for some slow going, i.e. taking your time to match your speed to road conditions.

If you can, go with some one else, or meet up with people on the trip and travel together.

We had 3 weeks north of Cairns and still did mostly one night camps in places, and there was some places we didn't see.

If you are doing the OTL or other side tracks, which you should, don't wory about mods except a snorkel in case it is a bit wetter than you expect. oh and diff breather extensions if required.

Just make sure our tyres are in good nick and though not 100% necessary it is best if they have serious tread, like MT. A/T as a minimum.

Make sure your shocks and springs are in good nick. Ensure your exhaust system is well connected to the car by appropriate mounting points, and isn't about to fall off.

Keep the load as light as possible in car and trailer.

Dave O

Used to have the same vehicle. Done many miles on some very rough and isolated tracks. Would have no hesitation in going to the tip.

Would suggest you make sure your shockies are in good order (used Old Man Emu in mine, top shockie on that vehicle) and maybe a set of raised and firmer springs in the back, crank up the torsion bars, and fit a good set of AT or ST tyres. Carry the usual spares and have fun...

We are going in May/June Dave ,really looking forward to it will be trav with a 98 jackaroo as well both towing CT's and tinnys. Have fun and this forum is a wealth of info,keep sandbagging!

I took 3 blokes with me in a 90 LWB 2.6? t/d Padj. We did the OTL, French track, Stones Crossing etc. The vehicle was underpowered for that load. It was a tad close to the ground, and we sustained some underbody damage (not serious..ripped exhaust off etc). We also did a radiator in and had to wait a week in Weipa for them to fly it to Cairns and back.
Aggressive tyres might make the difference between being stuck in a creek (like we were, clay uphill exit) for a while and just powering through.
I suspect that anything that you can do to get any extra clearance would be a plus. Take it easy on the creek crossings, and take some recovery gear along just in case. There may be 100 vehicles in that area but you can also be unlucky.
If in doubt, stick to the main drag up and down.
Whatever you decide, you'll have a blast.

Hi Dave,
You can normally get through most of the tracks including the old telegraph track in any reasonable 4wd (not SUV). When we went through last year (May) a few tracks were still closed ie Frenches. I did it in a 98 Jackaroo that had been lifted 40mm on the rear. The suspention had been generally upgraded with new shocks. There were plenty of people with campers up there but all the ones I saw were 4wd and had 4wd hitches. Basically everything you take needs to be in A1 condition, as previously said some of the road are very corregated and the whole car gets a beating. Mud tyres help a lot as the exits on the telegragh track can be cut up and slippery. In a few places I was glad I had a snorkel. Most important device to take is a shovel! 10 minutes work with a shovel can made a lot of difference to geting out of an exit cleanly and leaving a few low hanging bits in the mud.

You will have a great time. It is a fantastic part of the world. NB make sure you stike to the alcohol restrictions or it will be a very expensive trip.

Steve

Thanks very much everyone for your advise.

My camper trailer is 12 months old, with heavey duty leaf suspension, will this bu suitable?

One for DickyBeach and uncle, have a great trip, will look foward to talking to you when you return.

Thanks
Dave.

Have a good trip and as said above take it easy.

All the best
Eric

Also make sure you join the RACQ Were the the local service provider's in weipa.

Thanks sam, will do.