Thread: Sealing the Cape York Development Road

I think that it is a great use of public money to make this an all weather road.
It will not only greatly improve the lives of the people that live in the Cape it will be Far safer for all the tourists that visit the area as well.
As Mick said there will still be plenty of areas and tracks for the 4WD crew to play on and sealing the road will open up the area so that your regular family can finally reach an area that has been pretty much exclusively 4WD territory.

Consumer goods will not get cheaper using road transport, look at the prices in Normanton and Karumba.
Sea transport will still be the only viable form of transport, in the wet. Heck, even the Bruce isn't floodproof yet.
Are you wanting to trade the Defender for a Toyota Echo, Mick?

A bitumen road will open up the area and should increase the number of businesses and the added competition "Should" have the effect of lowering the prices of food, fuel and other commodities by breaking the monopoly that many businesses have there at the moment.

As you say, it'll help with a lot of things the both the locals and the visitors need. A good thing for sure.

The only downside "I" see, is the remoteness will go with the advancement of bitumen. For me, part of the reason to want to go there in the first place is to be remote, away from the hustle and bustle of heaps of other 4x4's. I must admit, I've heard of a lot of problems with what could probably be described as "too many people, and too much rubbish" of recent times, so maybe it's too late already.
With a sealed road, every man and his dog will be up there soon I'm guessing I'll have to look at other remote areas, ahh alas, more exploring to be done

Supermarket trucks already run to Weipa, where prices are reasonable, so they could continue up the development road to Bamaga, where they are ridiculous. More fresh fruit and vegetables would also be good for the health of the locals. It would be a bit less remote, as Chops said, but I'd pay that price for the benefits.

Originally Posted by Chops

As you say, it'll help with a lot of things the both the locals and the visitors need. A good thing for sure.

The only downside "I" see, is the remoteness will go with the advancement of bitumen. For me, part of the reason to want to go there in the first place is to be remote, away from the hustle and bustle of heaps of other 4x4's. I must admit, I've heard of a lot of problems with what could probably be described as "too many people, and too much rubbish" of recent times, so maybe it's too late already.
With a sealed road, every man and his dog will be up there soon I'm guessing I'll have to look at other remote areas, ahh alas, more exploring to be done

There is still the Gulf country to play in

At least money would be spent on something worth while, not some gov waste...

Projects like this help in the long run, but to start with they cause hassles til people get used to the change...

There are lots of roads around the country that could be improved...

I agree they should seal it but,
My experience of the Gulf Country once we got a fully sealed road to Cloncurry is
Without bridges it only marginally shortens the wet.
If it isn't maintained it's worse than dirt.
Freight prices did not drop a cent though it was more reliable.
New businesses & competition will generally not open up because your normal people don't want to live out here (you have to be a bit of an idiot to do so).
Banks don't lend money to businesses in such places, high risk apparently.
Tourist now complain most strongly about the dirt roads West.
Folks are driving faster & the accidents are more deadly.
And, it has taken that feeling of adventure & living on the frontier out of life a bit.

Jonesfam
PS Back when it was all dirt I asked a bloke how the road was? He said it's James Bond. What? Shaken, not stirred.