Is the road to Cooktown steep going over the range?
As Yogi says, the road is good, with the steepest grade being only 5% where the road rises 120 metres on a 2.4km stretch. When I worked in a roadhouse in California the highway there was 13% and we regularly had to tow VWs up the hill and replace the engine after it had starved of oil. Had a stock of rebuilt VW engines out the back, and a HUGE freezer to cool our beer. Permanently drunk, we were, but the local cops still got us to bring our towtrucks down to clear the highway after crashes, or "wrecks" as the Yanks call them! Many "Tractor Trailers" (semis) ran out of brakes when descending the hill, and plunged over the side, falling hundreds of feet onto the rocks below, which is where they stayed, as recovering them was almost impossible and cost a lot more than any insurance payout. Drivers' bodies were recovered using helicopters. Cheers
There is a nasty bit of road just before the first crossing of the Annan River, there is/was a sign warning to slow down. On a lighter note, check out the road signs, some creative artwork has been done. At least it was 12 years ago.
