Richmond to Julia Creek. If you're planning a road trip, you might be interested in seeing the total driving distance from Cairns, Australia to Townsville, Australia. If youve built up a sweat en-route, theres plenty of places to cool off: Paradise Waterhole at Big Crystal Creek offers sparkling green waters and natural waterslides; Little Crystal Creek has a series of cascading pools centred around a 1930s concrete arch bridge; while jaw-dropping Jourama Falls features swimming holes and lookout points to the 180m multi-tiered waterfall. City: round-trip one-way. Townsville->Airlie Beach is 280km or 3 hours. 7 km south of Cardwell, and just off the highway, is Five Mile Creek Swimming Hole where you can take a quick dip and enjoy a picnic. And, if all else fails, you can visit the Big Cassowary statue at Wongaling Beach for a guaranteed sighting. This oft-overlooked coastal town gives you a base to reach Magnetic Island. a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. If youre craving more swimming, make way to Behana Gorge behind Walshs Pyramid and embark on a 7.4km return hike with the stunning Clamshell Falls as a cooling reward. Cairns and Townsville really aren't that far from each other only 350-ish km from each other by road. Does anyone have any suggestions? Photo: Reubennutt via Instagram. At Babinda Boulders (1 hour south of Cairns) the water is refreshing year round. Charter Towers to Hughenden. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. At Mamu Tropical Skywalk, meander through the rainforest canopy on a raised boardwalk, and climb to the top of the 37m observation tower delivering epic views of the North Johnston River Gorge. Photo:tgriffo18 via IG. Day 5. Re: Driving from Cairns to Townsville inland. Photo: Julianchiarotto via Instagram, Babinda Boulders. Although they're both tropical cities, Cairns and Townsville are as different as chalk and cheese in many ways. Grassy Hill Lookout, Cooktown, Queensland Tourism and Events Queensland. Stay Updated: Dine alfresco by the ocean, uncover the stories of a military past, explore dramatic landscapes or immerse yourself in a remarkable diving experience on the Great Barrier Reef. Discover more things to do on and around Tropical North Queensland. Head back onto the main drag and continue into Cairns and rest up at one of the many resorts and caravan parks available. Does Townsville warrant a couple. With over 240 species of birds, TYTO Wetlands is the perfect spot for some bird-watching. The route may look simple on the map, but you'll need to factor in which roads are sealed and unsealed, which are four by four only, and which have supply stops along the way. Continue along well signed and flat . Fifteen minutes out of Cairns, exit the Captain Cook Highway at Smithfield to take theSkyrail Rainforest Cablewayfor an incredible 90-minute ride over World Heritage-listed rainforest. Tourism Australia makes no representations whatsoever about any other websites which you may access through its websites such as australia.com. Cream Magazine by Themebeez, Townsville to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time and best stops, Cape Patton Lookout, Victoria: Great Ocean Road photo stop, Birdie Beach, NSW: The Central Coasts nudist beach, Maroochydore to Gympie road trip: Distance, drive time & stops. Book ahead. It's not only conveniently close to the world's largest reef system but the once-sleepy town promises to show a new side to the natural wonder, which stretches 2,300 kilometres from the tip of Cape York to Bundaberg further south. If you're going on a road trip from Cairns to Mackay , we did the research for you and compiled some great stops along the way with Townsville and $ Airlie Beach and top places to visit like Historic Village . Edmund Kennedy National Park. Julia Creek to Mount Isa. next trip! Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Townsville emergency doctor Emma Wawn . Day 3. Photo: ecologist.sHayes via Instagram. Say goodbye to Mount Mulligan before driving just over two hours to Malanda. - is right on the beach. Queensland 4814 Phone: 1800 216 223, 2023 Camperman Australia, All Rights Reserved; ABN 26 108 103 206, Australian Toll Free Number: 1800 216 223. Heres how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, Air Conditioning. From the beach landing, take a short walk through rainforest to the sparkling freshwater pool at the base of Zoe Falls, an idyllic swimming hole. CAIRNS TO CAPE TRIB. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Information on listed products and services, including Covid-safe accreditations, are provided by the third-party operator on their website or as published on Australian Tourism Data Warehouse where applicable. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD). Drive half an hour west again intoWooroonooran National Park, home to fascinating native critters such as double-eyed fig parrots and musky rat-kangaroos, as well as Mt Bartle Frere, Queenslands highest mountain. Your trip begins in Cairns, Australia. stay for about 1 hour and leave at 3:46 pmdrive for about 1.5 hours, The Boulders The city of Rockhampton in Central Queensland is one of the oldest cities in Queensland and in Northern Australia, formed during the gold rush, making it an interesting place to stop on the road trip. Heres where to quench your thirst in Cairns, whether youre a cocktail connoisseur, beer buff, gin junkie or simply love a glass of wine with a view. Alternatively, Greyhound Australia operates a bus from Townsville to Cairns twice daily. But what are they? Walk one kilometre (0.6 miles) return toAlligator Creek lookoutfor a photogenic canopy-level view of the creek, before a quick dip in the nearby swimming area. We've listed some beautiful places to camp along the way, some of them free, so this is a great journey to do in a campervan. Known as the greatest detour in the North, opt for the scenic route by deviating onto the Canecutter Way. Follow the signs to Henrietta Creek Campground where you'll find the beginning of theNandroya Falls circuit. *Product Disclaimer:Tourism Australia is not the owner, operator, advertiser or promoter of the listed products and services. Before you reach your final destination, take the short detour to see Millaa Millaa Falls, a magnificent waterfall surrounded by lush green rainforest. Next stop, Ingham. The pattern element in the name contains the unique identity number of the account or website it relates to. "startScreen": "aus-link-account" The __qca cookie is associated with Quantcast. and answers related to Townsville. Don't miss a truly enchanting meal with theFlames of the Forest Aboriginal Cultural Experience, where you'll venture into the rainforest near Port Douglas to indulge in a seven-dish banquet as your Kuku Yalanji hosts share music, ceremony and storytelling. Day 7-8. The giant golden gumboot is 7.9 metres tall, homage to the highest annual rainfall this town has received. When you hear of a beach situated between the Great Barrier Reef and a World . Once youre full enough to face the day, make way for Babinda Boulders, a stunning rainforest swimming hole just seven minutes away from the township. Then sleep under the stars atUndara Experience, with permanent and powered tents that house comfortable bedding. More chilled than thrill? Hop off Skyrail at the Kuranda terminal, stretch your legs with a . Here's the top 10 things to do. Rockhampton marks, roughly, the halfway point between Townsville and Brisbane along the Bruce Highway. The half way point is Townsville which might be worth a stop. Day 4-6. Explore seaside towns where the locals hang, walk to giant waterfalls, explore a castle, and see a giant gumboot- would it really be a straya road trip without one big thing? Scenic Drives around Cairns Great Tropical Drive - Route 1. A vivid turquoise colour, the spa itself is a natural depression in the creek bed that causes the water to bubble and swirl like a Jacuzzi. Drive time: three hours to Mount Mulligan, 2.5 hours to Cairns. > 11. Watch out for crocodiles though, theyve been known to sunbake on the nearby rocks. > 10. Spanning 457km down Australias East Coast, the drive from Cairns to Townsville takes you on a journey infused with exhilarating natural experiences and breath-taking beauty, with highlights from two world heritage listed areas, the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. CNS-TSV is a really nice drive, and 4 hours is about right if your drive sensibly. Day 13: Drive from Mission Beach to Cairns, stopping at a few places along the way. "validationUrl": "/bin/ta/postauth", A big part of travelling is finding the perfect spot to have a cold drink at the end of a day adventuring. Check-in: Photo: Nodotel_ of Instagram. If you havent seen a Cassowary during your travels, a trip to Etty Bay should be at the top of your to-do list. If youve given it a fair go and still no luck, theres fish and chips at Lucinda Point Hotel Motel Restaurant. 83. Spend a few days exploring the Whitsunday Islands and Whitehaven Beach before embarking on this 6 day Airlie Beach to Cairns drive. Make a few hours of it and tuck into takeaway from Etty Bay Kitchen or save your appetite and head to the famous Oliveris Deli in Innisfail for European-inspired lunches and gourmet products. Day 2. Re: Cairns to Townsville. The Townsville distance from Brisbane is nearly 15 hours but the distance Cairns to Townsville is just over 4 hours so you are well on your way to Cairns by now. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. What day of the week has more flights from Cairns to Townsville? Hit the famous waterfall circuit, uncover those lesser known or stretch a little further and take a dip in Australias widest, single-drop waterfall on the Atherton Tablelands. Say sayonara to the city and head 65km north to Paluma Range National Park, the southern gateway to the Wet Tropics World Heritage Rainforest. Take a 20min ferry to this true-blue paradise and spot koalas, hang at one of the many bays or pull up a pew at one of the many beach-front bars and restaurants. Meander through the ancient forest on your own along theRainforest Circuit Track, which begins at Rex Creek bridge and entails a 2.5-kilometre (1.5-mile) loop with incredible views. Drive just 20 minutes to the coastal town of Lucinda where you can board aferry to Hinchinbrook Islandfor the day. Stay at: Agnes . and leave at 5:47 pm. Hungry travellers should head toPalm Cove's award-winningNu Nu Restaurant, which showcases Queensland seafood with a subtle Asian twist and serves lunch until 4pm. Undara Experience, Undara, Queensland Rowan Bestmann, Tourism and Events Queensland. Australia Travel Questions is an independent travel advice site full of expert knowledge about Australia. Texas longhorn cattle, Charters Towers, Queensland Melissa Findley, Tourism and Events Queensland. Visit the Aquarium. Continue to Townsville in time for lunch atThe Beet Barfor superfood bowls, salads and juices that celebrate local produce. Port Douglas, Queensland Tourism and Events Queensland. Day 12: Spend the day relaxing at Mission Beach, seeing some of the sights on the coast and in the rainforest. If theres something worth chucking a u-ie for, its the largest single drop waterfall in Australia. Followed categories will be added to My News. 2023 Tourism Tropical North Queensland - Is a not for profit organisation and the official Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) of Cairns and Great Barrier Reef, extending from Cardwell to the tip of the Torres Strait Islands and out to the Northern Territory border. Green Island day trip. Swap the rainforest for the seaside and veer towards the coast to Lucinda, which offers a bewdy of a view of Hinchinbrook Island. Day 11. travelers and answer their questions about Cairns! Pub and club tour. It is a popular swimming and picnic spot. Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's pageview limit. Take a refreshing dip in the main pool and wander along the rainforest path to the eeringly-named Devils Pools and discover the Indigenous legend behind this spooky spot. It took a while to plan . Cheap campervan rental. From: 1 traveler 2 travelers 3 travelers 4 travelers 5 travelers 6 travelers. Day 2: Magnetic Island No driving Ferries depart and return every hour (optional extra day exploring Charters Towers . Mission Beach. Highlights: The Sunshine Coast, Hervey Bay, Airlie Beach and Townsville. Reduced speed limit (60km/h). This will take you to a small parking area and the path begins here. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it. Stay: Castaways Resort has a poolside sun lounger with your name on it and the onsite restaurant Buko offers an awesome feed too. This famous railway winds its way on a journey from Cairns to Kuranda. Airlie Beach-Townsville 280km. Continue north forone and a halfhours along Cape Tribulation Road and explore the regions other icon, theDaintree National Park, home to the majesticMossman Gorge. By limiting the number of hikers, you have a chance to connect with and appreciate the raw beauty of Hinchinbrook. For a fittingly European-inspired stay,Villa Veronis a charming bed and breakfast which also hosts an Italian festival every year. Etty Bay is known as one of the regions most scenic beaches, but what really makes this little cove so special is its inhabitants home to the magnificent Southern Cassowary, youre very likely to see these notoriously hard to spot birds roaming the beachfront in the late afternoon or early morning. }, From here, it's a 3-hour drive to Townsville. 2.2 Day 2: Scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. Turn off Bruce Highway to visitParonella Park, a labour of lovebuilt in 1935 by Spanish immigrant Jos Paronella andinspired by Catalan castles. RACQ's Trip Planner allows you to find places, get directions or plan your next road trip. Take a dip in the beautiful blue Cardwell Spa Pools and Attie Creek Falls, and enjoy scenic lookout points. 257km. For business-friendly apartments: Quest Townsville . "profileUpdate": { Where. "custAction": "event2" > 8. Here's my 3-day itinerary exploring the natural playground of Magnetic Island and Townsville. There is a maximum stay of 2 nights.RATES: FREE. Day 14: Head out to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns on an all-day . Veer back towards the coast to Mission Beach, four seaside villages linked by a 14km stretch of golden sand. Townsville to Charter Towers. 21 Weekly Buses. Whether youre out to catch a barra, hike Australias largest island National Park or adventure your way through a scenic 4WD track, Cardwell is the perfect launch pad for an outdoorsy weekend with a friendly local twist. It's often overlooked by international visitors, in favour of its northern counterpart, Cairns. This road trip from Townsville to Cairns may only be four and a half hours, but it is packed with heaps of sights and attractions. Flames of the Forest, Port Douglas, Queensland Flames of the Forest. 14 years ago. Photo: Cardwell Tourism. An 800 metre track across Henrietta Creek leads to Gooligans Picnic Area. Rockhampton-Mackay 335km. Phone: 1800 216 223, 440 Sheridan Street, Cairns, Take the long track back to the campground and enjoy a rainforest dip at Douglas Creek. Trippy is where Find out more. Paronella Park between Townsville and Cairns. Photo: Bella.Lee.x via Instagram. Travel NQ When you're ready to depart Cooktown, you can choose between driving just over four hours to Ravenshoe, or taking a detour to Mount Mulligan Lodge. Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation Pack your togs and soak in the emerald-green water at the Babinda Boulders or slide down the smooth rockslide at Josephine Falls. The uuid2 cookie is set by AppNexus and records information that helps in differentiating between devices and browsers. The drive from Rockhampton to Noosa Heads is one of the longest so far, so get an early start to make the most of the day. Rockhampton, Queensland. jQuery(document).ready(function() { Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Cairns to Townsville. Starting in Tropical North Queensland and finishing in the Top End, this epic 3500-kilometre journey of a lifetime from Cairns to Darwin cuts through a sensational swathe of northern Australia's tablelands, savannah, cattle stations and rust-red outback. For any assistance, please reach out to, We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. The ten sites are spread generously across the campground, some tucked away into forest nooks, giving you privacy. Take the ten-minute water taxi out to Dunk Island; situated only 4km off of the mainland. This itinerary is perfect for couples, solo travellers, and families. Borroloola to Limmen National Park. The US$1.1m (A$1.63m) tour, which starts this month . Photo: Caravaningqueensland, Spa Pool near Cardwell. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. If you wish to, you can just head up the Bruce Highway as quickly as possible. 35 kms south of Port Hinchinbrook on the Bruce Highway, the Hinchinbrook Lookout gives you unforgettable views of the Hinchinbrook Channel. What is the biggest national park in Australia? You can stop off at Lake Barrine for morning tea and scones, then onto the curtain fig tree, then onto the Hypipamee Crater . Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on The swimming hole is waist-deep and sandy. Flying Fish Point Tourist Park - is right on the beach in Cassowary habitat so you are likely to see one of these enormous flightless birds.RATES: $36 powered for two people, $28 unpowered. }); Now that youve finished exploring the bustling, vibrant city of Cairns and have the faded stamps from The Woolshed and Gilligans on your hand to prove it, its time to start your East Coast adventure. If time allows, drive 5mins up the road for (you guessed it! Moderator of the Cairns and Townsville stolen cars and sightings Facebook group Sam Testa claimed one of the boys charged was alleged to have been behind the wheel of the stolen Toyota Yaris that . We love this section of Australia for its diversity, culture, hinterlands and . Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Tweet. More importantly, where are they? Instead of retracing your steps down the coast, this drive will take you inland, passing . This road trip from Townsville to Cairns may only be four and a half hours, but it is packed with heaps of sights and attractions. open-ended. 6:32 pm arrive in Cairns. After breakfast atCaffiend, one of many hip cafsalong Grafton Street in Cairns, drive 68 kilometres (42 miles) north towardsPort Douglas. "screenSet": "Aus-ProfileUpdate", Underneath the waters surface though, is a kaleidoscope of coral and other aquatic life including tropical fish, dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles and giant clams, which you can swim with. Follow the Bruce Highway north for about an hour before taking a break in the Mount Spec section ofPaluma Range National Park. Babinda Boulders. The mammoth jetty here stretches almost 6km into the sea. Cairns-Cape Tribulation 150km. Good stops on a Townsville to Cairns road trip include Ingham, Cardwell, Mission Beach and Innisfail. Hervey Bay-Rockhampton 470km. Overlanders Way drive takes you from the Great Barrier Reef to the Northern Territory outback, so be sure to pack your flippers and your hiking boots. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the websites HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. Cairns to Townsville Drive 348 km | 4.5 hours over 2 or 3 days. DAY 1: CAIRNS - ATHERTON TABLELANDS - RAVENSHOE . Spend your day chilling on the beach, or opt for one (or more) of the island walks, including to the summit of Mount Kootaloo, greeting you with panoramic views of the Family Islands National Park and to the mainland. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. "validationFavouritesUrl": "/bin/australia/favourites/sanitycheck", Between Cardwell and Townsville, the Bruce Highway meanders through verdant sugar cane fields. Additionally, the background process scans all of the websites images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag drive for about 1.5 hours. Babinda Boulders is located in the Wooroonooran National Park. Spend a few days here indulging in the lodge's outback excursions, like private picnics and gold mine tours, or simply relax in the landscape of rolling hills and ancient rock formations. What are the biggest cities in Australia? Townsville. 347km. As the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns is teeming with an abundance of restaurants offering fresh, local catches and exceptional seafood. For a sassy, chic resort: Rambutan Resort. The Whitsunday Islands are around a three and a half hour drive from Townsville. Project management and a drive for high quality service; High level of attention to detail with a creative approach to problem-solving; Stay: Eco-friendly Hidden Valley Cabinsare set in natureand have unique smoked wood-firecuisine, orfind camping grounds byJouramaFalls and Big Crystal Creek. Rates are indicative based on the minimum and maximum available prices of products and services. Cairns->Townsville is 350km or 4 hours. "startScreen": "gigya-update-profile-screen" Departure times vary between 06:00 - 18:50. All car and Motor home rental companies allow their conventional vehicles to go to Undara, or have offered discounted rates on their 4WD hire vehicles. Although you cant walk on the jetty, you can head to the nearby fishing jetty to throw a line for giant trevally, Spanish mackerel, queenfish or northern bluefin tuna. drive for about 45 minutes. The journey to Kuranda takes approximately 2 hours, which includes a 10-minute stop at the spectacular Barron Falls Station for a bird's eye view of the Barron Falls. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific Set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin, this cookie is used to record the user consent for the cookies in the "Advertisement" category . Hop aboard Mission Beach Dive to explore the coral gardens of the outer reef, or snorkel the fringing reefs of Dunk Island. document.body.appendChild(script);