This is due to the gradient of the terrain and the many streams and rivers that make up the Daintree drainage basin which cross the path at very regular intervals.

The first recorded Europeans to visit the Bloomfield River were Royal Navy Lieutenant Commander Frederick Bedwell and Captain Phillip Parker King on board HMS Mermaid on a hydrological survey of the east coast of Australia.

In June 1819, HMS Mermaid anchored in Weary Bay and:[9][5]"Mr. Bedwell was sent to examine the opening, which was called Blomfield's Rivulet …Near the entrance upon the bank of the inlet several huts were noticed, and near them Mr. Bedwell found a canoe; which, being hollowed out of the trunk of a tree, was of very different construction to any we had before seen; its length was twenty-one feet … an outrigger, projecting about two feet, was neatly attached to one side, which prevented its liability to overset, and at each end was a projection, from fifteen to twenty inches long, on which the natives carry their fire or sit"The next Europeans to visit Bloomfield River were William Hann and his party.

In 1872, William Hann was commissioned by the Queensland Government to explore Cape York Peninsula to assess its mineral and land resources.

[12] By late 1873, the first government officials and prospectors came ashore at the Endeavour River accompanied by a detachment of Native Police.

There were several skirmishes along the way, culminating in a pitched battle between about 150 Aboriginal warriors and the expedition members at their camp near the Normanby River.

A contemporary newspaper published the following account of the battle from one of the expedition members:[14][5]"Blacks surprised us at daybreak, about 150, all were armed; got close to the camp before anyone heard them; great consternation; shot several; they ran into large waterholes for shelter, where they were shot"In 1874, the Native Police were sent to explore the country inland from Trinity Bay and Weary Bay to find another road to the Palmer River.

The Native Police officer reported that they had found the Aborigines "exceedingly daring, constantly appearing in most threatening attitudes" and "had to disperse them on three or four occasions".

[18] The Kuku Yalanji people continued to resist the invasion of their lands by the miners, pastoralists and timber getters.

Instead, Aboriginal people were removed off their country on to missions, where they would not trouble the settlers and provided a cheap source of labour.

This policy change resulted in a decision to establish two Aboriginal reserves in the Cooktown district; one at Cape Bedford and one at Bloomfield River.

[5] In 1885, Lutheran missionary Johann Flierl was travelling to New Guinea to establish a mission, when he was unexpectedly delayed in Cooktown.

While there, he negotiated with the Queensland Government to establish a mission close to Cooktown at Cape Bedford on land which had been gazetted as an Aboriginal reserve in 1881.

[21] In addition to the 640 acres gazetted in 1886, 50 square miles of land was reserved as a hunting ground for Aboriginal people in March 1889.

Another missionary, Johann Bogner, arrived in 1892 and worked with Hoerlein until he and his wife left in 1895, due to her ill health.

In 1887, the police magistrate from Cooktown visited the mission and reported that about 80 people were living there, consisting of mostly aged men, women and children.

The mission provided a reliable source of food and tobacco, and material items, such as farm tools and blankets.

The mission superintendent Carl Meyer lamented that "it is painful and disappointing to be continually revealing the gospel message and find it meeting deaf ears everywhere".

The department approached the Lutheran Church to re-establish the mission at Bloomfield River and provided them with a £2500 grant to fund housing, transportation and communications.

[31] During the 1960s, a girls’ hostel was built at the back of the superintendent’s house with the assistance of Aboriginal carpenters from the Hope Vale Mission.

[34] On 29 October 1987, the Aboriginal reserve held by the Queensland Government was transferred to the trusteeship of the council under a Deed of Grant in Trust.

[34]The community has an Indigenous Knowledge Centre, Binal Mangka Bayan, which means "house of knowing things".

The centre provides access to books, magazines and other educational material, as well as running programs for children, adults and seniors.

[citation needed] Tours are available by four wheel drive vehicles from Cairns and Cape Tribulation via the Bloomfield Track.