Road
Coen
is 576 km from Cairns
by road. Most people drive overland along the Peninsula Development
Road or simply Peninsula Road. This runs from Lakeland, North of Mareeba,
to Cape York, a continuation of the roads from Cairns, Port Douglas,
and Mossman which are all good. Sections of road including Cooktown
to Lakeland are sealed each dry season, but the Peninsula Road is largely
unsealed, often stony, and can be treacherous. Drive with care.
State Emergency Services teams standby
for disasters. The SES motto for drivers is:
"Lights on in the dirt, reduce your chances of getting hurt".
Often impassable in the Wet because of poor road condition and many
water crossings which flood regularly.
Can be quite good in the Dry after recent grading, but very dusty. So
it is best travelled in a 4WD vehicle. Note that fuel, accident and
repair services are limited; be prepared for all eventualities. An average
road speed of 60- 80 km/hr can be expected. Average travel time from
Cairns is therefore 8-9 hours with brief stops.
For up-to-date road reports contact
www.racq.com.au and
see "Road Conditions Report" or call 1300 130 595 or 1300
789 000
Air
Regular air services from Cairns to Coen are operated by SkyTrans on
weekdays. Travel time is 1.5-2.5 hours depending on the route. Air Charters
can be arrranged. The Coen airport is 24 km from the town, but local
transfers are provided for scheduled flights. In Cairns, departure is
from the General Aviation area of the airport.
