In the book, I mention how rough the road is from Cooktown to Cairns. I would learn, later in this trip and during subsequent trips, that there were roads that were worse, from wildly rugged to barely discernible, but this first track was still impressively rough. Yet the roughness was part of what appealed to me. The sense of remoteness was one of the things that made this all seem impossibly romantic. Of course, it didn’t hurt that we were surrounded by exotic flowers, beautiful parrots, and scenery that ranged from lush to dramatically barren.
Here’s a photo of a bridge we encountered near Cooktown. I think it hints at the wonderful ruggedness of our drive down the Queensland coast.
Waltzing Australia 