The Daintree River Ferry is a cable ferry

Cable ferry

A cable ferry is guided and in many cases propelled across a river or other larger body of water by cables connected to both shores. They are also called chain ferries, floating bridges, or punts....

 across the Daintree River

Daintree River

The Daintree River runs through the Daintree Rainforest in the Cape Tribulation region of Queensland in northern Australia. It is located about 100 kilometres northwest of Cairns in far north tropical Queensland and drains an area of 2,125 square kilometres. The river, along with the Daintree...

 in Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

, Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The ferry is situated some 50 kilometres (31.1 mi) north of Port Douglas

Port Douglas, Queensland

Port Douglas is a town in Far North Queensland, Australia, approximately north of Cairns. Its permanent population was 948 residents in 2006. The town's population can often double, however, with the influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May–September. The town is named in honour of...

, and gives access to the northern section of the Daintree National Park

Daintree National Park

Daintree is a national park in Far North Queensland, Australia, northwest of Brisbane and northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981 and is part of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List...

 and to Cape Tribulation. The ferry provides the only sealed road access to this area.

The ferry carries a maximum of 40 vehicles, and takes about 5 minutes to cross the river. It operates from 6am until midnight, seven days a week. The ferry is operated by a commercial contractor on behalf of the Cairns Regional Council

Cairns Regional Council

The Cairns Region is a Local Government Area in Far North Queensland, Queensland, Australia, centred on the regional centre of Cairns. Established in 2008, it was preceded by two previous local government areas which dated back to the 1870s....

, as successor to the Douglas Shire Council

Shire of Douglas

The Shire of Douglas was a Local Government Area in Far North Queensland. It was located on the coast north of the city of Cairns. The shire, administered from the town of Mossman, covered an area of , and existed as a local government entity from 1880 until 2008, when it amalgamated with the City...

. A toll is charged for the crossing.

At busy times, for example during school holidays, some delays can occur waiting to cross the ferry. The construction of a bridge has been discussed, but has been rejected because it would increase the number of tourists and threaten the ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

 of the Daintree Rainforest

Daintree Rainforest

The Daintree Rainforest is a tropical rainforest on the north east coast of Queensland, Australia, north of Mossman and Cairns. At around 1200 square kilometres the Daintree is the largest continuous area of tropical rainforest on the Australian continent...

. The ferry was replaced in 2006, replacing the previous ferry which carried a maximum of 16 vehicles. This has substantially reduced any delays in making the crossing.