Cairns to Karumba road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The Cairns to Karumba drive covers a distance of 749km, with a driving time of around 8h30m. The best stops to add to a Cairns to Karumba road trip itinerary include Millaa Millaa Falls, the Undara lava tubes and Cobbold Gorge.
A Cairns to Karumba road trip takes you from the tourism capital of far north Queensland to a small town on the Gulf of Carpentaria where fishing is king.
Cairns brings holding koalas at the Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome, snorkelling tours to Green Island and rainforest bungy jumps.
If you have three days in Cairns, do a Great Barrier Reef trip, a Kuranda scenic train and cable car combo and a Mossman Gorge plus Cape Tribulation World Heritage rainforest day tour. With more time, consider mesmerising scenic flights over the Reef, dinner cruises and waterfall-packed Atherton Tableland tours.
To choose from a wide range of memorable Cairns tours and experiences, look here. To pick the Cairns accommodation best suited to you, book here.
Karumba, however, has an entirely different vibe.
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.
The road trip is not solely about the destination, however – there are plenty of fascinating attractions to stop at along the way. The best stops to add to a Cairns to Karumba road trip itinerary include Millaa Millaa Falls and the Undara Lava Tubes.
Cairns to Karumba distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Cairns to Karumba is 749km. This makes for a driving time of around eight hours and 30 minutes.
Trip-booster! 8 great day trips from Cairns to power-up your holiday
- Kuranda combo package – take the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail cable car down.
- Green Island tours with beach time, glass bottom boat and snorkelling. (Or pick a Fitzroy Island trip instead).
- Moore Reef day tour – with underwater observatory, snorkelling gear, glass bottom boat & semi-submersible cruises.
- Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise – with snorkelling stops at two excellent spots on the Reef.
- Cape Tribulation rainforest day tour – with Mossman Gorge Aboriginal cultural experience and Daintree River crocodile-watching cruise.
- Atherton Tableland waterfalls and rainforest tour – including wildlife-spotting and a swim in a volcanic lake.
- Outback 4WD tour – visiting Chillagoe Caves, Aboriginal rock art and Granite Gorge.
The first section of this drive, through the Atherton Tableland, is most fun.
The quickest route leaves Cairns to the south, passing near Isabella Falls, and branching off the Bruce Highway at Gordonvale, just before reaching Walshs Pyramid and Behana Gorge.
Cairns to Karumba drive: Gordonvale to Malanda
The climb into the Tableland is along the often-winding Gillies Range Road. This passes through Little Mulgrave National Park, with several decent lookouts – such as Robson’s Lookout and Frog Rock – along the way.
The road later passes Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham – the volcanically-formed lakes in Crater Lakes National Park. Both have walking trails worth investigating.
The Gillies Range Road continues to Yungaburra, home of the Yungaburra Markets, platypus-viewing platform and enormous Curtain Fig Tree.
You’ll need to head down Lake Barrine Road towards Malanda, however. Here you can go for a crocodile-free swim in the pool below Malanda Falls.
Click through for the next section: Millaa Millaa to Ravenshoe.