Trip to the Tip

I snuck out of our hotel room for an early reconnaissance mission – I needed to know the route to take on foot that afternoon for our 1330 hours rendezvous. My sidekick was oblivious to what I had planned, wanting our first Delvy alternative holiday to remain a mystery. Little did he realise he was viewing the preparations from our hotel balcony all morning, along with other tourist and working vessels moving in and out of Marlin Marina and Trinity Inlet in Cairns.

Plenty of boats in Trinity Inlet

I was a little nervous of his reaction to my chosen holiday as he usually likes to keep busy and in control, but knowing some R&R was really needed it was an ideal way to wind down but also enjoy viewing the activities. Walking past the cruise ship terminal with our small borrowed soft bags, we ventured into the back blocks. Passing tug boats, dumb barges and fenced areas littered with rusty anchors and other maritime paraphernalia, we approached the meeting point – a green shipping container alongside Wharf 8. Commenting on the vessel being loaded by its own enormous yellow crane, the penny still hadn’t dropped. However, as we joined the small throng of civilians resplendent in hi-vis his gait slowed and a perplexed look followed. Where are we going? The idea of a busman’s holiday was bewildering but he boldly stepped onto the gangway of the MV Trinity Bay, the last remaining passenger cargo ferry in Australia. We were going to Torres Strait, and I was excited.

The gangway to MV Trinity Bay

As the compulsory vessel safety induction got underway (we were quite familiar with this procedure ourselves!), the impressive Caterpillar 3606 main engine was fired up, lines were dropped and thanks to SeaSwift, the last privately-owned freight company to offer a passenger service, we pulled away from the wharf. The 81 metre MV Trinity Bay carries passengers on its weekly five-night freight run between Cairns, Horn Island, Thursday Island, Seisia and return. There are a total of 15 cabins, and passengers enjoy the experience of being part of real freighter operations in a stunning remote area of the country, in the company of like-minded adventurers and friendly crew. So the brochure says.

Watching the world go by

A steady 20 knot south easterly followed us up the east coast as we passed the coral cay of Low Isles with the Daintree National Park in the distance. We sighted the four capes: Bedford, Flattery, Melville and Direction; important landmarks to the great navigators Cook and Bligh over two centuries ago. Steaming at an average speed of 12 knots, and witnessing whales at dawn, 24 hours later we anchored in Lloyd Bay to meet the barge Kogarah and transship the weekly cargo for the Lockhart River Community. All passengers assembled on the bridge deck wing stations to watch the transfer of cargo - mainly refrigerated containers – with a 30-tonne crane by the skillful riggers and deck crew. It was also a chance to enjoy the relative silence as the engine was shut down during operations. Being a working ship, the noise level and vibration takes a little getting used to – silicon ear plugs are essential.

First stop to unload and collect cargo

The 30 tonne crane in action

A bridge tour and talk by the Master Class 3 captain was a welcome diversion from the journey. Aside from the odd passing container ship or sail boat, the landscape remained unchanged as we travelled north. The scenery was more interesting at night as I tried to identify all encountered navigational lights. Other diversions were the engine room video walk through and the Thursday Island video, which focused very much on its role during WWII, and eating.The food provided is tasty, with lots of it often. We didn’t starve.

Captain Dave 

The Torres Strait Islands on the chart plotter

The buffet dining never failed to disappoint.

At dawn on day three we rounded Cape York, making it to the tip of Australia. I spared a thought for the European explorer Edmund Kennedy, who on 1848 departed Cardwell to map an overland route to the Cape only to be speared to death by natives 20 miles from his destination.

Land is in sight!

Horn Island came into view at last, the port where most of the cargo is unloaded. Several tours are available during the voyage so we opted for a helicopter ride with Adam, a former Mt Isa musterer, after a visit to the museum. The wind dropped a little and the clouds dispersed allowing the sun to light up the water. The Torres Strait is a very pretty place of sandy beaches, reefs, islands and stunning turquoise waters. Just perfect for crocodile spotting too.

The day's run sheet

Between Horn and Thursday Island

The Tip of Australia, Cape York Peninsula

MV Trinity Bay alongside Horn Island wharf

We continued to watch cargo load and unload before we dropped lines and navigated our way over to Thursday Island to repeat the exercise. We disembarked the ship for a wander around the township, admiring the women’s colourful floral outfits and smiling faces, before catching up with an old family friend who happened to fly in on a light plane that morning.  It’s a small world.

The people you meet far from home!

That night we were assured of a good night’s sleep as MV Trinity Bay was to remain tied up alongside until a dawn departure for Red Island Wharf at Seisia, a 2.5-hour journey that had to be timed for the rising tide. We passed Possession Island on the way, where Cook on his voyage of discovery in 1770 took possession of the entire east coast naming it New South Wales.

TI wharf

Cargo goes to five separate communities from Seisia, the tourist stop off for all the 4WD adventurers on their way to and from the Tip. We spent under an hour sightseeing our way around the dusty red town, admiring the pretty beaches but admonishing all the strewn litter. 

Seisia

An over sized Tetris game

Time to head back to the Port of Cairns, with a possible transfer at Lockhart River

 Back in the air-conditioned comfort of the ship we spent the afternoon reading, relaxing, watching the cargo load and unload, and eating, again. Some passengers disembarked to go on a 4WD tour back down the peninsula, and others joined the ship with their mountain bikes or campers. This is the last port before the 36-hour steam back to Cairns.

The afternoon TI transfer boat from Seisia

We were the youngest on board by at least 10 years with most passengers well and truly retired; some have done the journey before. It is a unique experience. Don’t expect to be entertained on this 'cruise' though – the engagement factor is watching the cargo operations, seeing a new and remote part of the world, reading a good book and perhaps having a chat with the crew and fellow passengers. Oh, and eating too. Did I mention that?

Where are we?

Beautiful sunsets

Back at Cairns