Thread: Some photos for the CCCC crew - the Jardine

Looks like the CCCC crew will be leaving shortly. I don’t know if any of you are planning to drive the Jardine or just going to take the ferry. If you are taking the ferry look what your missing out on.

The southern approach to the Jardine crossing point looking across about 100m to the northern exit point. As it was in 1980.


A Range Rover emerges from the croc infested waters of the murky river. Nah, not really, there were no crocs there, too many people and back in those days there was no ferry either. The only way across was to drive across.

The water depth at the time was about knee height on the southern side gradually getting deeper to about groin height, maybe waste height in some isolated spots near the northern exit. The water current was running right to left and was reasonable strong.

As the photo shows the southern approach was easy but the northern exit was a bit of a drama. You could not just drive out the northern exit because the water was too deep and exit banks too slippery. Running under the water at the northern exit were two wooden ramps each about 2 feet wide, spaced at axle wide apart and running maybe 4 - 5m out into the water. When approaching the northern exit you had to line up the wooden ramps with your wheels. You only got one go at it. If you missed you fouled on the ramps and it was all over.

A hapless Toyota driver. This guy had almost made it across from the northern side, alas now sits with his sorry arse hanging out of the window. Well he was not the only one. From memory about 20% of crossing resulted in a ‘failure to proceed’ for one reason or another.


Here’s an enterprising Ford ute driver, the one with the beard to the right. I meet with this guy several times at camp sites prior to the Jardine.


He had converted his ute to 4wd using a kit that was available at the time. Best thing about getting stuck was there were dozens of willing helpers to get you out. You can see two guys here dragging out some wire rope. Some kind sole had left about 80 meters of wire rope at each of the exit points and there was always a bit of good natured jockeying around each exit point to see who would get to hook up and drag the latest victim out.

But this particular recovery did not go well. Rather than being dragged back to the southern exit he was dragged forward to the northern exit (because that’s the way he wanted to go) but did not line up correctly with the wooden ramps. Instead of driving on them he was dragged over them and ripped his exhaust system off near the engine manifold.

Another Toyota driver.


I don’t remember people having intake snorkels back in those days but this guy had one on his exhaust. Can't remember whether he made it across with out incident but it looks like his trailer is floating. There were a couple of young blokes in a Suzuki attempting to cross that did float away and were washed down stream a bit, that is until the Suzuki filled with water and sank.

So how did this Toyota driver go?


Pretty good. Fan belt off, tarp over the front, a bit of grease over the diff breathers and up the bell housing drain, tyres aired down a little and I’m ready to plunge in.

As usual there is a good crowd on the bank to watch and laugh when it all goes wrong. Straight away I’m on my line heading slightly up stream.


The most successful crossing technique seems to be to travel in an arc across the river. Head up stream initially to get above the line of northern exit point. As you pass half way begin to steer towards the northern exit and use the current to wash you back in line with the exit point, adjusting your forward speed up and down as required so that your lined up exactly with the under water ramps by the time you get there.

What’s best, big bow wave or small bow wave? Endless discussion about this at the river bank camp sites. I guess I opt for the big bow wave.


I’m across.


A pause here to let the water drain off before driving further up the bank, though I find out a bit later I staked a tyre on a piece of wood scrambling on to the under water ramps.


The girl in the blue top coming down to meet me is the co driver of the orange ford ute that was stuck in the river the day before we crossed. At this point I learn they are disabled, up the top of the bank and need some help to piece the exhaust system back together, among other things.

A quick change of a tyre and after donning all appropriate safety gear I start to weld up the pipes but I remember thinking at the time it’s pretty hard to weld up rust.


We got the exhaust sorted out as best we could and left them, They had some engine and electrical issues to deal with. We never saw them again but heard later on up the track they got mobile.

So that was the Jardine, 1980 and just to prove I got back some shots of the north / south crossing and exit.





Good luck all CCCC adventures. I wish I was going with you. Just remember when you get to the Jardine ferry:

Don’t pay the ferryman. Don’t even fix at price.
Don’t pay the ferryman, till he gets you to the other side.

But I suppose if you don't pay him your going to have to drive across just like in the old days.

Our first trek to the Tip was in June 1978. We were told we were the first vehicles to cross the Jardine that year.
Our vehicle was the Series 2 ex mobile workshop below





There was an alternative, this ferry was operated by a body builder, trying to make a quid
The vehicle on the ferry is not one of our group


We camped on the beach right at the tip for a full week and didn't see another soul. The camp site is near where Pajinka lodge was.


You can still see the old telegraph line. Up ahead is an abandoned Kombi.
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Hope all going to the Cape have a safe and enjoyable trip

Erich