The rugged wilderness of Cape York is a great drawcard for those who like to stray off the beaten track.

Cape York is a relatively undeveloped area of pristine sandy beaches, lush rainforest and the odd fishing resort in out of the way, hard to get to, places.

The majority of the population live in a few scattered townships and the regional Aboriginal communities – about 60 per cent of the population are from Aboriginal or Torres Straits Islander groups.

One of the best way's to see Cape York is to hire a 4WD drive - this will allow you to reach all the best spots without too much trouble and will ensure that you don't get stuck in any difficult places.

Alternatively, there are many tour companies that offer safari style tours of the Cape with many modern comforts - a great option for those who can't hire a car.

The historical township of Cooktown is the gateway to Cape York.

Cooktown is famous for being home to Captain Cook on his first journey of discovery up the north eastern coast of Australia after he managed to hole his ship the HM Bark Endeavour in 1770.

Still a small town, the town has been growing rapidly over the last few years making it one the region’s growth areas.

As the first non-indigenous settlements, Cooktown came into its own from 1873-1883 during the Palmer River gold rush.

Since then the township has waxed and waned with fishing and cattle being the two major industries in the area. Now, however, Cooktown is becoming a hub town for the eco-tourism and growing natural tourism on Cape York.

The best time of the year to visit is between April and October before the hard temperatures of summer arrive. From December to April is the wet season when many roads end up under water and settlements get cut off from the outside world for days or weeks at a time.

One of the other bigger settlements is Laura which offers a pub, a general store, service stations, a police station and a health clinic.

The area around Laura is home to some of the world’s largest rock painting galleries and there are a number of Cape York tours available with the local indigenous owners.

The population of the town more than doubles during the Laura Dance Festival which is a bi-annual Aboriginal cultural festival bringing indigenous people from around Australia for the event. 

About 250kms northwest of Laura is Coen, a major supply stop for visitors heading to Weipa and further north.

Coen has a couple of stores, a hospital, post office, police station and tourist accommodation.

There is also an airstrip and a scheduled service to Cairns airport four times a week.

Even further north, Weipa is home to about 3000 people and is a prosperous mining area, mainly for bauxite, and was built largely by the mining company Rio Tinto.

The town is home to stores, health providers and pubs with some accommodation.

The miners generally fly in and out on a weekly basis and few families remain for long.

Right at the tip of Cape York are the small towns of Bamaga and Seisia.

Seisia is home to only about 100 people but a number of quality Cape York fishing tour companies have begun using the area as their base.

Visitors can also visit the Torres Straits Islands from Seisia.

Bamaga is larger and home to a thriving Aboriginal and Islander population.

During the wet season however both settlements can be completely cut off from the rest of the country.

Bamaga is mainly a tourist town during the dry season and offers a general store, post office, service station, pub and bakery.

Would you like to know more about the magic of Cape York? Follow the links below to find out!

> Cape York Tourist Information

> Outback near Cairns

> Indigenous Tourism Options

> Maps of Cairns and Cape York

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