Road Photos & Information: Queensland
Mulligan Highway (State Route 40) (Far North Region)
Statistics:
- Length:
- 78 km
- Termini:
- Northern: Charlotte St (Great Tropical Drive) and Cooktown Racecourse entrance, Cooktown
- Southern: Mulligan Hwy (SR81) and Peninsula Developmental Rd, Lakeland
- Suburbs, Towns & Localities Along Route:
- Lakeland, Rossville and Cooktown
Route Numbering:
- Current: 40
- Multiplexed with:
- Road Authority Internal Classification: 1
- 34C
General Information:
SR40 in Far North Queensland is a rural route connecting the town of Cooktown with the rest of the Queensland highway network, and is a vital link for locals and tourists accessing the region.
Undivided along its full length, the route crosses several rivers and passes through mostly bushland and rural areas, with no major settlement along its route apart from at its termini.
Multiplexes along the route include:
- Great Tropical Drive, for 26 km, between Rossville and Cooktown.
History:
- April 2006: A fully sealed link between Cairns and Cooktown opened to traffic. 2
- 7 March 2009: Peninsula Developmental Road officially reverted to its historical name – the Mulligan Highway. In a special ceremony, Main Roads Minister Warren Pitt and Member for Cook Jason O'Brien renamed the section of road from Mareeba to Cooktown, named after James Venture Mulligan, an explorer who discovered gold in the Palmer River goldfields. 3
Lakeland to Cooktown
Reassurance Directional Sign:
Distance sign as Mulligan Hwy (SR40) leaves Lakeland, October 2012.
Image © Terry Siva
1 QLD Government, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland state-controlled roads and region maps, Far North Region, November 2022.
2 QLD Government, Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Media Statement, Federal Government own worst enemy on roads: Lucas, 25 July 2006.
3 QLD Government, Minister for Main Roads and Local Government, Media Statement, Highway commemorates far northern pioneer, 7 March 2009.
2 QLD Government, Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Media Statement, Federal Government own worst enemy on roads: Lucas, 25 July 2006.
3 QLD Government, Minister for Main Roads and Local Government, Media Statement, Highway commemorates far northern pioneer, 7 March 2009.