What should we do on our drive from Cairns to Cape York?

Question

A group of us will be hiring a 4WD and we want to make sure we experience as much as possible on the way to Cape York. We will have 3 weeks to travel around while we are on uni holidays.

Answer 1

trust me you are going to have a ball no matter what way you go their is two ways you can go you can go up to mossman than to the daintree river cross then into the heart of it  a wonderful place to experiance i will never forget even now its still nice weather still warmish at night and so on or you can go inland and go that way i suggest you stay awhile at crocodylis village its great cheap and great meals aswell then onto cook town and than straight up the heart of the cape i hope you like reptiles as you will be seeing them everyday if use are going up their for the reptiles i can give you some great places to find green tree pythons and stuff like that

Answer 2

For heaven's sake - DON'T PAY ATTENTION TO NYSENUTZ!!!

I worked in North Queensland (in Cairns and on the Cape) and have never heard of random murders in that area.  Most murders are alcohol related fights in communities or the like.

One word of warning though, whatever route you take, be aware that most (I think all?!) Aboriginal Communities are acting under Alcohol Management Plans - ie, no alcohol allowed within the boundaries of locations such as Wujal Wujal, Hopevale, Lockhart River, Aurukun and right at the top end at the various Bamaga townships.

A quick check of the Qld Govt website will give you the info you need.  As for temperatures - daytime will be pleasant but nights will definitely be chilly.

You will have a brilliant time.  Plan a little first - especially for fuel and water stops...

Cheers....

Answer 3

Drive safely. No drink driving. Don't stretch your luck with petrol, there is a long haul between centres. DO NOT STOP FOR HITCH HIKERS. THERE IS A LONG HISTORY OF hitch hikers murdering drivers and vice versa all along this stretch. Queensland Government Tourist bureau will provide you with brochures for free. Your road, the only one, is mostly inland so you will not experience coastal vistas until you get to Townsville. If you want to turn off the road, determine beforehand where that will be. You will have enough to do in and around Townsville, Cairns and Port Douglas to take up all your three weeks. Accommodation eats into your budget, you know, so if you are going to camp, make sure you have warm bedding. Temperatures around Brisbane are about 10 degrees centigrade now. My advice is to concentrate on the Barrier Reef sites first of all and head inland on daily excursions last of all.

Don't squabble amongst yourselves. it is only natural that not everyone will be in complete agreement all the time. Give and take. Eat well on fresh tropical fruits, make your own sandwiches with fresh bread,butter and fillings such s tomato and onion, salt and pepper. Keep your travelling requisites down to basic, but warm bedding is essential.

Do have fun. Enjoy and wonder.

Answer 4

For an interesting digression, instead of normal route through Mareeba, Mt Molloy, take coast road up through Mossman, taking in Mossman Gorge to the west; carry on to Daintree and a boat trip down Daintree River; from Daintree take the Bloomfield 4WD road to Cooktown (not in wet season), making sure to have time to have a look at Black Mountain. From Cooktown relatively short backtrack to Peninsula road and up to cape.

Answer 5

Good luck and enjoy yourself

One thing that most people don't do is allow enough time to enjoy and explore the Thursday Islands group,

there is plenty to do and after a tough drive to the cape, TI has restaurants, pubs, tours, fishing comfortable accommodation etc also has a hospital, general store, Internet cafe, and other essentials

The cape is a long way to go and then not do the Thursday Island group is missing out

Your never going to be any closer go and enjoy

Answer 6

Hi there, you will have a great trip.  We did the Cape York trip last year in July, be careful on the roads as some are pretty hair raising.  We went with Oztours so we didn't have to worry about driving.  Go to the Iron Range National park it was really good as was Twin Falls where you can go swimming, one of the few places where there are no crocs.  Like someone said do catch the ferry over to Thursday Island and if you can, go also to Horn Island because they have a real good musuem with WW2 and other things to look at.

If you click on this link then you can see some of the many photos I took.  Have a great time.

http://www.travelpod.com/members/christi...