After just completing a road trip up the coast of Queensland, I thought I would take the time to share a few of my experiences along the way and why the Bloomfield Track is worth the extra time and effort. You miss out on too much of the Far North Queensland Experience by bypassing this exquisite part of Australia. The following are a few snaps of what we saw along the way!
The Bloomfield Track extends for approximately 150 kms between Port Douglas and Cooktown. Although this is shorter than the main highway, it does take longer due to the winding dirt roads encountered along the way. Pictured below are the alternate paths – The Bloomfield Track being the more coastal of the two paths.
Upon leaving Port Douglas heading north, the first thing encountered on your journey is the ferry to cross the Daintree River. This is the first time you get the feeling you are leaving the beaten track somewhat… Immediately after leaving the barge you are greeted by winding roads surrounded by the thick, lush vegetation of the Daintree Forrest. It wasn’t much more than half an hour into the Daintree that we were treated to our first cassowary sighting. I was glad to taking these photos from the car window.
There were no shortage of freshwater creeks running under bridges and my brother and I often discussed whether there would be any potential danger swimming in them. This is what we encountered literally 500 meters further down the road… Needless to say – our questions were answered! A local tracker informed us that this guy had just moved into the area and killed its male rival. At roughly five meters, he assured us that this one was “only a baby”…
After finding a campsite for the night, we headed down to the beach to take in our beautiful surrounds with a beer in-hand. Needless to say – we stood a bit further back from the water than usual :)
All this inside day one. Don't miss the Bloomfield Track when seeing Far North Queensland!