Road to Weipa

Termite Mounds

A major feature when travelling through the Cape York Peninsula is the number and variety of termite mounds.

Edmund Kennedy Memorial

A memorial marking a camp site of expedition party of Edmund Kennedy is located on the way to Bramwell Cattle Station. In 1848 the expedition left Rockingham Bay, north of Townsville, to travel north through Cape York Peninsula. Few of the expedition party survived the expedition.

Bramwell Cattle Station

We stayed the night at the cattle station and took the opportunity to wander around. Earlier in the day scrub cattle had been brought in and were in the cattle yards. During dinner we were told about the cattle station and the challenges faced. Many of the properties on the peninsula were being purchased as conservation properties and the opportunities for working in the region were disappearing.

Morton Telegraph Station

On the way to Weipa we stopped at the Morton Telegraph Station on the Wenlock River. Built in 1887 the telegraph station operated until 1987. The site is now a camping area.

Weipa

Weipa, on the Gulf of Carpenteria, is a bauxite mining town. During the afternoon we went on a bus tour of the town and of the extensive mining sites. The size of the equipment used to mine the area was impressive. Mining on this site is scheduled to continue for another ten years. As the mine is the main employer in the area there are concerns as to the future of the town.

Weipa