Mount Spec Road permit restrictions lifted

Residents and visitors to Far North Queensland will no longer need a permit to travel on Mount Spec Road after 31 March 2026. 

The milestone represents significant progress in restoring the extensive damage caused by the 2025 North Queensland Monsoon.

Days of extreme rainfall in January 2025 destabilised the steep mountainside that the narrow, heritage listed Mount Spec Road winds through causing more than 60 landslips and major structural damage which completely cut off access to the Paluma community. 

Since May 2025, Mount Spec Road has operated under restricted access, causing delays for residents and tourists while the Department of Transport and Main Roads carried out extensive and complex reconstruction works.

Removing the permit system follows the stabilisation of two priority sites to restore safety for all road users. 

While the permit system will be lifted, a daytime vehicle escort will remain in place to maintain safety while reconstruction continues. 

Although restoration works are ongoing, the lifting of the permit system will help reconnect the community, local businesses and tourism with all looking forward to a full recovery from the 2025 monsoon.

Works to date have included the removal of a large unstable boulder near Little Crystal Creek in November 2025, and the successful installation of a temporary barrier of shipping containers in February 2026 to significantly reduce the risk of rockfalls. 

This approach has been successfully used at Cunninghams Gap in south-east Queensland prior to the extensive reconstruction project currently underway there.

Recovery works on Mount Spec Road are jointly funded by the Australian and Queensland governments through the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).