‘Pretty ordinary’: No timeline on when damaged Daintree boardwalks will reopen

Battered boardwalks and collapsed observation decks in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area are in need of urgent repair as tourists return to the Far North’s ancient rainforest, a community leader says.

Douglas Chamber of Commerce president Jeremy Blockey is calling for work to start on damaged visitor infrastructure north of the Daintree River.

Battered boardwalks and collapsed observation decks in the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area are in need of urgent repair as tourists return to the Far North’s ancient rainforest, a community leader says.

Delays caused by roadworks haven’t stopped visitors and tour guides returning to Cow Bay and beyond in recent weeks despite the area’s visitor infrastructure copping major damage during December’s weather events.

The Kulki Beach lookout near Cape Tribulation was destroyed during ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

But the floods and Tropical Cyclone Jasper have only added to the list of already rundown walkways and amenities in the region, Douglas Chamber of Commerce president Jeremy Blockey said.

“How long’s it going to take? Jindalba boardwalk in the Cow Bay area has been closed for nine months,” Mr Blockey said.

“This is a manifestation of how poorly we’re looked after in terms of parks infrastructure.

“It’s time the state government put serious money towards getting these facilities reinstated.”

A collapsed viewing deck at Kulki Beach near Cape Tribulation has been left untouched, despite rangers recently visiting with “leaf blowers”, Mr Blockey said.

“They blew leaves off the path and in the car park,” he said.

“There were no chainsaws and no substantive effort to reinstate or do anything other than put a bit of lipstick on the place.

“It was pretty ordinary.”

A guide leading a tour group on a rainforest walk on the Jindalba boardwalk, in the Daintree National Park. The boardwalk remains closed with no timeline on when it will reopen. Picture: Tourism and Events Queensland.

In a statement, a Department of Environment Science and Innovation spokesperson said Mossman Gorge, Dubuji and Madja boardwalks had reopened but failed to provide a timeline for Kulki Beach and Jindalba boardwalk.

“Kulki Beach lookout is expected to remain closed for the foreseeable future,” the spokesperson said.

“An engineer will assess the Kulki lookout this week which will inform the next steps in building its replacement.

“The Jindalba boardwalk was closed for refurbishment prior to Cyclone Jasper, and our plans to update the infrastructure in partnership with the Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation remain on track.

“We expect the full recovery to be a multi-million dollar undertaking, however a dollar figure cannot be placed on the value of restoring this environmental and cultural significant area.”

The famous Jindalba Boardwalk through ancient rainforest in the Daintree region has been closed for several months.

While some areas north of the Daintree River remain inaccessible by road to visitors, Mr Blockey said works could still be undertaken to repair key areas.

“We need to be truly open for business when the roads fully reopen,” he said.

“It’s not just about the individual businesses but the whole experience of the Daintree.

“There’s no point having board walks that are closed off when there’s been weeks to effect some level of repair.

“We’ve squandered this time when we could have been getting these facilities reinstated.

“Let’s get this job started … while we haven’t got as many visitors around. Otherwise, this is just a wasted opportunity.”

Originally published as ‘Pretty ordinary’: No timeline on when damaged Daintree boardwalks will reopen