Cairns to Port Douglas 74km Ultra Marathon
Course information and maps

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Ultra Marathon		Half Marathon		10km		Fundy 5000

GREAT BARRIER REEF 74 KM ULTRA MARATHON

: Course Map

: Elevation / Distance Information

Section Maps

These maps take runners from the Race Start - JCU Campus Cairns and meet up with the Half Marathon map that takes runner to the Ultra Finish.

: Map 1

: Map 2

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Ultra Marathon Cairns to Port Douglas Course Description

The Great Barrier Reef Ultra Marathon starts in the James Cook University carpark and makes its way up the range through Kuranda. From Kuranda you follow the scenic Black Mountain Rd through rainforest, passed huge eucalypts, pine plantations and across picturesque creeks.

You are running in the Mowbray National Park within the World Heritage Wet Tropics featuring the pyramid-shaped Black Mountain. This tropical rainforest is home to the endangered southern cassowary, a flightless bird that can grow to two metres in height.

East Black Mountain Road

Twin Bridges track (East Black Mountain Road) follows the route of the original Black Mountain Road, to the east of the current road. It diverges from Black Mountain Road 27 kilometres from the Kennedy Highway and rejoins it 2 kilometres from the top of the Bump Track. Closed by gates at both ends, it is a multi-use track for trail runners, walkers and mountain bikers.

Motor vehicles, trail bikes and horses are not allowed on this track.

Bump Track

The historic Bump Track offers views of the Mowbray River valley where the Mowbray River drops through a gorge carved into the forested foothills of the Macalister Range. It was blazed in 1877 by Christie Palmerston, a prominent bushman and pathfinder of the times and was the main access from the Hodgkinson Goldfield to the port facilities at Port Douglas. The Bump Track was infamous for its steepness. Passengers on the horse-drawn coach service had to get out and walk when going up or coming down the section known as Slatey Pinch – a cutting through slate rock at a steep 1 in 3 grade, about 1 kilometre from the bottom of the track.

After following (mostly) sealed roads into Port Douglas, the race leads onto the southern end of Four Mile Beach.

Four Mile Beach

One of the many attractions of Port Douglas, this fine hard beach is considered to be one of the best in far north Queensland. The sand is so firm that the beach has been used for horse races and mountain bike races and also as a landing place by Kingsford Smith and by C.T.P. Ulm en route to New Guinea with the first official air mail.

Course cut off time

9 hours at the 57km mark OR at the discretion of the Race Director or Race Doctor.

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