BLOOMFIELD TRACK
Councils pave way to have iconic off-road highway sealed
THE Far North’s famous Bloomfield Track could become a boom track for the region under a bold plan to fully seal the 40km coastal route.
Cook Shire Council and Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire Council have commissioned a feasibility study to assess the impact of sealing the remaining section of the dirt road, stretching north from Cape Tribulation to Wujal Wujal.
The councils say sealing the road would not only improve motorist safety, but also boost tourism in the region.
But there are concerns among 4WD enthusiasts that opening the iconic off-road highway to other vehicles will make it lessattractive to adventure-seeking tourists.
ONE of Queensland’s most popular four-wheel driving tracks could be fully sealed in a controversial move to boost tourism and enhance motorist safety on Cape York.
Cook Shire and Wujal Wujal Aboriginal Shire councils have split the cost of a $30,000 feasibility study to seal the remaining 28km of the Bloomfield Track, from north of Cape Tribulation through to Wujal Wujal.
The nearly 40km road is regarded as one of the most scenic four-wheel drives in the state, with its multiple creek crossings, and spectacular views of secluded beaches and rainforest.
But increasing concerns about the safety of the coastal route, especially during the wet season, has led the two Cape York councils to start planning a much-needed upgrade to its remaining dirt section.
Cook Mayor Peter Scott said the two councils had engaged Cairns-based firm Cummings Economics to conduct an economic, social, environmental and cultural assessment of sealing the track.
Cr Scott estimated the cost of the actual road upgrade would be about $50 million.
“Wujal Wujal and Cook (councils) see it as a great economic opportunity,” he said. “If people can come up a sealed, looped road – and that’s up one way, and back the other way to Cairns, that would be an iconic drive.
“I know there’s moves to rename the Captain Cook Highway the Great Barrier Reef Drive. If you could continue that all the way up to Cooktown, it would just become another Great Ocean Road, we reckon.”
During the wet season, some sections of the Bloomfield Track can become completely unpassable due to rising water levels in creeks.
In June, a man died and a woman suffered serious injur- ies after a crash at the Donovan Range, about 16km south of Wujal Wujal.
The indigenous community’s Mayor Desmond Tayley said an upgrade of the track would improve road conditions along the coastal road for people travelling between Cape Tribulation and Cooktown.
“We’ve had a death on that road, plenty of near-misses, and lots of rollovers,” he said.
“That’s all been attended by police, and it’s a very serious matter. So that’s why we took a bold step in this direction. At the end of the day, we don’t want anyone to lose their life on that road, whether they’re travelling or living here.”
He expected the feasibility study to be completed within the next couple of months.