*Douglas Shire Council will be undertaking overnight maintenance work on the Daintree Ferry from 11pm every Thursday night for the next three weeks.
The scheduled work, which will involve minor repairs to the ferry loading ramps, will start on the following dates:
Thursday 26 August 2021
Thursday 2 September 2021
Thursday 9 September 2021
The ferry will continue to operate until midnight, but there may be minor delays [less than 15 minutes] during the work period.
The Daintree River Ferry is a cable ferry that crosses the famous Daintree River. It provides sealed-road access to the northern section of the Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation and allows people to travel onwards to Cape York via the Bloomfield Track. It is the only cable ferry operating within tropical Australia and is situated some 50 kilometres north of Port Douglas.
The ferry is is operated by a commercial contractor on behalf of the Douglas Shire Council.
The Daintree Ferry operates continuously between 5am and midnight, daily.
Fees for travel on the Daintree ferry are outlined in Daintree Ferry Fees 2021-22
| USER | ONE WAY | RETURN |
| Motor Car & Utilities | $23 | $39 |
| Buses (1-10 seats) | $24 | $42 |
| Buses (11-20 seats) | $41 | $81 |
| Buses (21+ seats) | $66 | $128 |
| School Buses | $13 | $20 |
| Licenced Public Transport | $13 | $23 |
| Passengers, Bicycles & Pedestrians | $3 | $4 |
| Motor Bikes | $10 | $17 |
| Trailers | $9 | $15 |
| Machinery | $15 | $25 |
|
Multi-Day Pass (5 x return car trips)
|
$77
|
|
|
Concession Cards
*Unlimited ferry travel until April 2023
|
$23 per person |
|
Visitor Tickets
Douglas Shire Council ratepayers and residents living north of the Daintree River who hold a current concessional card are entitled to purchase two (2) books of 55 tickets.
|
$23 per book |
|
Special Concession Card (Machinery)
Douglas Shire Council ratepayers and residents living north of the Daintree River who hold a current concessional card are entitled to apply for the issue of special concession card for machinery.
|
$23 per person |
|
Concession Cards (Wujal Wujal and Cook Shires) |
$52 per person |
During July to September, there are often delays crossing the Daintree River. Particularly between 10am and noon travelling north and between 3pm to 5pm travelling south.
If you want to avoid the queues, plan to travel before 10am and spend the whole day exploring the rainforest and beaches, have dinner at one of the many restaurants and travel back in the evening. The ferry operates right up until midnight.
Douglas Shire Council offers residents from Cardwell to Cooktown, including the Atherton Tablelands, free travel on the Daintree Ferry from November 1 until the end of February annually with a free “Douglas Card”.
This includes the following Council areas:
The card also provides discounts to local attractions including two free adult tickets (per season) for the Mossman Gorge shuttle bus.
Use of the Douglas Card is restricted to fare categories Motor Car and Utilities (private use), Pedestrians and Bicycles and Motor Bikes.
To obtain a free Douglas Card, applicants need to provide photographic identification and additional proof of residency with their application to confirm local status at any one of the above local government areas. You can apply online below or download an application form here.
In April 2020, Douglas Shire Council resolved to temporarily suspend the Daintree River Ferry contract negotiations and explore the option of a bridge crossing at various locations along the river, as well as identify the possible economic benefits to the region.
The public consultation sought feedback on a bridge option alongside details of costs of the proposed two-ferry solution. The results indicated 70 per cent of residents preferred a two ferry option over a bridge. To access the full report, and keep apprised of the latest announcements, visit the Daintree Ferry Contract Renewal Community Engagement Page
Council provides concessional travel on the Daintree River Ferry to all persons who fulfil the eligibility criteria, subject to the terms and conditions of the Daintree River Ferry Concessional Travel Policy being adhered to.
Concessional travel cards cost $23 for residents and ratepayers of the Douglas Shire or $41 for residents of Wujal Wujal and residents and ratepayers of the Cook Shire bounded by the Bloomfield River and the Black Mountain turn-off.
Application forms for a concessional travel card are available from Council’s Mossman Administration Building, the Mossman Library, the Port Douglas library kiosk or you can download a form, here. A Visitor Ticket book of 55 is also available to concessional travel card holders who live in the Douglas Shire, north of the Daintree River for $23.
Concessional travel cards are valid until April 30, 2023, and are available from Council’s Mossman Administration Building, 64-66 Front St, Mossman.
Council has been collecting data on the usage of the Daintree Ferry since 2004. Below you’ll find graphs depicting total annual ticket sales of one-way and return traffic for the two most popular vehicle types using the ferry.
Council also records data for a variety of other vehicle types, concessional travel and multi-day tickets.
All aspects of operating the ferry are the responsibility of the contractor, including the ferry driver, traffic controllers to load and unload vehicles, and staffing of the ticket booths.
Ferry fees and charges are set by Douglas Shire Council each year and the revenue collected goes to Council.
Douglas Shire Council is responsible for maintaining the channel across the river to accommodate the ferry.
Dredging of the channel is done under a permit from Department of Environment and Science.
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