Construction begins on Far North Queensland's Wangetti Trail

A major ecotourism project is underway in Far North Queensland with work on the much-delayed Wangetti Trail now underway.

First announced in 2018, the 94-kilometre Wangetti Trail will allow visitors to hike or mountain bike through the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area, between Cairns and Port Douglas.

Stalled during the pandemic, amid disagreements between the Queensland Government and a local council about long-term maintenance responsibilities and the $47 million trail's final design, construction work on the project got underway late last month - a year after it was initially scheduled to open to the public.

The first section of under construction is a 1.3 kilometre dual walking and mountain bike track through Palm Cove, that will connect to a 6.5 kilometre section that runs to Ellis Beach.

With completion date for the entire trail now been pushed back to 2026, Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said the two initial sections of the trail are expected to be completed in the second half of next year.

Comparing the new trail to others in Australia, Minister Hinchliffe advised “the reality is that the Three Capes Track in Tasmania is a project that's half the length of the Wangetti Trail (and) it took 10 years to plan and four years to construct."

He added that the trail is expected to generate an estimated $300 million a year for Far North Queensland’s visitor economy.

Minister Hinchliffe went on to advise that the Queensland Government is nearing agreements with Cairns Regional Council and Douglas Shire Council while also being close to reaching an Indigenous Land Use Agreement with the five traditional owner clan groups of the Djabugay nation.

Traditional owner Gavin Singleton said the trail would create "long-term economic benefit to all our family groups of Djabugay nation" and improve social and emotional wellbeing by enabling people to get back to, and care for, country.

Singleton noted “whatever happens on our country should be our business, and we should be part of it.

"We cannot move forward without Djabugay nation, all our family groups, being fully onboard and supportive of this process."

Design of the trail aims to minimise impact on the natural environment with built structures to include gully crossings, bridges and rock armouring with the trail intersecting 26 waterways.

In use, hikers will be separated from cyclists along some sections of the trail, although most of the route will be dual-use.

The $47.1 million program is largely funded by the Queensland Government but includes $8 million from the Federal Government's National Tourism Icons Program.

The entire project is set for completion in 2026.

It is expected to attract more than one million visitors each year, and support more than 150 local jobs.

Images: The Wangetti Trail will allow visitors to hike or mountain bike through the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area between Cairns and Port Douglas (top, credit: Tourism Queensland) and Otium Planning Group's concept for the trail (below).