Cape Tribulation to Cooktown

The weather was much like yesterday, overcast and threatening rain. There was one big downpour overnight but little evidence of it this morning. The next section of road is known as the Bloomfield track has a 30km section of dirt track with stream crossings and we are told steep ups and downs.

Beacause of the amount of rain we have debated about whether to take it on or not with some people saying yes and some no.

The first stream crossing was only 5km in so we thought we would at least check it out.

The stream is reported to have crocodiles inhabiting it although they are reportedly downstream a bit from the crossing.

I did suggest to Robyn that it would make my life easier to get across it if she walked it, but she didnt seem that keen.

Anyway the road was good and when we got to the stream Robyn said just go for it. So I did.

Now it might not look much, but gunning a 350kg motorbike 2 up through water with the bike moving around underneath us on the shifting stones was interesting.

It wasn’t pretty but we somehow stayed upright and climbed the bank on the other side.

The rest of the trip was uneventful but there were some sections I would not have liked to meet any oncoming traffic. Some of the ups and downs were 32 degrees.

This was just a warm up.

Fortunately these sections are concreted. It felt like we were climbing into the canopy of the rainforest we ascended so quickly

This area was devastated by cyclone Jasper in December 2023 (Australia’s wettest ever), They have done a remarkable job repairing the damage but evidence of the destruction is everywhere to be seen.

We then hit the tarmac which in some ways was worse as the potholes seemed to jump out at us in places.

We drove through the little township of Wujal Wujal and wondered why people would live way out here, beautiful as it is. We were now crossing the great dividing range and the temperature was a cool 23.

Out of the range and onto the flatlands we stopped at the world famous Lions Den hotel for a much needed drink.

Shortly after we joined the Mulligan highway for the last 30km or so into Cooktown.

We stopped at a lookout to view the black rock hills which are like nothing I have seen. 

Once we settled into our digs we had a walk about the town. We visited the museum which was informative and comprehensive.

The museum was once a convent. 

We then spied a cultural centre which had a really good presentation of when Captain Cook was here, and almost lost the Endeavour on rocks and how a dispute with the Aboriginies almost led to bloodshed but was resolved in an Aboriginal way and this is evidenced in Cook’s joirnal entries at the time. A very thoughtful and empathetic display.

A big shout out to my pillion today, brave only touches on the person she is.