Getting to Cooktown, Queensland 🇦🇺 2021

Date: 8th May 2021

Travelled: 290 kilometres from Rocky Creek (Atherton) to Cooktown

Visited: Mareeba and Cooktown, far North Queensland.

Stayed: Cooktown Orchid Travellers Park, $38, all services. S15.46954, E145.24837

Budget: 28 days @ $139 per day.

We enjoyed a very quiet evening at Rocky Creek. Before leaving we walk across the site to explore the War Memorial Park that adjoins the rest stop. Set among the lawn and gum trees it‘s a stunning location.

The Jayco is soon ready for the road once again and we continue north on the Kennedy Highway. Thirty plus kms later we roll into Mareeba. We find the service point quickly enough and do the business. They have a new RV parking area in the centre of town so we take the opportunity to park in the shade, get the BBQ out and have breakfast. As we are here in Mareeba we may as well walk the Main Street and take in the flavour. We pop into Signature Pies as the sign claimed the best pies in Mareeba, have a chat with the baker and risk a couple of dog’s eyes and an apple pie.

Mareeba done, we load our pies into the Jayco and continue north on the Kennedy. Forty minutes later we stop at Mount Malloy for a coffee. Last night we fully intended going to Port Douglas and the Daintree but sitting here looking at the road sign to Cooktown we take the plunge, turn onto the Mulligan Highway and continue north.

On our way, hope they have fuel in Mount Carbine.

Thirty kms later we stop at Mount Carbine and fuel up the Jayco. The Mulligan Highway is generally an easy drive other than the bridges which tend to be a bit rough. That is until we reach the West Normanby River, sections of the bridge are out of alignment by 50 mm or more. So glad we slowed to a walk to get a photo.

The drive from Mount Malloy to Cooktown takes just under 3 hours with the Jayco sitting on 95 kph (GPS) with two short stops. Rolling into Cooktown, we do a quick drive up Charlotte Street to get a feel for the place before booking into the Cooktown Orchid. It’s close to the centre of town but the sites are tight. Anyway we manage to slide the Jayco into a spot in the back corner and settle in.