A small but useful one if you have a Daintree River cruise booked, or you are towing your own boat up here.
Maritime Safety Queensland is rebuilding the floating walkway at the Daintree public boat ramp on the Lower Daintree River. The existing structure was significantly damaged by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper and the flooding that followed.
What is being done
According to Newsport Daily, the upgrade includes:
- Flood-resistant flotation modules
- New piles to support the structure
- An extra metre of width, taking the walkway to 3.5 metres
- Dual-sided berthing, making it easier to use
Works were scheduled to start in late August 2026 and are planned for completion by December, weather and site conditions permitting. Douglas Shire Council issued a TMR works notice about the replacement on 3 September.
What it means for visitors
Not much, which is the good news. Boat ramp access will stay open wherever possible, with only short partial closures where they are needed to do the work safely.
If you have booked a Daintree River wildlife cruise, this is worth a sentence rather than a worry. Operators depart from several points along the river, not all of them from the public ramp, so check the departure point with your own operator rather than assuming. Douglas Shire Mayor Lisa Scomazzon called the upgrade “great news for the boaties”, which it is, and thanked the community for its patience.
The bigger practical issue on this stretch remains the ferry rather than the ramp. Approach lane works are causing queues, which we cover in expect queues while the four-lane upgrade is built.
Planning a Daintree day
A river cruise is the single best value activity up here, and the crocodile spotting is genuinely reliable, unlike a lot of wildlife tourism. Our Daintree River crocodile cruises guide covers the operators and what to expect, and the Daintree Rainforest guide has the wider picture.
If you are going further north, Cape Tribulation is the usual target, and remember the ferry is the only crossing.
Works detail from Newsport Daily, 24 August 2026, with a Douglas Shire Council works notice dated 3 September 2026. Completion timing is weather dependent, so confirm before relying on ramp access.
