Construction has started on the next stage of the Wangetti Trail, the Ellis Beach to Wangetti section, extending the walking and mountain biking trail further north along the coast.
A shovel-ready event was held on Friday 21 August 2026, attended by Douglas Shire Mayor Lisa Scomazzon. The work is being delivered by Cairns-based World Trail Company alongside Contour Works, the same trail builders currently working on the Atherton mountain bike trails.
What this adds
The Wangetti Trail is being built in stages between Palm Cove and Port Douglas along the Captain Cook Highway corridor, and it is designed for both walking and mountain biking. The first stage, Palm Cove to Ellis Beach, is already open and genuinely worth doing.
This new stage picks up where that one finishes and pushes north to Wangetti. The trail sits within the Queensland Government’s Destination 2045 tourism plan.
What we do not know yet
Being straight with you: the announcement is light on the details that actually matter to a visitor. The Queensland Government media release, republished by Douglas Shire Council, gives no completion date, no opening date and no cost figure for this stage.
The benefit statements in the release, about attracting visitors and creating jobs, are aspirational rather than measured outcomes. So do not plan a trip around walking this section. Stage one is the one you can actually use today.
We will update when a completion date is published. Official information sits at qld.gov.au/WangettiTrail.
In the meantime
Stage one runs from Palm Cove to Ellis Beach, and it is one of the better coastal walks close to Cairns. Go early, take more water than you think you need, and remember there is no shade for long stretches.
Source: Douglas Shire Council, 21 August 2026, republishing a Queensland Government media release.
Header photo: Kerry Raymond via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0. Pictured is the Captain Cook Highway at Ellis Beach.
