Location

Rossville Retreat is located just off the Mulligan Highway at 152 Shipton’s Flat Road, Rossville, only 20 minutes from Cooktown, at the gateway to Cape York and the Bloomfield Track in to the Daintree Rainforest and on to Cape Tribulation. Our co-ordinates are -15.686316°, 145.219577°

There are three ways to travel from Cairns to Rossville Retreat depending on whether you like to travel on dirt or bitumen and how quickly you want to get to us.

Cairns to Rossville Retreat via Mareeba

The inland route is the easiest and quickest taking 3hours and 30 minutes and has bitumen the whole way. Your journey begins travelling up the Kuranda Range which has spectacular views, you will travel through Mareeba, the old mining town of Mount Molloy, Mount Carbine, the small farming town of Lakeland and then it is 50kms to the Shipton’s Flat Road turn off and 2kms to the right hand turn in to Rossville Retreat.

Cairns to Rossville Retreat via the Captain Cook Highway

This route takes you along the spectacular coastal road, the Captain Cook Highway towards Port Douglas and Mossman with its amazing gorge. The journey takes roughly 3 hours and 45 minutes taking you up the range after the highway and is signed posted to Mount Molloy and Cooktown. This route has much less traffic and is quieter than going up the range at Kuranda. After 28kms turn right on to the Mulligan Highway and from here you will travel through Mount Carbine, the small farming town of Lakeland and then it is 50kms to the Shipton’s Flat Road turn off and 2kms to the right hand turn in to Rossville Retreat.

Cairns to Rossville Retreat via the Bloomfield Track

This coastal route is the shortest in distance but takes the longest, it is 226km, takes 4 hours and 30 minutes and is suitable for four-wheel drives and off-road campers only. Saying that, there is so much to see along the way that people usually take a lot longer. The journey begins by taking the ferry across the Daintree River www.daintreeinfo.com/info/daintree-river-ferry

From the Daintree River the bitumen takes you to Cape Tribulation which has amazing views from its lookout, then you hit the dirt and travel over several ranges and on to the Indigenous community of Wujal Wujal which has a wonderful art centre and sacred waterfall. From here you hit the bitumen again and drive towards Bloomfield, through the lush countryside on to Rossville, past the historic Lions Den pub then just 2 kms further and you will cross the old wooden bridge over Sandy Creek, then take the next left, arriving at Rossville Retreat.