Cardwell to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
Cardwell to Cairns road trip: Babinda and Gordonvale
Close by are the coastal Ella Bay National Park and birdlife-packed Eubenangee Swamp National Park. But the top stop before Babinda is Josephine Falls. It’s a stunning waterfall, and a hiking trail from there leads to Queensland’s highest mountain, Mt Bartle Frere.
The star attraction of Babinda is the Babinda Boulders, which hosts a magnificent swimming hole surrounded by enormous granite boulders. The Babinda Quarters is the best place in Babinda for overnight accommodation.
The last section, from Babinda to Cairns, skirts the edge of Wooroonoran National Park and Bellenden Ker. But you might want to make a turn-off for the gorgeous Behana Gorge walking track just before Gordonvale. It’s a 6.6km return walk to Clamshell Falls, which heads through lush rainforest and past tempting swimming holes.
Gordonvale would like to pretend otherwise, but it’s essentially a southern suburb of Cairns.
Things to do in Cairns include taking 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 options, try the Cairns Aquarium, hair-raising bungy jumping at Skypark Cairns and learning about tropical ecosystems at the Cairns Botanic Gardens.
High class Cairns accommodation options include the Pacific Hotel, the Hilton Cairns and the Sebel Cairns Harbour Lights.
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