Australia
Elim

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    • Day 89

      The road to Elim Beach via Cook Town

      August 10, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      We had a beautiful drive to Elim Beach. So green and lush. Very tropical! We didn’t stop in CT but filled up with diesel and came straight here from Mt Carbine which is an old mining town site about 250 Ks. Some of it dirt road but relatively well graded!!
      We passed a church that had a Spanish look about it!
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    • Day 89

      Elim Beach.

      August 10, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      This place is north of Cook Town. A bush camp by the sea. Run by aboriginal people.
      Idyllic with white sands, palm trees and ferns.
      The tide goes out a very long way! Luckily, because it is very shallow, the crocodiles are 3 Ks away and are not a problem!!Read more

    • Day 17

      Elim Beach

      August 17, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Elim Beach camp is basic and remote. Getting here is not a drive to the shops and you need to bring everything you need. There is some potable water and cold showers.

      Long walks on the beach is rewarding with good restful sleep each nigh as a benefit. It is easy to see why just about every visitor decides to stay longer.Read more

    • Day 20

      Coloured sands - Elim Beach

      August 20, 2018 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      One must do while visiting Elim Beach is a visit to the coloured sands. It is best colour wise to go early in the morning. At this time there are rich red tones and vivid yellows that will mature and change as the sun rises higher.

      This is a delicate and sacred area that must be visited with care. No material should be taken and care moving around is advised.

      The canyon winds way up into the sands revealing a thousand new vistas. A long and energetic climb is rewarded by a very unique water feature.

      At this point, which should be as far as you proceed, the water soaks out of the sand and runs with a dribble over a harder ledge. Here for the first time I witnessed sand stalagtites. I am not sure how they are "glued" together but they seem very fragile.
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    • Day 22

      Arachnaphobia

      August 22, 2018 in Australia ⋅ 🌙 21 °C

      In the Australian bush there are many animals. There are the normal furry kinds such as wallabies, koalas, marsupial mice, and kangaroos. There are slithering kinds of all types. Giant pythons with beautiful carpet patterns that grow up to 6 meters or more in length. Coppery and black varieties that should always be avoided. They are highly venomous and everyone should understand snake bite first aid. Australian snakes generally don't attack. Many of the two species of crocodiles are found here and birds too numerous to count.

      Another common fellow seen mostly at night are the many spiders. If you shine a light at your eye level outward into the bush it is very likely you will see thousands of tiny jewel reflections. Following these bright reflections will reveal a spider. Commonly 1-2cm in size these guys hunt on the ground preying on insects with cover of darkness. In the daytime they tend to hide from hungry birds. Although they look quite scary they are less bother than sandflies, mozzie or March flies all of which readily try to such your blood.
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    • Elim Beach

      May 28, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      Elim Beach (pronounced eelum) is not a long way north of Cairns. The drive is about 70k via Hopevale, and now all but about 4k on bitumen. It is a nice area with interesting beaches and camping ground run by traditional owners.

      Its worth taking time to walk along the beach and enjoying the scenery. Watch out for the crocs though. They are around and might bite. The other thing to be careful of is the soft sand. One wrong step and you are up to your knees.
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    • Elim Coloured Sand Hills

      May 29, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

      We are stopped right now near Hope Vale. A small creek is providing a neat background noise as I write in some description and upload the photos from the last couple of days.

      Yesterday afternoon we walked quite a distance along the beach, north of Elim Beach. In all we clocked up well over 10k for the whole day.

      We have been to the Coloured sands before but rest assured, it really is worth a second visit. About 300 meters along there is a massive ravine eroded into the multicoloured sandhills. Even though photos barely show the majesty of it all, a walk in is very humbling.

      Some places on this planet are beautiful beyond words. Description is difficult as there seems no descriptive narrative to convey the feelings and awe such a place inspires. All I can suggest is to take the time and make the effort to visit places like this, that they may enrich your journey through life.
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    • Day 41

      Eddies Elim Beach Camp

      May 28, 2021 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

      Eddies Elim Beach Camp
      Great story here because Aboriginal people have had land returned to them and are making a real go of it.
      The fight is not over as they are now in “negotiations” with mining companies on the area who want to expand their sand mining leases. They process silica which is experiencing increased demand.
      That aside this location is fantastic. Wide level camping right on the Coral Sea. The amenities are basic but serviceable and the environment is beautiful.
      At low tide the beach is wide and flat. Just perfect for a long ride. The coloured sands are a remarkable feature. The only thing we found on Elim Beach is a hut set up with the camp ground owner. They established a Kit Surfing Safari (only access is via the beach)
      There are some great 4x4 tracks that access South Bedford Beach. Remote wind blown and beautiful. Sadly the beach has a lot of debris, mostly plastic, in the jetsam that washes in from the sea.
      Something must be done about this disaster. If this beach looks like this, imagine the state of The Reef and the sea floor. Who would be a fish?
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    • Day 37

      Elim Beach Part 2

      June 13, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      While we were enjoying our stay relaxing and walking along the beach, there are a couple of places to visit nearby and drives that you can do while staying here. One is to visit the Coloured Sands, and the other is a 4WD trip to Cape Bedford.

      The coloured sands are accessible by 4WD driving on the beach and can only be accessed at low tide. We drove past a wreck of a vehicle stuck in the sand, apparently it rolled and was trapped by the incoming tide and has been there for many years as it was completely rusted out.

      The coloured sands were interesting to see, all shades of red, pink, yellow, brown, orange and black on the cliff face, blending at times, looking spectacular against the white sand.

      After leaving the Coloured Sands, we started to drive to Cape Bedford, but the track became too sandy, and as we were travelling alone, we/I decided not to continue, much to Theo’s disappointment. His nickname for me is now the ‘handbrake’. We did travel for a couple of kilometres parallel to the beach on a narrow sandy track, through several deep freshwater crossings until the track started to get very sandy. I became anxious and I really did not feel comfortable travelling by ourselves in case we got bogged or scratched the sides of the car, so we abandoned our plans.

      There are quite a few shacks on the beach used by locals, some quite sound and others are in ruins or falling down. Campers are given quite firm advice not to visit the beach shacks.
      The beach is a mixture of mudflats and sandflats and looks wonderful when the tide is in, but when the tide is out the mud is exposed. Ivan said that there are no crocodiles here, as apparently, they don’t like the mud flats as there is no food for them, but further down near the river mouth there is a resident croc.

      We were also told that there are no stingers, but as beautiful as it is, it is not a swimming beach, as wading into the water near the shore, you end up with mud up to your calves. We watched some kids having fun, rolling around in the mud in front of the camp near the mangroves. Another beautiful sunset, another fire twirling show by Jess, and another balmy star filled night sky.
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    • Day 38

      Elim Beach Part 3

      June 14, 2023 in Australia ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

      It is our third day camping here and we are totally relaxed and enjoying the sea change. After breakfast we would sit outside under the shade of the awning, reading, talking and watching the waves recede with the outgoing tide.

      High tide is about 6.30am, and after breakfast, when the sandy beach is exposed, it is the best time to take a walk along the sand.
      We walked along the beach, for about an hour and then out to the exposed sandbar and then back to camp. There are a lot of freshwater springs seeping out of the sand dunes all along the beach, and we had a refreshing drink while doing the long walk.
      While walking, we noticed several corrugated iron drum/circles in the water at various locations. On closer inspection we realized that when the tide is out, fresh water pours out of the drums from an underwater aquafer flushing out the saltwater Ivan said that the drums are put over a freshwater spring, allowing the locals fresh drinking water. It is amazing to see and taste because there is no trace of salt in the water.

      Theo enjoyed sitting on the beach by the incoming tide at sunset, with fishing line in one hand and beer in the other, but only caught one small fish. Other campers around us tried to catch mud crabs in the mangroves or waded out to the sand bar to fish but had little or no luck.

      After dinner, we would sit outside and look up at the amazing sky full of stars, counting the satellites and shooting stars before coming in to shower off the salt and sand which sticks to your skin, along with the humidity making everything feel damp and sticky.

      Temperature during the day is 28-30 degrees and very humid, and drops down to about 24 degrees at night, which is quite warm for sleeping.

      One great thing here is that there are no flies, bugs, no sandflies, or insects to make life unpleasant. This may change at different times of the year. We did get one or two bites but nothing to worry about.

      We have had a lovely time here, prime beach campsite, lovely neighbours for 2 of our nights here. After Jess and Mika left, another caravan moved in within 3 minutes of them leaving and they shut themselves off in the corner with their privacy screens and did not acknowledge our greetings and just turned their backs on us. Guess some people just want to be alone!

      We are leaving here tomorrow morning. We plan to go back to the Station for a couple of days but may stop somewhere in between if we see somewhere nice to camp.

      We have really the enjoyed swapping dust and dirt for sand and sea.
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