Bowen to Cairns road trip: Distance, driving time & best stops
Bowen to Cairns drive: Babinda to Cairns
The final section, from Babinda to Cairns, skims the edge of Wooroonoran National Park and Bellenden Ker. Options here include the 6.6km walk along Behana Gorge to Clamshell Fallswalking track just before Gordonvale. It’s a 6.6km return walk to Clamshell Falls, which heads through lush rainforest and past tempting swimming holes.
There’s also the neighbouring 6km summit walk to the top of Walshs Pyramid.
Before entering central Cairns, you can visit the dainty, somewhat hidden suburban waterfall Isabella Falls.
Things to do in Cairns include hopping aboard the Green Island ferry or Fitzroy Island ferry to one of the city’s nearby islands, or the Evolution cruise to Hastings Reef.
Save time queuing – Book these Cairns attractions in advance
- From the air: Outer Reef helicopter flight | Sunrise hot air balloon ride | Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.
- At night: Sunset dinner cruise | Pub and club tour | Aquarium by Twilight experience.
- For wildlife: Birdworld Kuranda | Kuranda Koala Gardens | Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome | Cairns Aquarium | Rainforestation Nature Park
- For culture: Cairns Museum tickets | Street art walking tour | City and surrounds highlights bus tour.
- For thrills: AJ Hackett giant jungle swing | High speed jet boat tour | Barron Gorge white water rafting | Mulgrave River tubing.
For other attractions, try the Cairns Aquarium, hair-raising bungy jumping at Skypark Cairns, splashing in the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon and discovering tropical ecosystems at the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
Top level Cairns accommodation options include the Pacific Hotel, the Hilton Cairns and the Sebel Cairns Harbour Lights.
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