The scene of a multi vehicle collision on the Captain Cook Highway north of Ellis Beach resulting in the deaths of a male and female motorcycle riders. PICTURE: STEWART McLEAN

Senior Constable Russell Parker said police had contacted the Victorian families of a 50-year-old man and his 45-year-old female passenger after they were killed when their motorbike hit a passing car north of Ellis Beach yesterday afternoon.

Their bodies are yet to be formally identified.

Speculation has been rife on social media about whether the crash had been caused by stopped or slowed traffic at a popular tourist spot where tourists create balancing stone towers.

Wangetti resident Duane Cash in January warned about dangers to motorists and tourists who stop at the 'balancing stones' tourist attraction on a bend of the Captain Cook Hwy on the way to Port Douglas. PICTURE: MARC McCORMACKSource:News Corp Australia

The Cairns Post has previously spoken with residents who believed it was only a matter of time before someone died at the spot.

Sen Const Parker said the crash was nearby, but he could not attribute any cause to the tourist attraction or parked cars in the area.

“I’m not aware of any crashes that have occurred as a result of traffic parked or entering the roadway near those balancing rocks,” he said.

Earlier, a couple who witnessed two people die in a motorbike crash north of Ellis Beach had written down the numberplates of several vehicles driving erratically just moments before the tragedy.

A 50-year-old man and his 45-year-old female passenger were killed about 30km north of Cairns, along the Captain Cook Highway, when their motorbike struck a passing car just after 2.30pm yesterday.

Cairns police duty inspector Peter Mansfield said the southbound motorbike had clipped the rear of a vehicle travelling in front of it, throwing the rider and his pillion passenger into oncoming traffic.

The scene of a multi vehicle collision on the Captain Cook Highway north of Ellis Beach resulting in the deaths of a male and female motorcycle riders. PICTURE: STEWART McLEANSource:News Corp Australia

Both the motorbike rider and his passenger died at the scene.

Police were last night still trying to contact family of the deceased, who were initially thought to have been from Victoria.

Insp Mansfield said the accident was a tragedy.

“It’s a terrible scene. It’s a tragic accident to finish off a lovely weekend. It’s just quite terrible,” he said.

Witness Natasha Yalo said she was travelling back to Cairns with her boyfriend Zane Cosgrove after visiting Mossman when she first had an inkling that something was wrong.

“My boyfriend was feeling concerned about the driver in front of us,” she said.

“He was overtaking cars and my boyfriend told me that we had to drive slower to make sure we didn’t get into an accident.”

The scene of a multi vehicle collision on the Captain Cook Highway north of Ellis Beach resulting in the deaths of a male and female motorcycle riders. PICTURE: STEWART McLEANSource:News Corp Australia

She said her boyfriend asked her to take pictures of the numberplates of the cars driving in front of them as they headed towards Wangetti.

It wasn’t until they were near the famous balancing rocks that they first saw the motorbike.

“Before we got to the corner we saw the motorbike come behind us,” she said.

“I told my boyfriend that I wasn’t feeling good, something was going to happen.”

It was at that corner that the motorbike overtook the couple’s car.

“I was looking and I thought that something was going to happen,” she said.

“They hit the side of the car (in front of us) and the bike went down. The two of them flew up into the air and landed on the ground.

“I screamed to my boyfriend ‘I knew this was going to happen’. While the car was still running my boyfriend ran out of the car to try to help them, but it was too late.”

Insp Mansfield said it was too early for the Forensic Crash Unit to determine whether speed was a factor.

“We’ve got a fair few investigations and things to be conducted yet, including witnesses to speak to,” he said.

A stretch of the Captain Cook Highway was closed both north and southbound as police conducted investigations yesterday.

The road was reopened about 6.20pm when investigations at the scene were completed.

Originally published as Tourist spot ‘not to blame’ for fatal crash