What is Cape York Peninsula?
Cape York Peninsula is the large, remote peninsula at the far northern tip of Queensland. Its point, Cape York, is the northernmost point of mainland Australia.
The peninsula covers about 137,000 square kilometres of savanna, rainforest, rivers and wetlands. It is one of the least developed regions in Australia, with a small population and few sealed roads.
Many visitors drive the Old Telegraph Track, a famous four-wheel-drive route with river crossings, to reach the tip, known as Pajinka. A sign there marks the northernmost point of the continent. The road is usually only open in the dry season.
People and wildlife
Aboriginal communities make up much of the population, and large areas are managed as national parks. The peninsula is home to crocodiles, cassowaries, tree kangaroos and many birds found nowhere else in Australia.
The wet season brings heavy rain from about December to April, cutting many roads. Travellers are warned never to swim in rivers because of saltwater crocodiles.
Did You Know?
From the tip of Cape York, Papua New Guinea is only about 150 kilometres away across the Torres Strait.