Cooktown road trip: Bloomfield Track or inland route

A Cooktown road trip has two main routes: the rough 4WD Bloomfield Track along the coast, or the sealed Mulligan Highway inland. The coastal track is shorter on the map but is unsealed and can close after heavy rain. The inland road is bitumen all the way, so any ordinary car can drive it. Most travellers who want both do one each way.

This guide compares the two routes, with distances, road types and what the councils say about conditions, so you can pick the right drive for your car, your time and the season.

Sources for this section: Douglas Shire Council, 4WD Road Conditions; Cook Shire Council, Cape York Roads - General Information; Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail.

The two routes at a glance

Cooktown sits about 328 km north of Cairns by road. Wikipedia lists the town at the mouth of the Endeavour River on Cape York Peninsula.

Sources for this section: Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail; Wikipedia, Cooktown.

The Bloomfield Track

The Bloomfield Track is the coastal road from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown. Explore Cooktown and Cape York calls the stretch "unsealed, suitable for 4WD only". It runs north to just south of the Bloomfield River, where it joins the existing road to Ayton and on to the Mulligan Highway.

Douglas Shire Council gives a plain warning. The road is only partly sealed, with very steep ranges and natural creek crossings. It can become impassable after heavy rain. Cook Shire Council describes the Cape Tribulation to Wujal Wujal section as a dirt road with creek crossings that can flood, and says to drive to the conditions.

Check the council's 4WD road status page before you leave. In early March 2023 it listed the Bloomfield Track as closed. That is a normal wet season result, and it shows why you should not plan this drive on a fixed date.

The reward is the scenery. On the way you pass the Wujal Wujal Aboriginal community, Cedar Bay National Park, Black Mountain National Park and Keating's Lagoon. The Lion's Den Hotel, an old bush pub, is a popular lunch stop.

Sources for this section: Douglas Shire Council, 4WD Road Conditions; Cook Shire Council, Cape York Roads - General Information; Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail.

The inland route on the Mulligan Highway

The inland route is the safer choice for a standard car. Cook Shire Council lists the Mulligan Highway between Cooktown and Lakeland Downs as a bitumen road. It also lists the Rossville Bloomfield Road, from Wujal Wujal to Ayton and from Ayton to the Mulligan Highway, as bitumen.

Two cautions apply. The council warns of wallabies and cattle on the highway, especially early morning and late afternoon. It also says the Little Annan River and McLeod River crossings can flood in the wet season. Ask Transport and Main Roads on 13 19 40 about the highway before you set off.

The Peninsula Developmental Road leaves the highway at Lakeland and heads north to Laura. It is bitumen to Laura, but you do not need it to reach Cooktown. North of Laura the road turns to dirt.

The inland drive has its own history stops. At Lakeland Downs you are in a coffee and banana growing area. Less than an hour south is the Palmer River Roadhouse, near the old goldfields. Further south, the cemetery at Mount Molloy holds the grave of James Venture Mulligan, who led the 1873 gold expedition that opened the Palmer River field.

Sources for this section: Cook Shire Council, Cape York Roads - General Information; Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail; Wikipedia, Cooktown.

How to choose between them

• Ordinary car or hire car: take the Mulligan Highway both ways. If you hire a car, check what your agreement says about unsealed roads.
• High clearance 4WD and good weather: drive the Bloomfield Track one way and return inland. Explore Cooktown and Cape York suggests this loop over three days.
• Wet season: expect the track to be shut. Plan the inland route, and check the flood-prone river crossings.
• Short on time: the coastal leg from Cape Tribulation takes about 3 hours of driving, but allow extra for creek crossings and photo stops.

A sample three day loop from the tourism site runs like this: Day 1, Mossman to Cape Tribulation, 62 km on sealed road. Day 2, Cape Tribulation to Cooktown on the Bloomfield Track. Day 3, Cooktown back to Mossman on the Mulligan Highway. The total is about 417 km and 9 hours of driving.

Sources for this section: Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail; Douglas Shire Council, 4WD Road Conditions.

What to see when you arrive

Cooktown is where James Cook beached the Endeavour for repairs in 1770. The town was founded on 25 October 1873 as a supply port for the Palmer River goldfields. It was called Cook's Town until 1 June 1874. Wikipedia gives its population as 2,631 at the 2016 census, so services are limited and fuel and food are worth planning for.

The tourism itinerary suggests a stop at Black Mountain after lunch at the Lion's Den. Cooktown is also the gateway for dirt roads to Archer Point, Hope Vale and Lakefield. Cook Shire Council recommends high clearance 4WD for several of them after prolonged rain.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Cooktown; Cook Shire Council, Cape York Roads - General Information; Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail.

Sources

1. Douglas Shire Council, 4WD Road Conditions: douglas.qld.gov.au
2. Cook Shire Council, Cape York Roads - General Information: cook.qld.gov.au
3. Explore Cooktown and Cape York, The Great Tropical Drive Daintree Explorer Trail: cooktownandcapeyork.com
4. Wikipedia, Cooktown: en.wikipedia.org