Captain Cook Highway

The Captain Cook Highway is a short, regional highway in Queensland which originates in Cairns and terminates in Mossman, where it joins Mossman-Daintree Road, continuing to Daintree. It is a state-controlled regional road (number 20A).[2][3][4]

Captain Cook Highway

The highway at Craiglie near Port Douglas
Captain Cook Highway (green on black)
General information
TypeHighway
Length75 km (47 mi)
Route number(s)
  • (Cairns - Kennedy Highway Junction/Smithfield Shopping Centre roundabout
  • State Route 44 (Smithfield - Mossman)
Major junctions
South end Bruce Highway (Queensland Highway A1), Cairns
 
North endMossman-Daintree Road, Mossman
Location(s)
Major settlementsSmithfield, Palm Cove, Port Douglas
Highway system

The Captain Cook Highway is used to connect the CBD of Cairns to the Northern Beaches; a collection of suburbs which comprise the northern section of Cairns. It is also used by many tourists travelling to the town of Port Douglas, north of Cairns. Apart from being a vital link between two tourist locations, the Captain Cook Highway is a scenic highway that winds alongside the coast of the tropical seaside rainforest heading towards Port Douglas and Daintree National Park.

Route description

The Captain Cook Highway commences at the northern end of the Bruce Highway (Mulgrave Road), in the Cairns CBD. It runs through the CBD and the suburbs of Cairns North and Aeroglen as Sheridan Street, with a speed limit of 60km/h. In this section, it intersects with Airport Drive, providing a connection to Cairns Airport. After the intersection with Aeroglen Drive, the northerly and southerly directions of the highway become separated by a median and the speed limit increases to 80km/h. It runs as National Route 1 north past the suburbs of Machans Beach, Holloways Beach, and Yorkeys Knob, until it reaches the intersection of the Cairns Western Arterial Road towards the Redlynch Valley.

As of November 25th, 2021, the highway branches off from this intersection onto the Smithfield Bypass (now renamed Kudakai Crossland Connection); a two-lane highway which follows a path to the east of the Smithfield business center. This was constructed at a cost of $164 million.[1]

The original route continues north to the intersection of the Kennedy Highway in Smithfield, next to the Smithfield Shopping Centre. From this intersection, the highway continues north to the intersection of McGregor road, next to James Cook University, where it joins with the Smithfield Bypass. The two routes recombine and continue north as State Route 44 past the suburbs of Trinity Park, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove, and Ellis Beach. It then continues along the coast through Wangetti, Craiglie and Killaloe, then west between Bonnie Doon in the north and Cassowary and Shannonvale in the south, where it passes the exit to Mossman-Mount Molloy Road (State Route 44) to the south, before turning north-west to its terminus in Mossman.

Upgrades

Upgrade planning

A project to analyse options for upgrading a section of road from Poolwood Road roundabout to Endeavour Road, at a cost of $620,000, was to be completed by mid-2021.[5]

Upgrade construction

A project to upgrade the road between Cairns and Smithfield, at a cost of $359 million, was expected to commence construction in June 2022.[6]

Mossman–Mount Molloy Road

Mossman–Mount Molloy Road

State Route 44 marker

LocationCaptain Cook Highway, Bonnie Doon, Cassowary, Shannonvale tripoint
to Mulligan Highway, Mount Molloy
Length28.4 km (17.6 mi)
Route number44

Mossman–Mount Molloy Road is a state-controlled district road (number 653).[3][4] It starts at an intersection with Captain Cook Highway (State Route 44) at the Bonnie Doon, Cassowary, Shannonvale tripoint. It runs south as State Route 44, for 28.4 kilometres (17.6 mi) to Mount Molloy, where it ends at an intersection with Mulligan Highway. The road has no major intersections .[7]


Major intersections

LGALocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
CairnsCairns00.0 Bruce Highway (Florence Street) (Queensland Highway A1) - south-west - Woree /
Sheridan Street - south-east - Cairns CBD /
Florence Street - north-east - Cairns waterfront
Southern end of Captain Cook Highway (National Route 1) Continues north-west as Sheridan Street.
Barron River6.94.3William Walter Mason Bridges
CairnsSmithfield12.17.5 Cairns Western Arterial Road (State Route 91) - south - Kamerunga /

National Route 1 - north-west - Smithfield /

Smithfield Bypass - north - Smithfield/Trinity Park
Smithfield Bypass is now renamed Kudakai Crossland Connection.
Captain Cook Highway now follows the bypass.[1]
13.18.1 Kennedy Highway (National Route 1) - west - KurandaCaptain Cook Highway continues north as State Route 44
DouglasPort Douglas61.138.0Port Douglas Road - north-east - Port Douglas
Bonnie Doon / Shannonvale /
Cassowary tripoint[8]
71.244.2 Mossman Mount Molloy Road (State Route 44) - south - Mount MolloyCaptain Cook Highway continues west with no route number
Mossman75.446.9Mill Street - east - Mossman CBD /
Mossman Daintree Road (Foxton Avenue) - north-west - Daintree /
Junction Road - north-east - Bonnie Doon
Northern end of Captain Cook Highway
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •       Route transition

See also

References

  1. "Captain Cook Highway, Smithfield Bypass". Queensland Government. 13 December 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  2. Hema, Maps (2007). Australia Road and 4WD Atlas (Map). Eight Mile Plains Queensland: Hema Maps. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-86500-456-3.
  3. "North Queensland Region map" (PDF). Department of Transport and Main Roads ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  4. "Far North District map" (PDF). Department of Transport and Main Roads ©State of Queensland [CC BY 4.0]. 2020. Retrieved 7 July 2023.
  5. "Captain Cook Highway (Cairns-Mossman) Poolwood Road roundabout to Endeavour Road, planning". Queensland Government. 22 November 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  6. "Cairns Ring Road (Cairns CBD to Smithfield)". Queensland Government. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  7. Google (16 July 2023). "Mossman to Mount Molloy" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  8. Google (20 July 2017). "Bonnie Doon / Shannonvale / Cassowary tripoint" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 20 July 2017.

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