Introduction

For almost two weeks in September, I explored the remote Cape York Peninsula. My travels took me from arid cattle stations of the interior to lush tropical rainforests of the Iron Ranges. I was able to see the sun rise from the Coral Sea and set into the Gulf of Carpentaria.

My trip began on Thursday, September 14, 2006 as I left Kingfisher Park near Julatten and headed north up the Peninsula Development Road. I spent the nights of the 14th and the 15th on Artemis Station in search of the endemic and highly endangered Golden-shouldered Parrot. On the morning of Saturday, September 16th, I headed north again and this time east as well into the lowland rainforests of the Iron Range. After five nights here, I headed back west all the way to the coast to the small community of Weipa where I refueled and resupplied before heading north along the Old Telegraph Line to the Tip. After visiting the northern most point on the Australian continent, I headed back south with a stop at Musgrave to search for the Golden-shouldered Parrot again, finally returning to Julatten on Tuesday, September 26, 2006.

This essay is broken up into several pages since it is fairly long. The following links will be at the bottom and top of each page of this essay to help ease your navigation.