March 13, 2014

HEMA CAPE YORK ATLAS & GUIDE

Last April our very own Carlisle Rogers spent several weeks wandering around Cape York in the Hema Map Patrol, updating the new edition of the Cape York Atlas & Guide.

Featuring an expanded 4WD trips section, there are now 15 detailed treks with inset maps to accompany the mapping of the entire Cape and Tip. Written by Carlisle Rogers while he was updating the map data to provide an up-to-date, accurate picture of the real Cape York, the trips encompass every aspect of touring the area.

“It has been a great honour to work with a brand as dedicated to quality as Hema Maps,” said Carlisle. “It stands for that spirit of exploration that seemed to have died with the 20th century, when we fooled ourselves into believing everything had already been explored. I’m proud to have been part of the continuing rediscovery of places like Cape York.

Featuring Carlisle’s photography, the book has had a complete redesign. “Shooting the Cape is a photographer’s dream come true,” he says. “It is a place of colourful landscapes and colourful people. From the uncompromising 4WDing of the Old Tele Track to the pristine beaches of The Tip, you wake up every dawn in a new country. Most of the time, though, just getting to a location is 90% of getting the photo. We travelled in early April - the first vehicles through a very wet, very muddy Palm Creek. Five winch pulls later, it was one of the most exciting days I've ever spent 4WDing, but that’s the Cape!”

The new 4WD trips head into relatively wild territory on the Cape, places like Cape Melville, Bathurst Head and Frenchman’s Track. Carlisle reckons the Cape is a beautiful wilderness on the surface, “This is my fourth trip to The Tip, and I loved the opportunity to go deeper, to create new trips for other adventurers. If you’re heading to the Cape you can expect to get stuck. You can expect things to break along the way. You can expect water crossings, saltwater crocodiles and waterfalls so beautiful they seem carved out of a dream. With this book in your 4WD, you’ll lose yourself, but you’ll never be lost.”

Whether you just want to make it to The Tip, or are looking for a once-in-a-lifetime 4WD adventure, this informative book is an indispensable companion. The revised and updated road atlas contains Hema Maps’ popular Cape York map, including detailed mapping of The Tip. The maps show fuel as well as camping and rest areas.

“I hope I’ve captured something of the spirit of The Cape in the new trips,” says Carlisle. “It is a place that transforms itself every year. The rains shape the Cape, and it shapes us.”