Cape York Peninsula features landscapes of unsurpassed beauty and immense diversity, rich with Aboriginal traditions and customs and European history. Parks throughout the peninsula protect diverse landscapes including river systems, rainforests, beaches, grasslands and wetlands. Travelling in this vast and remote area requires detailed preparation and planning.
Location
National parks, national parks (Cape York Peninsula Aboriginal land (CYPAL)) and resources reserves are scattered over eastern and central parts of the peninsula, from the iconic Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park (CYPAL), 340km north of Cairns, to the northern-most parks, Jardine River National Park and Heathlands Resources Reserve, 900km north of Cairns.
National parks, conservation parks and resources reserves are clustered around Cooktown, north of Cairns. The fully sealed inland route from Cairns is via the Kennedy Highway, Peninsula Developmental Road and Mulligan Highway (330km). The coastal route, suitable only for four-wheel-drive vehicles, is via the Captain Cook Highway to the Daintree River ferry, Cape Tribulation and the unsealed Bloomfield Track (234km).
- Park alerts for Cape York Peninsula parks are published on individual park pages 2 April 2019 to 19 September 2023