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The history is just the beginning...
getting here
inland route
The Inland Road to Cooktown is sealed
all the way – 330km and less than 4 hours
from Cairns.
The route from Cairns takes you over the
Kuranda range and away from the coast
via Highway 1, the Kennedy Highway, to
Mareeba
where you strike north on Highway
81, the Mulligan Highway. Similarly, from
Port Douglas
take Highway 44 via
Julatten
to join Highway 81 at Mt Molloy.
Once over the ranges, the lush tropical
rainforest is replaced by more
open tropical
savannah
as you travel through the tiny
settlements common to
Lower Cape York
.
Mt Molloy
was named after a teamster
who discovered copper here in the 1880’s.
The
Post Office
, in its pretty setting, provides
local information. The
Mt Molloy National
Hotel
, built in
1903
, illustrates the township’s
historic past
. There is a
camping
area with
facilities at Rifle Creek north of town.
Mt Carbine
was founded after the discovery
of extensive
wolfram
deposits in
1890
.
The
Mt Carbine Caravan Park
, in its
peaceful
bushland setting
is noted for its
prolific
birdlife
. The park offers
free van storage
for
customers travelling to the Cape. The small
community has a
roadhouse
and
pub
.
Bob’s Lookout
at the top of the
Desailly
Range
offers spectacular views over remote
and harsh savannah.
The
Palmer River Goldfield
, once Australia’s
richest alluvial field, is now a resource reserve
managed by
QPWS
. The discovery of
alluvial
gold
in the Palmer River in 1872 led to
Queensland’s largest gold rush
. It became
legendary for its hardships and the large
numbers of
Chinese miners
, which peaked at
17,000 in 1877. A place of
significant national
heritage
, the Palmer is rich in the
artifacts
of early Chinese mining and lifestyle, and the
relics of pioneer technology and settlement.
The former gold field capital of
Maytown
can still be explored, but it is a
4WD trek of
extreme difficulty
and for experienced drivers
only. More information can be obtained from
QPWS
4046 6600 or
Cook Shire Council
4069 5444.
Lakeland
lies in a natural basin formed
by
volcanic activity
millions of years ago.
The
Lakeland Caravan Park
is a great base
to explore
Quinkan Country
, and offers
van storage
. You can get a cold beer at the
Lakeland Hotel Motel
, and fantastic coffee
and fresh snacks from the
Lakeland Coffee
House
. The
Lakeland Roadhouse
has fuel,
takeaway and an air-conditioned restaurant.
Here the
Peninsula Development Road
strikes north and is now sealed all the way to
Laura, or continue north east on the
Mulligan
Highway
, passing the
Annan Gorge
and
Black Mountains
, on the last leg of your trip
to
Cooktown
.
Driving to Cooktown Inland Route
Driving to Cooktown on the Mulligan Highway