Australia Is Set to Score a Spectacular New 76-Kilometre Coastal Walking Trail

You'll soon be able to get a new view over some of Australia's most scenic terrain, courtesy of a walking and cycling track that'll connect Palm Cove and Port Douglas in far north Queensland.

Already among the country's top tropical holiday destinations, the coast between the two spots has been earmarked for the Wangetti Trail. It'll span 76 kilometres through both bushland and ocean-adjacent territory — and showcase the region's rainforest, World Heritage-listed sites and, of course, the Great Barrier Reef.

At present, the Queensland Government has committed $950,000 towards funding a design and business case for the trail, "to firm-up the trail's design and to verify its economics," according to Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones. While the cash support was announced at the end of May, work started in June, with Cairns headquartered-business World Trail overseeing the task.

The Yirrganydji people, the traditional owners of most of the land that the trail will pass through, will be consulted during the planning process.

Construction could start as early as 2019, with both highlighting the natural splendour of the area around and to the north of Cairns, and opening up the stretch to more sightseers among the project's aims. Once completed, "it's expected the trail could be walked in six days and five nights from end-to-end and done in two days and one night for riders," says Jones.

Even better — visitors won't just be able to trek along its expanse, but stay there as well. Accomodation facilities — including camping, glamping and lodges — are expected to be included on the track, well, down the track.

Image: esodude via Flickr.