Cape Tribulation

Cape Tribulation is a coastal headland and beach locality in the Shire of Douglas, Far North Queensland, about 110 kilometres north of Cairns within Daintree National Park. It is notable as the place where the Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Named by Captain James Cook in 1770, the area features rainforest-fringed beaches, mangroves, boardwalks and lookouts, and serves as a gateway for reef and rainforest tours.

Visitors can expect a remote coastal setting where dense tropical rainforest extends to sandy beaches and mangroves overlooking the Coral Sea. The main beach is fringed by rainforest and offers views to offshore reefs. Visitors can explore short boardwalks such as the Kulki Boardwalk to a coastal lookout, walk along Myall Beach and Kulki Beach, join guided rainforest walks, reef snorkelling tours, horse riding and kayaking, and observe wildlife including cassowaries and coastal birds. Facilities are limited and the area is largely within national park.

Named by Captain James Cook on 10 June 1770 after his ship HM Bark Endeavour struck a reef off the coast, marking the beginning of his tribulations. The area later developed as a remote coastal settlement and is now protected within Daintree National Park, gazetted in 1981, and part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland World Heritage Area listed in 1988.

Located within the traditional Country of the Eastern Kuku Yalanji people. The Daintree rainforest and coastal landscape hold ongoing cultural significance for Traditional Owners and is recognized as part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area for its natural and cultural values.