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Paradise turns to prison for tourist town trapped by landslide

Paradise turns to prison for tourist town trapped by landslide
The fate of a tiny tourist town in Far North Queensland is hanging by a thread after a landslide cut it off...

The fate of a tiny tourist town in Far North Queensland is hanging by a thread after a landslide cut it off from the rest of the country.

Secluded and serene, Cape Tribulation is the only place on earth where two world heritage sites - the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef - meet.

But for the last three months, the journey to 'Cape Trib' has been near impossible, turning paradise into a prison for the locals left behind.

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Cape Tribulation residents are concerned the landslide could threaten the future of the tourist town. (Nine)

When Category 3 Cyclone Jasper tore through Far North Queensland in December, it left flooded devastation in its wake.

It also triggered a massive landslide that has swept the road into Cape Tribulation off a cliff.

With landslips every few kilometres and repairs moving slowly, the gateway road into the Daintree is intermittently closed.

The hardest hit location is Noah Range, just minutes away from the Cape Tribulation township.

Julian and Jackie had just finished a major renovation of their camp grounds the day before the cyclone hit. (Nine)

Julian and Jackie's campground is usually filled with families in their caravans and tents.

They'd just finished a major renovation of the grounds the day before the cyclone hit.

"Emotionally and financially I think it'll be the end of the town for a lot of people shortly if drastic action doesn't happen," Julian said.

The landslide caused impacted the road into Cape Tribulation. (Nine)

"If we don't get a date for when the road reopens, we will shut our doors," Jackie added.

"Cape Trib camping will have to close. We cannot stay open without tourists, without a road we have no business."

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They're part of a group of locals now banding together to call out the Douglas Shire Council for failing to manage the road repairs.

They claim not enough work was done after the cyclone when the weather was clear.

And now a 90 day permit allowing workers to push the soil into the ocean has lapsed, so the soil has to be trucked out.

A group of locals has called out the local council for what they claim is a failure to manage road repairs. (Nine)

Jeremy and Merran Blockey run Cape Trib Farm.

"They should be opening the road and telling us when it's closed ... at the moment they're closing the road and telling us when it's open," Jeremy said.

Not only have their tourist cabins been left empty, but they've also been unable to export exotic fruit from their orchard.

Jeremy is so frustrated that he is now running for council himself, while former school teacher Merran does all she can to help the town's students get to class.

Jeremy and Merran Blockey run Cape Trib Farm. (Nine)

"In the past five days of schooling our two little Year 1 students have managed to get to school for one day... We've had to fight every inch of the way, we've had to boat them down in rough seas," Merran said.

"I honestly didn't think that we would have to fight so hard to get our children to school so that they could learn."

Douglas Shire Council mayor Michael Kerr told A Current Affair host Ally Langdon the road would be open by Easter.

Douglas Shire Council mayor Michael Kerr said the road would be open by Easter. (Nine)

"The latest we've had from our geotech engineers is that they're hoping to get that road opened before Easter," Kerr said.

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"We did have a community meeting up there last Sunday and we did advise (residents) of that information."

Kerr said the road would stay open, unless the region experienced further significant rainfall.

"From what we've been told they are going to keep it open as best they can, (but) if there's a massive fall, you know if we get another rain event like we had back on the 12th of December, I can't promise that this will stay open," he said.

"Safety is the paramount situation and we are not going to put people's lives at risk."

Cape Tribulation is the only place on earth where two world heritage sites - the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef - meet. (Nine)

Kerr encouraged Australians to support the community by booking a holiday to the region.

"Get onto your booking site, book a flight to tropical Far North Queensland, come up (and) enjoy everything we've got to offer up here." 

But residents say they've got no certainty heading into their peak season.

"If the road is not fixed and there's no solution quickly there will be no more Cape Tribulation," Julian said.

The mayor assured A Current Affair the road would be fixed in the next few weeks. (Nine)

"I think we're at the end of our tether ... we can't really sustain it much longer.

"We want them to visit, we're ready to go, we've cleaned up, we're waiting but we have no road," Jackie said.

FULL DOUGLAS SHIRE COUNCIL STATEMENT

Council understands the ongoing financial and emotional stress the impacts TC Jasper has caused and has been advocating strongly and consistently alongside local and regional tourism bodies to secure further financial support to residents and businesses, in addition to the tourism and disaster funding packages released to date.

Council is leading the response and recovery efforts post TC Jasper with the support of the Queensland Government.

In December 2023, 4.2 meters of rain was recorded in less than a week (equivalent to two years of standard rainfall) with more than 100 landslips and serious damage sustained to critical infrastructure across the Douglas Shire.

The immediate priority was preservation of life and ensuring essential supplies were delivered to remote communities including Cape Tribulation.

Inspections of landslips north of the Daintree River began in the days following the floods (December 19) with the goal of securing unstable mountain ranges and striving towards safe and trafficable roads.

Five of the six major restoration sites along Cape Tribulation Road in the Daintree have now been secured by teams of experts working around the clock with most of the road passable under traffic management.

The management of these landships is incredibly complex, with tension fractures and wet season conditions causing further instability and the need for intensive monitoring, and unavoidable short notice closures.

The road at Noah's Range sits 70 meters above sea level and is under approximately eight meters of dirt and debris.

With the support of State Government and leading geotechnical and road engineers, the Daintree Region is being prioritised to ensure residents have safe access in and out of Cape Tribulation and neighbouring Daintree communities.

Following weeks of ongoing assessment to safely secure the site, crews are working towards opening road access through Noah Range to Cape Tribulation to all vehicles, residents and visitors, during daylight hours within weeks.

Rate relief is available via the financial relief measures Council announced on 31 January.

Any rate relief measures beyond Council's approved rates financial hardship policy would require a resolution of Council and a decision such as that would need to be made following the caretaker period and after the local government elections on March 16.

Council is committed to improving engagement and communications with residents and businesses impacted by this disaster and supporting the promotion of sustainable tourism back to our beautiful region post this disaster.

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