Comfortably ensconced in Cooktown, the recent drama on the Cape York track behind us, it was time for a reset of sorts. It was now July, we had a month before flying back to Canada in August and the beautiful Queensland coast lay ahead of us. Our unforced early exit from Cape York had now created more time for exploring the Queensland coast further to the south. Of all the places in Australia, though, this was the part we had already most travelled. So, what to explore in the month we had ? We’d had our fill of Great Barrier Reef islands, though we thought stunning Whitehaven beach ( in the Whitsundays ) definitely warranted a visit so plugged that in to our agenda. There was some great pub camping en route, a bunch of wonderful little historic towns, a few of the bigger cities we liked and could revisit, and a number of national parks we’d missed – yes, on reflection, there was definitely a month of “stuff” to fill our July!

Timing of our next moves though, presented a quandary of sorts – stay north longer (where it was still warmer, but you basically can’t use the beaches for swimming ) or move further south more quickly ( it would get cooler faster, but the beaches were swimmable ). While we ruminated over this, there were also multiple route options to think about, most immediately a choice between two as we departed Cooktown; the rather more circuitous and longer back road via Lakeland and Mareeba, or the shorter, more mountainous ( but prettier) route via Bloomfield and Cape Tribulation/Daintree. Having done the former route 3 times we opted for the coastal route via Cape Tribulation.

The road initially ambles through a windy, lush valley passing the small communities of Rossville, Bloomfield and Wujal Wujal. The legendary Lions Den Pub is a requisite stopover on the route – one of the many quirky, historic local pubs that dot the rural Queensland landscape. Too early in the day for a beer so we settled for a coffee and tea and some time to explore what it had to offer. Not quite up there with the Daly Waters Pub in terms of fame, or “quirkiness”, but we can certainly see why it qualifies as a local institution. Definitely worth a look !

Surprisingly for a “coastal” route there is actually very limited exposure to the coast ( until Cape Trib ) but the creeks, rivers, waterfalls and lush green mountains made for a more than suitable substitute in the meantime. 
En route there is one fairly rough section, all gravel, for about 40kms with a few water crossings ( the existence of which one is well-advised at the beginning). We found these all to be trouble-free but were more than a bit surprised by the steepness of the grade on several mountain passes – one a 23% incline ( 1st gear all the way! ), followed, almost immediately, by another of 20%. Probably two of the steepest we’ve ever encountered.

Cape Tribulation ( a real travellers favourite ) soon comes into view and there are several stops with walks, beach and headland viewpoints. Tempting as it was to enjoy the water, one is reminded ( quite literally, at every beach ) of the seasonal stinging jellyfish risk and ( year round) saltwater crocodile risk. They pull no punches – enter the water here at your own risk. We opted to walk the beach rather than swim it.

Within the Cape Tribulation area is stunning Daintree Rainforest. It’s become globally known and is one of the prettiest parts of the coastal drive. We stayed in Daintree village itself, just a short drive from the Daintree river ferry crossing. From Daintree the route to Cairns passes Mossman and trendy Port Douglas, winding out of the hills and lush rainforest and pretty well hugging the coastline all the way into Cairns itself.

Interesting to get back into Cairns – the infamous “red dust” all over our rig betraying to all our camping neighbours that we had just returned from Cape York – some didn’t even ask “where” we’d been but simply allowed a smug “How was it ?”. As I mentioned previously a large majority of Cairns campers were either coming from or going to Cape York with any returnees being eagerly questioned as to the status of the roads and creek crossings. Nice, this time, to be among the returnees !

En route to our destination of Townsville, the town of Ingham is a required stop. Certainly, at least, for anyone with an interest in Australian country music, for it is here one can enjoy a pint at the iconic Lees Hotel, the original “Pub With No Beer”. Legendary Australian country singer Slim Dusty recorded a song of the same name that became a worldwide hit in 1957, a song based on events that occurred right here at this very pub during the early days of WW2. Fascinating stuff.

Townsville was the next major place of note down the Bruce Highway ( Hwy 1 ) and was much as we remembered it from previous visits. A major regional centre, right on the coast, it offered us excellent shopping options and the chance for the local Mercedes dealer to remedy a nagging issue we’d had with the vehicle emission system ( really, the main purpose of our visit on this occasion). All sorted quickly, and should fortunately be covered by our warranty in Canada. The long beachfront is really well set up for visitors- we walked the length of it – a lot of boutiquey cafe’s, and water parks for kids as well as Kissing Point fort, dating back to Townsville’s earliest days. 

Next week we make a short diversion inland to a historic gold mining town, before continuing south.

Till next week……