Aussie tourist destination Cape Tribulation has been cut off from visitors for three months – as business owners fear for their futures

One of Australia’s most popular tropical holiday havens is in danger of closing as its main access road remains largely impassable and buried by landslides three months after a cyclone hit the area.

Cape Tribulation, which uniquely offers easy access to two World Heritage sites: the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest, has been almost completely closed since the flooding following Category 3 Cyclone Jasper in December.

The 4.2 meters of rain that fell in the region caused mounds of earth to shift on the Cape Tribulation Road, making it impassable from the south.

What frustrates locals, however, is that the work to keep the site clean months later is moving at a snail’s pace and erratically.

With only a trickle of traffic allowed through at unpredictable hours, Cape Tribulation’s economic lifeline has dried up, leaving about 200 businesses at risk of closing.

One business in jeopardy is Cape Trib Camping. Owners Julian and Jackie told Channel Nine’s A Current Affair on Thursday that they and many others were almost at the end of their rope.

“Emotionally and financially, I think it will soon be the end of the city for a lot of people if drastic measures aren’t taken,” Julian said.

“If we don’t get a date for when the road will reopen, we will close our doors,” Jackie added.

‘Cape Trib campground will have to close. Without tourists we can’t stay open, without a road we have no business.’

Locals blame Douglas Shire Council for not clearing the road quickly enough after the floods subsided and for not deploying enough resources to keep the road clear.

“We expect some disasters, but we also expect people to be competent in their response to those disasters,” said Lawrence Mason, whose family owns the company Masons Cafe & Tours Cape Tribulation.

As a sequel to a 90-day permit that allowed workers to push soil into the ocean has expired, and all the dirt and mud removed must be trucked away.

Cape Trib Camping owners Jackie and Julian say unless they get some certainty on the way to the tourist hotspot remaining open, they will have to close their business

The road is often only open for short periods in the morning and afternoon, but that depends on whether employees are present.

Sometimes it is only accessible with a 4WD and sometimes it is only allowed on foot.

This has also meant that children were unable to attend school four days a week and may not be able to return home if they did.

Under fire Douglas Shire Mayor Michael Kerr has promised to have the road fully open to tourists by Easter, barring another ‘rain event’.

In a tense interview with Channel Nine A Current Affair presenter Allison Langdon, Mr Kerr, said everything that could be done was done, but safety was paramount.

“You know we have our staff, the civil engineers we have to do the work up there, as much as we can when it’s safe to do so,” Captain Kerr said.

“We couldn’t get many people on this slide because it was a dangerous place and it was moving… we had to do it very slowly and carefully.”

Cape Tribulation claims this is where the UNESCO World Heritage sites of the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest meet

Cr Kerr said the promise of an opening before Easter had been conveyed to residents, despite claims to A Current Affair that no such commitments had been made.

In a statement to Channel Nine, the council said the road work is being “prioritized to ensure residents have safe access to Cape Tribulation and the neighboring Daintree communities”.

“After weeks of continued evaluation to safely secure the site, crews are working to open road access through Noah Range to Cape Tribulation to all vehicles, residents and visitors, during the day, within weeks,” the statement said.

‘Rate reduction is possible through the financial support measures announced by the Council on January 31.

“The Council is committed to improving engagement and communication with residents and businesses affected by this disaster, and to supporting the promotion of sustainable tourism back to our beautiful region following this disaster.”