Creb Track OPENED

That it does and speaking with employee's from the council they have no intentions to open the track back up soon crippling those businesses that rely on it being open (Camp China). They have to tender out the job of clearing the track which will take time therefore business will suffer. We took extreme caution when we went into the track walking it first and clearing the way before driving through.

Unless there was a sign saying road closed then I reckon you have done well. Lets hope that there are no over zealous little desk sitters in the council who think you have committed a crime against humanity and wants the road closed until he is ready for it to be opened.

One option could be a CREB TRACK CLEARING TRIP. Possibly organised thru a 4wd club and liaised with Douglas Shire. Would be a great few days away and doing a great service as well. Council could chuck in money for fuel and some camping fees. Instead of a large tender cost a club would be able to do the job. Plus the club would have insurance. Maybe even a sponsor could help out. Only a suggestion but one that I think could, if approached with common sense, could work

Bludge,
This track is gated North & South. We were heading for the Cape and knew it was closed due to rain when we drove north. I found it difficult to get a definite 'yes it is open' ie both gates unlocked, from the authorities when we were heading south. We eventually got the go ahead, (this was a few years ago). It has a seriously large gate on the Wujal Wujal end.
A great drive.

Cheers,

Bill

Thanks for the sucession of replies.

Michael F14,
From your post, you know the track is closed but you want it open for commercial reasons, I can understand that. Thanks for clarifying that you were carefull, walking then clearing the track. If the tender is taken up, the track will be closed until they finish the work.

Bigfish,
The signs are slide in one and I had been informed that they indicated they were closed. I do agree that Cairns 4WD Club and The Landrover Club could do something to help clear the track, but I doubt that Douglas Shire will cover the liability unless everyone has a ticket and WHS /Workcover. (I have been there, a few times)

B1B2, its rare that the gates are physically closed on either end (yet) when the signs say closed.

Chris, nobody is talking about putting a grader through the Creb.

Michael,
In general on 'closed' roads, insurance is normally void if travelled, people (especilly none locals) not as experienced or prepared as you may get into strife.

As Roothy say's

You hit the nail on the head! We werent travelling 3000klms not to do "The Creb". There isnt a local in town either side that isnt happy. Spoke with the local council guys this morning and also his boss from Cairns and they were more than happy that we cleared especially seeing how prepared we were. I understand Insurance is void on this track but Im a person who takes total responsibility for my actions!

Not too sure who you talked to as the track is in Douglas Regional Shire which is administered from Mossman NOT Cairns

I reckon you should/would need a lot more info before making a statement like that.


Your not cambell newman are you?...............

It is published that the CREB Track is CLOSED

"The CREB Track is closed until further notice due to significant damage caused during Cyclone Ita and the wet season.

There are many trees fallen across the track and significant damage to large sections of the road which were washed away.

Council is in the process of conducting a full assessment of the damage and will notify the public of how long the CREB Track is expected be closed for repairs as soon as possible."

How does the council conduct a full assessment of the track when they told us they had not walked the whole track and had no intentions of walking it?

What prosecuted just because it's the Creb Track what's so special about it and if you're going to prosecute for one you should do every track in Aus dry or wet because you can cause extensive damage in the dry as well with rubber tyres a cyclone or torrential downpour is nothing compared to a rubber tyre so lets fence the whole lot off. Seriously what's the world coming to you might as well go back the history and prosecute the pioneers that had the hide to drive in wet conditions and help open up the country shame on them.

Ps, Meant to read, I have to agree with bunderdog and bludge.

This is the law...........................

"The restriction is that the road is temporarily closed. Unless the driver has been granted written approval (under exceptional circumstances) to drive past this sign, it cannot be passed.

Penalties apply."

What a wank

200 Penalty Points is a $22,000 fine in Qld

Much to their disappointment councils and state govt haven't quite got control of our every move. More often than not, waiting for council to action something is akin to watching paint dry....Not too many people who haven't got a tale of woe from a council interaction....

Mikehzz

The last thing this or any track needs is a toll, if you pay for something there are expectation and liability, insurance etc...... If the council charge a toll, by the council charter (that is all councils) states that it must be open access for all, yes all, graded access for 2 wheel drives etc. after all councils cannot exclude any party.

We constantly blame Councils, governments and anyone else when we don't get what we want, maybe it is 4WDers that should wake up, like Roothy said, if its closed respect that, you don't have to like it.
The traffic on the track would average daily 40 vehicles during the peak (I did say average).

The CREB is what it is and sometimes it is closed, sometimes it is open. That is why the CREB is left as it is, same as the OTT, Frenchman's and many more. Not maintained, they are either accessible or not.

The newly formed Douglas Shire do not have the expertise or the people to 'walk' the track.
The tree removal and track subsidence testing will be (has been) put out to tender and money claimed for the Cyclone damage.
This year with the late wet it would not have been open for inspection by the tenderer until July anyway.

Contractors to not just cut trees, but to check the track are not sitting on their bums waiting for this call, most will have other works to complete. (Try and get a builder to do a big job)

As for the businesses on each end of the track. On the north there is access to just south of Roaring Meg, from the south access to the bottom of the track 3 km over the Bloomfield. So that is Daintree Village on the South and what exactly on the north that can't be accessed via Wujal Wujal?

If local business want to entice/encourage tourist to illegally drive the track, with void insurance so they can make a dollar, so be it.

I am a local, a 4WDer who uses the CREB recreationally and in the recent past taken tours through there.

This year I have had 3 groups from NSW 4WD Clubs who would have liked to driven the CREB in the last 2 weeks and 2 more in August, to them it 'nice to do' but a minor part of travelling the Cape.

I pay $10 to go onto Stockton Dunes, there isn't any 2 wheel drive and it IS classed as a gazetted road. A friend nose dived off a dune and wrote off her car and her insurance paid out. There is no maintenance done to the "road" by council. The council doesn't have liability claims filed against them.

Many, many tracks are Gazetted, not all are looked after by council, Simpson Desert, Canning Stock Route, OTT and more.

Stockton is owned by the Worimi people not the council.

They outsource the beach to NPWS for day to day running.

The beach front only is Gazetted as an alternative road, it is also policed by Rangers and often the police, from Stockton with radar guns.
There are many restrictions as to where you can drive. North of Lavis Lane is fenced and north of Lavis Lane behind the dunes is also out of bounds. Yes you can visit Tin City but not the tank traps (anymore).

The Lavis Lane entrance and beach access was closed recently for maintenance of the access road.

Stockton beach gets closed during storms and in the last 18 months has been closed for extended periods when the frontal dunes were wiped out and water got into the swale areas behind them.

The Beach access permit with the Worimi people is different to what you proposed a "toll" with the council, councils have charters with regards to access, so a council caravan park is different to Parks bush camp.State forest or NPWS roads are different to Council roads. Trip on a council pavement and the council gets sued, dive into the water at Red Head and damage your spin, sue the council.

Stockton Beach often have dune buggy's (2 wheel drives)

Yep the so called people who know better have certainly stuffed up Stockton beach and it's access points I left Newcastle 15 yrs ago and drove on Stockton for 12yrs when it had countless amounts of tracks going onto the beach you could even drive on from the Stockton soccer field and drive to Anna Bay. How does paying a permit help it's is a gimmick and a rip off all I can see it does is give the wrong people power to put up extra unnecessary signage, limiting the amount of access points so the traffic is concentrated to a few areas so that will get flogged out and it is more difficult to get to the beach so some will turn back the they get shut because of extensive damage eventually it will be shut to satisfy the greenies. I think the joy of going there these days would be seriously reduced compared to what it use to be. Shutting it due to storms is just another way they can limit your time there for no reason at all. Sand is constantly moving and washouts are part of it you just drive with caution it's part of learning more about how conditions can change on a beach and in sand dunes but now you have to read about it in a book and not learn by experiencing it first hand one day.

With all this chatter about the Creb. I cant determine if its offically open or closed. I hoping to traverse it on 5th October. Is it offically open or closed
?

Answered my own question.

http://douglas.qld.gov.au/road-conditions/creb-track/