The Queensland premier is postponing a planned visit to cyclone-hit Cooktown as a major road is cut off and strong winds make helicopter travel unsafe.
Campbell Newman had earlier promised to travel from Cairns on Saturday afternoon to see how Cyclone Ita had uprooted trees and destroyed a pub in the coastal community north of the Daintree National Park.
But a spokesman for the premier told AAP that Mr Newman would postpone his visit until Sunday.
"We're now not planning on doing it until it's safe," he said.
About 700 homes in Cooktown are still without power but mobile phone services are working.
The roof was also ripped off the West Coast Hotel, along with some homes, after Ita made landfall north of the town on Friday night as a category four system.
The Mulligan Highway into the town of about 2300 people remains closed because of flooding at the Annan River.
Earlier, Mr Newman said he had hoped to visit Cook Shire mayor Peter Scott.
"This afternoon, if it is safe and practical, I intend to go to Cooktown," he told reporters.
"That will depend, of course, on weather conditions."
Winds of up to 120km/h could hit areas from Cooktown south to Port Douglas on Saturday afternoon, the Bureau of Meteorology said in a 3pm update.
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