Anyone who has driven the Peninsula Developmental Road with children in the back seat knows the shape of the day. There is a long stretch of road, a rest stop, another long stretch of rood, and somewhere in between, a small voice asking how much further. Cape York is one of the great Australian drives, but the distances are considerable and the stops are what hold a trip together
Weipa Camping Ground has built something clever around exactly that. The Great Cape Colour Chase runs across the September and October school holidays, it is completely free, and it turns eight stops along the route into a reason for the kids to look forward to getting out of the car.
Eight participating businesses across Cape York each hold one letter of the words ‘CAPE YORK’. Travellers collect a colouring sheet at each location, colour the letter in as they go, and work their way toward a complete set. The letters do not need to be collected in order, which matters on a route where a Weipa detour or a change in road conditions can reshuffle a week of driving.
Each letter also comes with a small photo challenge tied to that particular stop, so families are encouraged to look around rather than simply collect and drive on. The challenges are pitched at the genuinely memorable things: the red dirt roads at Hann River, the croc at the pond at Musgrave, the big bridge at Archer River, the Old Telegraph Track sign at Bramwell Junction, a beach sunset at Weipa and the Tip of Australia itself at Punsand Bay.
There is a nice touch inside each sheet as well. The illustrations are specific to the location that hands them out, so the Weipa letter features the local mine tour and the eco tour boat, and the Punsand Bay letter features the Tinny Bar and its pizzas. By the time a family reaches the Tip, the finished set doubles as a record of where they have been.
Working north along the route, the participating locations are:
C — Hann River Roadhouse
A — Musgrave Roadhouse
P — Archer River Roadhouse
E — Weipa Camping Ground
Y — Barramunchies (at Weipa Camping Ground)
O — Bramwell Junction Roadhouse
R — The Croc Tent
K — Punsand Bay Cape York Camping.
Two letters sit at Weipa, so the western detour is worth building into the itinerary rather than leaving to chance.
Once all eight letters are collected and coloured, families email a photo of the completed set, along with any challenge photos, to [email protected]. Completed entries go into the draw for the Ultimate Cape York Gift Pack, put together as a keepsake of the places visited along the way. Completed photo challenges improve the chances. Entries close on 15 October 2026.
What makes the Colour Chase worth noting is how it works for the businesses as much as the travellers. Eight independent roadhouses, campgrounds and tourist stops have come together on it, and the result gives every one of them another reason for a family to pull in, stretch their legs and have a proper look around rather than fuelling up and pressing on.
For anyone heading north these school holidays, it costs nothing to join in and it gives the kids something to work toward for the length of the Cape. For anyone running a park elsewhere in Queensland, it is a neat example of what a handful of neighbouring operators can put together with very little between them but a good idea.
Questions can go to the team at Weipa Camping Ground at [email protected].
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