Page 256 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Australia

254  QUEENSLAND

Exploring Northern Queensland

The area north of Townsville leading up to Cairns is Australia’s Badu Is Moa Is
sugar-producing country, the cane fields backed by the Great TORRES STRAIT
ISLANDS
Dividing Range. Northern Queensland is sparsely populated: Thursday Island
Cairns is the only city, while Port Douglas and Mossman are Prince of Wales Cape York
Island
small towns. The only other villages of note in the region are Bamaga
Daintree and Cooktown. Cape York Peninsula is one of the last Injinoo Aboriginal
Community
untouched wildernesses in the world, covering 200,000 sq km Jardine
River
(77,220 sq miles) – roughly the same size as Great Britain. The National
Park
landscape varies according to the time of year: in the green
season (November–March) the rivers are swollen and the
country is green; during the dry winter the riverbeds are Mapoon Cape
waterless and the countryside is bare and arid. Aboriginal
Community
W W
c
ck
We enlo lo l ck
Duyfken
Point
Weipa
Yo r k
Boyd
Point
Aurukun
Aboriginal
Worbody Community
Point
Archer Bend
c
National Park
ch
Archer
P eninsula
Lush rainforest in Daintree National Park, near Cairns H o
Holr lro royd
Holroy
Getting Around Pormpuraaw
Aboriginal
Cairns is well served by public transport, with Community
regular air, train and coach connections from
southern Queensland and the other states. Kowanyama Mitchell and
Alice Rivers
It also benefits from an international airport. Aboriginal National Park
The tropical terrain north of Cape Tribulation Community
to Cooktown and the Outback requires M tc c
Mitch
approved 4WD hire cars unless you take an Gulf of l
Mitchell
ll
organized tour. Many car rental companies Carpentaria Dunbar
will insist on a 4WD all the way along the
326-km (202-mile) coast road from Cairns to
Cooktown. During the wet season, Cape York Sta ta t ate te t n
is generally impassable.
Staaten River
National Park
Red
il l
ilb
Gilbert
Key Mount Isa
Carr rro r
Major road Carron
C
Minor road
Track Croydon
Scenic route
Main railway
Minor railway
View across the Marlin Marina in Cairns
For keys to symbols see back flap