4WD Bloomfield Track

The most adventurous way to head north from the Daintree has to be the scenic and 4WD only Bloomfield Track.   This rugged dirt road meanders north with the rainforest on one side and the pacific on the other.   It crosses both the Donovan range and the Cowie range where there are steep climbs of up to 33%.  You also need to ford the river at Emmagen creek.  During storms and rains the track can become unpassable but recent upgrades have made it much more manageable  

Emmagen Creek

Emmagen creek requires fording the river and it is generally indicated to be the limit for 2WD vehicles.  Also, there is a path that leads up to a swimming hole that is advertised on instagram as a refreshing stop where you can rope swing from the river bank into crystal clear waters.  However, when we visited, the water was quite murky and not at all inviting.  I don’t even think we bothered to take any photos.  However, fording the river is fun and novel and makes it feel like an adventure.  

Wujal Wujal Falls (Bloomfield Falls)

Another interesting stop along the track is the Wujal Wujal or Bloomfield Falls.  This waterfall is actually fairly impressive but not that picturesque.  It is said to be of cultural significance to the local Kulu Yalanji aboriginal people who have occupied this area of north Queensland for 50,000 years and constitute one of the oldest surviving cultures on earth.  This aboriginal group has persisted through severe persecution as the English colonists tried to uproot them after finding gold in the area.  

Wujal Wujal Falls aka Bloomfield Falls

Lion’s Den Outback Pub

One of the most iconic stops along the Bloomfield Track has to be the strange and quirky Lion’s Den Hotel Outback Pub.  I was there in 2008 when I came on my own many years ago and since that time it was completely flooded to the roof and much of it was rebuilt.  However, it still has the odd little museum and no wi-fi.  Patrons actually do talk to each other and it was fun to chat with the locals.  One of them had picked up a baby bird and was showing it to my niece while another told us about some good places to go for dinner in Cooktown.

Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) National Park

About 30 minutes south of Cooktown is the mysterious Black Mountain.  It stands out as a enormous pile of dark igneous rocks stacked into a large mound so big that there are stories of men, horses, and even whole herds of cattle disappearing into the chasms between the rocks.  There are many aboriginal myths and legends surrounding this place.  One such story is that of two humongous giants.  The giants were brothers but fell desperately in love with the same beautiful woman.  In jealousy, a fight erupted between them and they began launching massive boulders at each other.  In the process the black mountains were created but both brothers perished beneath the heavy stones.  

Cooktown

Cooktown is famous as the location where Captain James Cook and his ship the Endeavour ran aground on a reef in 1770 and had to seek shelter in the Endeavour River.  His crew came ashore to repair the ship and had several encounters with the local aboriginals.  Grassy Hill, which overlooks Cooktown and the Endeavour River, is also where the first sighting of a kangaroo by Europeans occurred.  

View of the Endeavour River from Grassy Hill.  Captain Cook climbed this hill in 1770 to find a passage through the reefs once his ship, the Endeavour, was repaired.

When I visited Cooktown back in 2008 it was just a dirt road and a few buildings.  I stayed at the now defunct The Top Pub in one of the tiny rooms upstairs above the bar.  The whole town felt like something out of a Clint Eastwood movie and there were the old swinging bar room doors and men with cowboy hats at the bar.  Now the road is paved and the town is much more developed but still small and quirky in many ways.   

The Best Work Schedule Ever

Willie Gordon Guugu Yimithirr Elder from the Nugal-Warra clan

I had done a walk with Willie back in 2008 when I visited and had told my sister we should do it again if possible.  Amazingly, Willie is still doing these bush walks and sharing the stories of his people in 2025.  He showed us plants that create soap suds or treat wounds and branches that can be thrown in the river to kill the fish for eating but afterwards must be removed.  He told us stories about his family and the birthing caves.  We also learned the true story of the Normanby Woman.  

Willie showing us an aboriginal children’s game

Aboriginal Rock Art – I think this was of a teacher

Inland Route from Cooktown to Cairns

On our return to Cairns, we took the inland route which seemed to be the complete opposite of the Bloomfield Track.   While the track wound through the lush rainforest, the inland route was flat and dry and dusty.  There were  termite mounds nearly as tall as a man and the trees seemed almost barren.     

Termite Mound

On one of our hikes in this area we were fortunate enough to spot a frilled lizard sitting atop a small termite mound.  During the dry season, termites are a critical food source for the frilled lizards.  We did startle it and it leapt from the mound and sprinted up a tree but, unfortunately, it did not expand it’s frill which they often do as a defensive mechanism to scare off predators.  

Frilled Lizard atop a termite mound

Frilled Lizard in a tree

As we headed further south and closer to Cairns, the brown and dust turned to green and we stopped near a golf course in the hopes of seeing some kangaroo.  Fortunately, we were not disappointed!    Several mobs of kangaroos were found lounging about the woods and edges of the fairways.  It seemed like a pleasant spot for them with plenty of green shoots to much on and an easy line of sight to any predators.  

I know what you’re thinkng but no, I didn’t get a chance to ask him for his gym routine

Summary  

It was definitely a great experience to drive the Bloomfield Track and visit Cooktown with the family.  The outback pub, history of Captain Cook’s landing, the aboriginal insight with Willie, as well as the kangaroos, and changing landscape made this portion of the trip fantastic.  Also, while I did not have a chance the document them, the botanic garden in Cooktown as well as the Captain Cook Museum are wonderful and not to be missed!