So I ventured off to try out the Four Wheel Drive track up from Cape Tribulation to Cooktown. I did a lot of asking around about the water crossings to see if they might be a problem due to their depth, but everyone assured me that I would be okay in the current dry conditions.
It was a lot of fun, and the road was in pretty good shape, but I can see why it is limited to 4WD vehicles only. Some of the water crossings may have been as deep as 10 inches, and some of the hills you had to climb were among the steepest I have ever driven — requiring all four wheels to get up. Although the route was about 100 km in total, only about 30 km required a 4WD. The rest ran through Aboriginal communities with full power, police stations, supermarkets, and even fuel stations. I seriously considered returning to Cairns the same way, but decided to check out the interior road instead.
