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

Cairns to Normanton road trip stops: Undara Volcanic National Park to Croydon

It’s 447km from Undara Volcanic National Park to Normanton, with not an awful lot on the way. However, there are a couple of diversions off the highway worth making.

Between Mount Surprise and Georgetown, the Talaroo Hot Springs offer naturally-heated hot pools by the Einasleigh River.

At Georgetown, meanwhile, you can divert south towards Cobbold Gorge, where there’s a glass bridge above the 30 metre-tall gorge, and you can go on a boat trip.

There’s a caravan park in Georgetown if you need somewhere to stay the night, and it’s another 148km from Georgetown to Croydon, an old gold mining settlement.

This is one end of the quixotic Gulflander train line, which runs half day trips to Normanton.

Croydon offers handsome old buildings in the heritage precinct, a delve into mining heritage at the Mining Museum and barramundi fishing in Lake Belmore.

Accommodation is available at the Croydon Caravan Park.

Click through for the next section: Croydon to Normanton.