Cairns to Cape York - Introduction

Cairns and its near neighbour Port Douglas are the gateway to the region. Cairns has an international airport and full choice of vehicle hire options and the northern Great Barrier Reef islands are usually accessed via either domestic flights or by boat from here. The area is well served by local tour operators who offer a multitude of day trips. Much of the area is easily explored on sealed roads in your own hire vehicle but for off the bitumen experiences, operators offer an increasing number of small group departures to the furthermost corners of the Tropical North including Cape York, the Gulf of Carpentaria and the Gulf Savannah country.

Cairns and nearby

Cairns has exploded over the last few years and is now a busy, cosmopolitan resort town with a mass of hotel accommodation and an international airport. It is the gateway to the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef with a multitude of day trips and longer cruises available. Inland it is backed by rainforested mountains and there are lovely beaches, each with their own accommodation and facilities, north and south - see our dedicated page Cairns Hotels and Stopovers
The peak time here is between June and October during the dry winter season. The area receives heavy summer rain but unless you are unlucky enough to catch a cyclone, it rarely rains for that long and you can normally depend upon high temperatures. Marine stingers (jellyfish) are found in tropical areas in the summer months and always check locally before swimming in the sea at this time.
The Atherton Tableland, the Undara Lava Tubes and the Daintree rainforest are popular day trips and a number of local operators offer longer tours including Cape York Peninsula, the Gulf of Carpentaria and remote inland areas. Wooroonooran National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Wooroonooran - pictured) which is split into 2 parts, Palmerston and Josephine Falls, is located south of Cairns and inland from Innisfail is an excellent day trip destination.
The area immediately north of Cairns is known as the Northern Beaches and is a 26 km stretch of beaches, hotels and residential development including Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach and Palm Cove.

Atherton Tablelands (Cairns Highlands)

The Atherton Tableland is a highland area west of Cairns - local tourism marketing types are trying to re-brand the area as the 'Cairns Highlands' but we at Truly Australia prefer to use the traditional name because of its pioneering connections and association with important defensive military camps during WW2. There are numerous day trips to Kuranda in the tablelands, well known for its markets. Trips to Kuranda usually make use of the Scenic Railway, opened in 1888, in one direction and the spectacular modern Skyrail (pictured) in the other.
However, Kuranda is only one tiny part of the Atherton Tablelands and there is much more to see in less frequented parts of this beautiful area such as:
 * Barron Falls, in the Barron Gorge National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Barron Gorge)
 * Mareeba Wetlands - good birdwatching
 * Waterfalls at Millaa Millaa - one of a circuit of waterfalls
 * Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine - crater lakes in the forest with walking tracks and part of the Crater Lakes National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Crater Lakes/Lake Eacham)
* Mount Hypipamee National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Mount Mypipamee)
 * Malanda Falls Conservation Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Malanda Falls - pictured). 
 * Yungaburra is a pretty little town to stay in, with some excellent places to eat.In the late nineteenth century, tin and gold were discovered in the Tableland and the population swelled. The area was isolated and routes had to be made down the steep, rainforested slopes towards the coast, one of which went to Trinity Bay which later became Cairns.

Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation

MOSSMAN  Is 78 km north west of Cairns and 14 km beyond Port Douglas. It is still a quiet sugar town surrounded by cane fields with their little railway lines but Mossman Gorge is a major tourist attraction and there is also premium retreat style accommodation nearby.

DAINTREE  The small town of Daintree is on the banks of the Daintree River (pictured) and from the nearby Daintree River Ferry there is a mainly sealed road to Cape Tribulation.
Daintree National Park  The park is in two parts: the Mossman Gorge section www.epa.qld.gov.au(Mossman Gorge) and the more northerly Cape Tribulation section. There is camping in the Cape Tribulation section www.epa.qld.gov.au(Cape Tribulation), with the main camping area at Noah Beach, and there is accommodation on the perimeter of the park.
The rainforested park is renowned for its birdwatching and a number of local operators offer birdwatching and animal watching tours. Bear in mind that since most animals here are nocturnal, you will see more at night.

Beaches here are excellent for swimming from late April until September when the marine stinger (jellyfish) season begins. Be aware that there are crocodiles in the area and never swim near the mouth of a creek or in the Daintree and Bloomfield Rivers. It is always best to seek local advice, preferably from a ranger, before diving in.

CAPE TRIBULATION   From Cape Tribulation the controversial Bloomfield Track runs to Cooktown. It was forged through virgin country in the 1980s against much opposition from conservationists and is often impassable in wet weather.

Cooktown and Cape York

COOKTOWN  Is 240 km north west of Cairns. Captain Cook repaired the Endeavour here in 1770 and just over 100 years later in 1877 it had become a booming gold town with an itinerant population of around 18,000. Now it has shrunk back down to a fraction of that total and tourism is its main industry. Cooktown (pictured) is the jumping off point for the remote Cape York Peninsula. Driving up from Cairns to Cooktown, you can either take the coastal route, the sometimes difficult Bloomfield Track, or the easier inland route via Mount Carbine and Lakeland, where the sealed road ends.
CAPE YORK  Driving to the tip of Cape York in the dry season between June and November (virtually all vehicle transport ceases during the wet season) is still an adventure with a number of rivers to ford. You need a 4WD and you need to be well researched, equipped and prepared. Many prefer to take one of the small group, 4WD tours to the tip and you can also cruise there either on a conventional cruise vessel or on the car and passenger ferry which runs between Cairns and Thursday Island.
The Queensland motoring organisation RACQ www.racq.com.au has up to date road information on Cape York on its website.
LAURA  West of Cooktown and 60 km north of Lakeland is Laura where there is an Aboriginal dance festival in odd numbered years. You can also see a wonderful series of Aboriginal rock art galleries  nearby (as pictured) which depict the mysterious Quinkan spirit figures.
The main national parks between Cooktown and Cape York are:
Lakefield National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Larkfield).   Just beyond Laura, the Lakefield National Park  begins and sweeps all the way up to Princess Charlotte Bay. You may only access it in the dry season.
Cape Melville National Park  www.epa.qld.gov.au(Cape Melville) is east of Lakefield on the coast
Iron Range National Park  www.epa.qld.gov.au(Iron Range) is further north near Lochart River
Mungkan Kandju (Kaanju) National Park  www.epa.qld.gov.au(Mungkan) is dissected by the Peninsula Development Road
Jardine River National Park www.epa.qld.gov.au(Jardine River) is close to the tip of Cape York