General News
22 July, 2026
Quaid Road petition to close end of month
A PETITION calling for Quaid Road to be made accessible to the public and declared a road of significant importance closes next week.
The petition was launched by Iain Edwards, who was involved in the construction of the road, and is aimed at preventing the permanent closure of the road when the permit allowing access through the National Park expires on 29 March 2027.
Quaid Road traverses the Great Dividing Range from Lake Mitchell at Mt Molloy to Wangetti on the Captain Cook Highway north of Cairns.
The Queensland Government approved construction of the road in November 1983, and it was completed in 1989. The route passes through rainforest landscapes and ecosystems that were subsequently included within the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area which resulted in the road being closed to the public.
According to Member for Cook David Kempton, who is backing the road’s opening, the road was built to specification, the owners are willing to have it opened and the two shires through which the road traverses, support its opening.
The petition now has just over 6000 signatures but will close on 31 July. Anyone who wishes to sign the petition should go to https://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Work-of-the-Assembly/Petitions/petition-details/4525-26
