Cairns to Cooktown

[Bleedin Thumb]

Do people still refer to the coast road as the QEB track? I think it was short for Qld Electricity Board because they pushed it through?

[Cliff Rogers]

No, it isn't the coast road, the coast road is the now famous Bloomfield track build in '83-'84.

[rod@plasterbrok]

We did the Daintree up to Cook Town in 1990. It was wet and I spent half a day pulling cars up hills and out of bogs.

When we got to the Bloomfield it was almost high tide and there was a line up waiting for the tide. Being young and silly we deceided not to wait.

It was the scariest river crossing I ever did. The water was up the drivers side window and washing over the bonnet.

The worst part it is like a causeway that droped off either side. My Land Cruiser filled up to the seats by the time we got across. It is also a wide crossing.

Never again it almost was more that water needed cleaning up!!!

Rod

[Bleedin Thumb]

That reminds me of a time I was coming back into Townsville (with half a million bucks worth of Geo equipment on the back) via the Harvey Ranges and there had been some flash floods to the west. I came to this normally shallow crossing that was now swollen and flowing fast and brown. I decided to chance it as it was going to put another 80km to go around it.

Once the water got over the bonnet I could feel the landcruiser starting to slip sideways and I was about 1/4 of the way across - too far gone to reverse out.

I got across eventually but I almost had to change my undies afterwards!
I recon that I'd slipped about 3m downstream by the time I'd reached the other bank

[rod@plasterbrok]

If the water had been fast flowing I would never attemted this crossing. Have witness the results of bad judgment crossing a deep fast flowing river. The sheer width of this crossing coupled with the depth made is so scary.

[bobsreturn2003]

Quaid road is still drivable . But has gates to stop you getting to the coast ,from mt molloy road , the coast road to cooktown is well worth doing , crossed the bloomfield in a jackaroo old one. Following a brumby ute so not too challenging . Low tide ! Cheers bob

[bobsreturn2003]

ALSO dont walk across to check depth . untill crocs are fed . cheers Bob