The 560km rough road from Lakeland to Weipa on Cape York Peninsula is being sealed, with 30 per cent of the contracts awarded to Indigenous-owned companies.

In a moment I’ll mention the huge benefits this will bring to the Indigenous population, but first, the huge benefits that this road will bring to all of us.

Everyone talks about driving “to the top”, but very few tourists actually do, because even if you have a 4WD, who wants to decimate the resale value of the new Prado by driving on punishing corrugated roads?

I’ve been past Lakeland to Cooktown because that road is now fully sealed.

From Cairns to Cooktown is now a four-hour trip.

At Cooktown there is comfortable accommodation, and it is a beautiful peaceful place to visit.

The Cape York route forks at Lakeland, a picturesque roadhouse plus huts and just a few houses.

Rather oddly for such an isolated inland location, a massive fruit growing industry thrives here in the middle of nowhere.

The other major industry is road-base quarrying, growing since the Queensland government stopped road builders quarrying their gravel next to their road construction.

At Lakeland roadhouse we were advised not to take the west fork, to Laura and Cape York.

“It’s a rough, car-breaking road,” we were told.

Locals warned that if we did go, not to camp near Coen, and certainly not to be there at night. Its isolation has led to few jobs for the Indigenous population, but that could be about to change as tourists begin to flood past.

The $240 million road is designed to end the seasonal shut-down caused by monsoonal rain, aiming to build a year-round economy for the more than 70 per cent Indigenous population, who have had few opportunities for real jobs in the past.

The Cape York Land Council signed an agreement on behalf of traditional owners to help ensure that jobs and contracts were offered to local Indigenous people.

That has happened, but this has led to allegations from other contractors of favouritism for Indigenous firms. However, I think that most of us would support a scheme that trains and employs Indigenous people, particularly if it will lead to further involvement in the economic benefits the project will bring.

This job won’t be completed until 2019, so don’t pack your new car just yet, but put this trip on your planning list.

The tar road will go to Weipa on the west coast of Cape York Peninsula, so at least you will be able to say that you have seen the Gulf of Carpentaria. There will still be several hundred kilometres of rough dirt to get to the northernmost tip of Australia.

However, the Indigenous groups trained in road building via this project will undoubtedly be ready to  build more roads in the area. Meanwhile, there will need to be tourist facilities built. Maybe in time enough jobs will be created in frontier towns like Coen for them to develop into lucrative tourist destinations.

If this trip appeals to you, go to www.nprsr.qld.gov.au/parks/pdf/cape-york-vg.pdf  for holiday ideas and some beautiful pictures. But remember, the road won’t be sealed until 2019!