Cairns to Karumba road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time

Cairns to Karumba drive: Croydon to Normanton.

Otherwise, blast down a drab stretch of highway for the 154km from Croydon to Normanton.

Normanton is what passes for a hub town in the Gulf Savannah. Again, it’s a former gold rush town with a smattering of handsome heritage buildings.

Around 30km to the south-west is Burke and Wills Camp 119, the final camp on the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition which narrowly failed to cross the continent.

But by far the most photographed attraction in Normanton is Krys the Crocodile, a giant model of supposedly the largest crocodile ever caught in Australia

Normanton accommodation options include the Normanton Tourist Park and Gulfland Hotel.

Normanton to Karumba

The distance from Normanton to Karumba is 71km, although it’s a fairly indirect drive dodging the floodplain of the Norman River.

The best things to do in Karumba include fishing charters, learning about the nation’s favourite fish at the Les Wilson Barramundi Discovery Centre and taking a nature tour with Croc and Crab Cruises.

Decent Karumba accommodation includes the Matildas End Holiday Units, the Karumba Point Sunset Caravan Park and the Karumba Point Holiday and Tourist Park.

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Get high speed thrills on a Cairns jet boat ride.

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