The Great Barrier Reef Drive is now open again, providing coastal road access from Cairns Airport to Port Douglas and Daintree after rainfall from ex-Cyclone Jasper forced its closure due to flooding.
There are three single lane closures on the Great Barrier Reef Drive and the drive from Cairns Airport to Port Douglas is estimated to take 1.5 hours.
Locals, road-trippers and holidaymakers can also travel to Port Douglas by ferry from Cairns and the scenic inland route via Mareeba.
Quicksilver has operated the short-term daily ferry transfer service between Cairns and Port Douglas since 21 December 2023.
Tourism operators and businesses are back up and running in the region, including Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre and Daintree Village Hotel.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said the reopening of the Great Barrer Reef Drive was a milestone in recovery for tour operators north of Palm Cove and would increase visitors in the region.
“Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre has reopened, giving visitors access to the southern section of Daintree National Park to see one of the world’s oldest rainforests on a Ngadiku Dreamtime Walk with a Kuku Yalanji guide,” he said.
Storytelling from the Daintree
Kuku Yalanji Elder Uncle Roy Gibson, whose dream led to the creation of the Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, said the recent flooding of the Mosman River reminded him of growing up in the Gorge.
“Every time we had a big rain and flood, the river always had sand in it. As the years go by, the floods change the Gorge all the time and take away a lot of sand. It really came back with this big flood now, like it did 60 years ago,” he said.
“The story we were told was about the serpent that comes along the river. Up in the mountain when it gets darker, that is the time the serpent comes out and that’s when the old people said don’t go to the river now, he is going to come along and take you.
“That story tells us not to go down there because there is going to be a flash flood.”
For more info, head to tourismtropicalnorthqueensland.org.au
