A solitary mangrove sits in the mud at Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation
Hidden in dense rainforest, this is the site where Captain Cook ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef.
It was Captain James Cook who first sighted the stretch of coastline known as Cape Tribulation. His diary entries for the night of Sunday 10 June and the morning of Monday 11 June 1770 explain how he arrived at the name.

'The shore between Cape Grafton and the above northern point forms a large but not very deep bay, which I named Trinity Bay, after the day on which it was discover'd; the north point Cape Tribulation because here began all our troubles.

'Before 10 o'Clock (p.m.) we had 20 and 21 fathoms and continued in that depth until a few minutes before 11, when we had 17, and before the man at the lead could heave another cast the ship struck and stuck fast.'

It was off the coast that the H.M. Barque Endeavour ran onto the reef now known as Endeavour Reef. It managed to limp to the Endeavour River near present-day Cooktown where, for some months, it was laid up for repairs.

Today the area is part of the 16 965-ha Cape Tribulation National Park, a site of breathtaking beauty with rugged mountain ranges rising sharply behind the narrow coastal strip, dense rainforest tumbling down the mountains to the beaches, and a bewilderingly rich variety of flora.

The road from Daintree to Cape Tribulation is less than magnificent, mainly because of the seemingly endless number of tours which make the daily journey from Cairns and Port Douglas. It is a partly sealed dirt road which is passable to conventional vehicles in good weather.

Beyond Cape Tribulation the road, built by the local council in 1983 despite vigorous protests from environmentalists, is one of the worst roads in Australia. It is an ugly dirt-red gash across the face of the rainforest which bleeds mud into the ocean whenever it rains. It is for 4WD vehicles only. See Cooktown for further details.

A passionate environmentalist account of the building of the road - the politics, the protests, the arguments for and against the construction of any kind of roadway through the rainforest - accompanied by some excellent photographs, has been written by members of the Douglas Shire Wilderness Action Group. It is called The Trials of Tribulation and can be purchased from Wilderness Action Group, P.O. Box 116, Port Douglas.

Things to see:  

Cape Tribulation National Park
Covering 16 965 ha this is a site of breathtaking beauty with rugged mountain ranges rising sharply behind the narrow coastal strip, dense rainforest tumbling down the mountains to the beaches, and a bewilderingly rich variety of flora. The rainforest boasts extremely ancient species of fern which have been on earth for over 100 million years, including both the beautiful flowering Idiospermum australiense and the Angiopteris, the world's largest fern.

At Cape Tribulation the National Parks and Wildlife Service have made life easy for visitors by providing a cement path and boardwalk through the rainforest to the headland where a lookout point affords excellent views across the bay. For those wishing to explore further there are a number of excellent rainforest walking trails. Many of the local tour operators offer excursions into the rainforest.

	Tourist Information
	Cape Tribulation Information Centre & Guided Rainforest Walks Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0070
	Daintree Tourist Information Centre 5 Stewart St Daintree Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 6133
	Hotels
	Cow Bay Hotel Baileys Creek Rd Cow Bay Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9011
	Resorts
	Ferntree Rainforest Resort Camelot Cl. Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0000, 1800 639 994 Rating: ***
	Bed & Breakfast/Guesthouses
	Cape Tribulation Retreat 19 Nicole Drive Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0028 Facsimile: (07) 3206 1122 Email: capetrib@capetribretreat.com.au
	Farm & Eco Holidays
	Lync Haven Rainforest Retreat Cape Tribulation Rd Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9155
	Lodges & Chalets
	Cape Tribulation Educational & Adventure Lodge Coconut Beach Rainforest Resort Cape Tribulation Rd Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0033 Facsimile: (07) 4098 0047 Rating: ***
	Cape Tribulation Retreat 19 Nicole Drive Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0028 Facsimile: (07) 3206 1122 Email: capetrib@capetribretreat.com.au
	Daintree Cape Tribulation Heritage Lodge Turpentine Rd Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9138
	Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa Daintree Rd Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 6100 Facsimile: (07) 4098 6200 Email: info@daintree-ecolodge.com.au Rating: ****
	Daintree Wilderness Lodge Cape Tribulation Rd Alexandra Bay Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9105 Facsimile: (07) 4098 9021 Rating: ***
	Caravan Parks
	Daintree Riverview Caravan Park 2 Stewart St Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 6119 Rating: **
	Pilgrim Sands Holiday Park, (closed November to March) via Mossman Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0030 Rating: **
	Camping & Other
	Inn The Rainforest Cape Tribulation Rd Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9101
	PK's Jungle Village Cape Tribulation Rd Myall Beach Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0040 Facsimile: (07) 4098 0006
	Rainforest House M.S. 2041 Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0042 Facsimile: (07) 4098 0042
	Rainforest Retreat Cape Tribulation Rd Cow Bay Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9101
	Restaurants
	Cow Bay Hotel Baileys Creek Rd Cow Bay Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9011
	Ferntree Rainforest Resort Restaurant Camelot Cl Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0000
	Floraville Tea Garden Cape Tribulation Rd Cow Bay Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9100
	Latitude 16 Point 12 Degrees Baileys Creek Rd Cow Bay Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9133
	Lync Haven Rainforest Retreat Cape Tribulation Rd Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 9155
	PK's Jungle Village Cape Tribulation Rd Myall Beach Cape Tribulation QLD 4873 Telephone: (07) 4098 0040 Facsimile: (07) 4098 0006