Tag: daintree river

Douglas Shire Council has put out a tender for an interim Daintree River ferry service The interim service is potentially a five year contract Does…

The survey results are in with Douglas Shire preferring a two-ferry crossing over a bridge at the Daintree River. The detailed results, released on Douglas Shire Council’s website today, revealed a majority of those who completed the Daintree River Crossing Survey preferred a two-ferry service with 66% of the count, compared to 33% of people who chose a bridge.

Enjoy a journey back in time as Pam from Douglas Shire Historical Society takes us on a voyage down the Daintree River.

Learn about the historical use of the River tracing back to the Kuku Yalanji, and its use as a pioneering transport route for cedar, dairy, and mail.
Did you know there was an historical settlement called Whitby at the river mouth?
How did Humbug Reach gets its name?
If you’ve got more stories, memories or old photos to add to this trip down memory lane, please share!

The iconic Daintree River is under repair after floodwaters caused erosion in its lower reaches. Tree-planting and earthworks have strengthened the river’s banks near the Daintree Village, where land washed away in record floods in recent years.

The Douglas Shire Council is currently conducting a poll on a bridge versus a two-ferry option. The actual consultation is restricted and people have told us that information being presented is insufficient and misleading. Many people do not regard the process as free, fair and transparent, as it looks like a deliberate push for a bridge under the guise of consultation. Push polling is a common tactic used to get people to support one side of a poll over the other.

I was the superintendent of Mossman Hospital in 1983 as the Daintree blockade, led by Mike Berwick, was unfolding. While the Blockade was ultimately unsuccessful and a new road was carved from Cape Tribulation to Bloomfield, the Blockade led to the World Heritage listing of the Daintree Rainforest, limiting its development and totally preventing logging..Fast forward to 2020 – the year of COVID-19….The Bloomfield Track remains a windy unsealed road with steep sections. For an undisclosed reason, the new Council has re-opened the issue of building a bridge.  I don’t understand how this became a priority….

Contrary to the Douglas Shire Council’s claim in its Daintree Crossings Options Paper that “no significant environmental or hydrological studies (are) required to obtain approvals (for a bridge)”, the Qld Department of Environment and Science have informed DouglasNews.Network that any impact on the National Park and World Heritage Area “….would require thorough assessment under the relevant State and Commonwealth legislation”.

“Many years ago, I put a petition to the Douglas Shire Council to build more speed bumps to Cape Tribulation to protect the cassowaries and other wildlife, and to slow the traffic and speeding. This was very successful.
Imagine what it would be like if a bridge went across. Endless traffic….”

The Daintree River Crossing Options Assessment Report, while meeting basic Council requirements, is woefully inadequate for such an environmentally sensitive area, and will undoubtedly receive national and international scrutiny and criticism.”

This article investigates the costings and issues associated with the four bridge options presented in Douglas Shire Council’s Daintree River Crossing – Options Assessment Report released in August 2020. (see References below). According to estimates, the lowest cost bridge option would be around $53 million with the other options being considerably more. The two ferry option will only cost $2.8 million and this will be rapidly recovered through ferry charges.