Welcome to Cape York, home of magnificent national parks, sacred Aboriginal sites, untouched beaches and one of the most awesome four-wheel-drive adventures in Australia.
Cape York is larger than England and almost the size of the state of Victoria, covering a mighty 137,000 square kilometres – 11 million hectares - from Cooktown to Seisia at the “tip” of Queensland. It was the first part of Australia to be mentioned in written history and is one of the last accessible wilderness areas in the world.
Despite its head start in history, Cape York remains a land of few people, with prolific wildlife living in rugged mountains, eucalypt, mangrove and rainforests, headlands, grasslands, swamps and mighty rivers.
Cape York is home to Aboriginal and Islander communities and there are many opportunities to gain a fascinating insight into indigenous Australian culture through tours and cultural centres. The small settlement at Laura offers tours of ancestral paintings in natural rock galleries and every two years holds a festival of Aboriginal dance and culture.
Please visit www.cooktownandcapeyork.com for more information on Cape York.
The varied, rugged landscapes, endless miles of dusty roads and dynamic scenery of Cape York take most visitors by surprise. From the vast ochre interior studded with gold fields, wet lands, and cattle stations to the white sands, blue waters and
Torres Strait Islands off the coast, you will experience the most untouched attractions of nature’s theme park in Cape York.
The main Peninsula Developmental Road runs through the middle of the Cape and crosses many rivers and waterways. Small tracks off the main road lead to large cattle stations, pioneer gold fields, hidden camp sites and other natural treasures. Beyond
Cooktown, most residents live in indigenous and cattle station communities and in small mining towns dotted among enormous national parks. The locals have a unique, country character about them, friendly, with a wealth of local knowledge and stories to tell.
All-terrain or 4WD vehicles are best to explore the rugged terrain of Cape York as many of the roads (apart from the Mulligan Highway from
Mareeba to
Cooktown) are unsealed or dirt (apart from the Mulligan Highway from
Mareeba to
Cooktown). Depending where you are,
accommodation options vary throughout Cape York from camping grounds and caravan parks to historic hotels, motels, and lodges – even working cattle stations!
Weather on Cape York Peninsula is usually described as the Green and Dry Seasons. Cape York is rejuvenated by 80% of its annual rainfall between December and March. Some roads become impassable and rivers spread so far they join with others to form vast inland seas. Cape York communities are still accessible by air and sea, but road networks can be unreliable in the green season.
By contrast, in the dry season from April to November, lagoons and swamps begin to dry up, rivers stop flowing and the parched plains and open woodland become postcard perfect Australian outback landscapes.
Click on the pictures below find out more about the adventures waiting for you in Cape York and be sure to check out our “
Things to Know” section below for tips to help you be well prepared for your journey. Download
Tourism Tropical North Queensland’s Cape York Peninsula Information Guide.
Useful Links & Further Information:
Cape York Development Association
RACQ Road Information
Cook Shire Council Road Information
Balkanu Cape York Development Corporation
Cape York – An Adventurer’s Guide by Ron & Viv Moon is regarded by many as THE bible to Cape York. Find out more or buy your copy here