the 5 Beaches drive
The 5 Beaches drive is an Incredible beach run that has to be on your Cape York itinerary.
The track starts approximately 10km south of The Tip. When traveling south back from the tip you take a left hand turn towards Somerset.
Before you get to the coast you will come across the Somerset ruins and there is space to pull off of the road and explore what’s left of the settlement.
Just before the ruins there is a small track which takes you down to Somerset Bay. This is a nice bay to have lunch or camp for the night protected from the South Easterly Tradewinds that batter the east coast for much of the dry season.
From the ruins you’ll follow the track for another 1.5kms before you pop out of the rainforest and onto the coast. Make a left here and go and check out Fly Point. If you’ve brought your fishing rod here is the place to get it out. Large pelagics can be caught off the rocks between Albany Island and the Fly Point.
Where the currents rips between Albany Island and Fly Point makes a great fishing spot.
From Fly Point you will head south and follow the coastline traversing the headlands and beaches for 5km.
There are heaps of great spots to stop along the way and a couple of great camping areas out of the wind if you want to spend the night.
After the 5th beach you’ll arrive at a great lookout that looks south over a 6th beach.
From this lookout the track heads west along Narau Beach Rd and joins back up with Somerset Rd where you will have completed the 5 Beaches Loop.
Cape York local tip: It might be called the five beaches drive but if you are up for an adventure keep driving beyond the 5th beach to discover beaches 6,7 and 8. Access to the 6th beach can be cut off at high tide so make sure you time your travel to get in and out at mid to low tides.
Cape York local tip: If you take a left about half way along Narau Road you will Discover Lake Wicheura. Its a great spot to stop for lunch but be very careful of the water as it is home to some large saltwater crocodiles
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At True North Adventures we have a passion for everything adventure. Based in Cairns, Cape York is our back yard and traveling this amazing part of the world is at the core of what we do. Our goal is to travel to Australia's most remote and rugged regions and inspire others to do the same.