Cape York - Nature, Adventure and Discovery
Beaches
Cooktown and the Cape York Peninsula are fringed by long deserted beaches which are ideal for a great day out by the sea.
Bird Life
With such a diverse range of habitats Cape York is an exciting and rewarding year-round birding destination.
Cape Melville National Park
A remote park with a spectacular coastline of rocky headlands. Massive granite boulders of the Melville range and sandstone escarpments of the Altanmoui range dominate the inland regions of the park. These features form part of a living Aboriginal cultural landscape.
Flinders Group National Park
The park consists of seven remote islands with a rich cultural landscape. The islands contain important Aboriginal story and burial sites along with nationaly significant rock art sites showing early contact with Europeans.
Great Barrier Reef
One of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Barrier Reef is an incredible living ecosystem. Vibrant colours, a myriad of fish species and crystal blue waters, refresh, invigorate and inspire.
Iron Range National Park - Kutini-Payamu (Iron Range) National Park (CYPAL)
This remote coastal park in northern Cape York Peninsula protects the largest area of lowland tropical rainforest in Australia. Rainforest and heath shrouded hills provide the backdrop to long sweeping beaches, mangrove forests and rocky outcrops.
Jardine River National Park and Heathlands Resources Reserve
A huge wilderness area at the tip of Cape York Peninsula which includes much of the catchment of the Jardine River, the largest perennial river in Queensland. Heath, rainforest and woodlands cover low sandy ridges separated by swamps and shrublands and vine thickets cover massive coastal dunes.
Lizard Island
Located 93 km north of Cooktown and 27km from the coast these 6 islands are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Public moorings are provided for private boats and there is an airstrip for small aircraft.
Mungkan Kandju National Park
A wilderness park of open woodlands, melaleuca swamps and rainforest the park is a living cultural landscape rich in cultural significance for the Traditional Aboriginal Owners.
Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park
Rinyirru (Lakefield) is Queensland’s second largest National Park and the largest park in Cape York at 537,000 ha. Spectacular wetlands and extensive river systems attract a great diversity of waterbirds while estuarine and freshwater crocodiles bask along the river banks and barramundi wait in the shallows.
Suggested Cape York Self-Drive Itinerary
Whichever way you choose to drive, the trip up Cape York will be an unforgettable adventure to mainland Australia's northernmost point. Below is a suggested itinerary .....
The Tip of Australia
After a long drive up through Cape York Peninsula you will be feeling the excitement as you near the northernmost point of mainland Australia, about 32 km from Bamaga.
Waterfalls
There are several scenic waterfalls in the Cooktown vicinity which make lovely picnic and day trip destinations. Several offer safe swimming in idyllic swimming holes but always check the latest information from local sources before swimming.
