Charters Towers to Cairns road trip: Best stops & distance
The best stops on a Charters Towers to Cairns inland road trip, following the Carnarvon Highway route, include Moree, Roma, Emerald and Townsville. The distance from Charters Towers to Cairns is 481km, with a driving time of around 5h40m.
Planning a Charters Towers to Cairns inland road trip itinerary
The drive from Charters Towers to Cairns connects one of Queensland’s more interesting inland cities to the main hub for the Great Barrier Reef. For many, this will be the last leg of the journey on a road trip from Sydney to Cairns or Melbourne to Cairns.
Things to do in Charters Towers include the ghost tours offered by Ghost Tours Australia and the farm experiences run by Texas Longhorn Tours.
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.
Use this guide to help you plan the perfect stops on a Charters Towers to Cairns road trip itinerary.
Charters Towers to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
By car, the distance from Charters Towers to Cairns on the inland route is 481km. That makes for a driving time of around five hours and 40 minutes.
Top Charters Towers experiences
- Delve in to the gold-mining past – on a tour of the Venus Gold Battery. You’ll be wowed by the sheer size of it.
- Hear entertaining stories from the golden era – on a Charters Towers walking tour.
- Listen to spooky stories – on a Charters Towers ghost tour.
Best Charters Towers accommodation
The best accommodation options in Charters Towers are:
- For families: Big4 Outback Aussie Oasis Holiday Park.
- For high quality adults-only apartments: Kernow Charters Towers.
- For a good value motel with a pool: Charters Towers Motel.
The best road trip stops to add to a Charters Towers to Cairns road trip itinerary include Townsville, Cardwell and Innisfail.
The Charters Towers to Townsville leg of the drive isn’t exactly riveting. The Macrossan Park camping area in Dotswood is a fairly popular fishing and kayaking stop.
6 Townsville experiences to book in advance
- Magnetic Island ferry tickets – head over to one of the most beautiful islands in Australia.
- SS Yongala wreck dive – sea how coral and marine life have made the shipwreck home.
- Great Barrier Reef and Museum of Underwater Art cruise – witness the extraordinary underwater art project up close.
- Helicopter ride along the coast – get amazing views from above.
- Sunset sailing cruise – watch the colours over the water, with alcoholic drinks included.
- Jetski tour to Cape Pallarenda – whizz past beaches and giant boulders.
You can also stop for a dip at the Majors Creek swimming hole in Woodstock.
Things to do in Townsville include small group sunset cruises, spectacular helicopter flights over the city and Cleveland Bay and diving tours on the SS Yongala.
Townsville accommodation recommendations
The best bets for Townsville accommodation are…
- For beachside location: Water’s Edge The Strand.
- For a good value, well located motel: Yongala Lodge By The Strand.
- For a sassy, chic resort: Rambutan Resort.
- For families: Discovery Parks Townsville.
- For business-friendly apartments: Quest Townsville on Eyre.
You can also take the ferry to Magnetic Island.
There are great snorkelling spots here, at Arthur Bay, Florence Bay and Radical Bay.
7 Magnetic Island experiences to book in advance
- Sort out your return ferry ticket from Townsville.
- Get the best of the coastline on a five hour boat tour with snorkelling and stand-up paddleboarding.
- See the sky change – on a sunset and shipwrecks cruise.
- See all the island highlights – on an afternoon island tour combining heritage, culture and nature.
- Cram it all in on a five hour comprehensive island tour.
- Take to the water on a lunchtime sailing cruise.
- See subaquatic creativity – on a Museum of Underwater Art and Great Barrier Reef day trip.
Charters Towers to Cairns driving holiday: Townsville to Cardwell
Beyond Townsville, the Charters Towers to Cairns inland road trip rejoins the coast, running parallel to Paluma Range National Park. There are several waterfalls here, but the rock pools of Crystal Creek are most people’s favourite.
Keep going along the highway, and you’ll reach Ingham. This is where you branch off for Girringun National Park and Wallaman Falls, the highest waterfall in Australia.
For accommodation in Ingham, try the Ingham Tourist Park and the Tropixx Motel, which has its own restaurant.
Cardwell comes after Ingham. This is where you can get a boat transfer to wild, natural and resort-free Hinchinbrook Island. Australia’s largest island national park is a big hiking destination, and the four day, 32km Thornsborne Trail, is one of Australia’s top walks.
Otherwise, the top attraction is the Cardwell Spa Pools, an eerily blue rainforest swimming hole.
Best Cardwell accommodation choices
The best places to stay in Cardwell are:
- For a holiday park with an outdoor pool and children’s playground: Cardwell Beachcomber Motel and Tourist Park.
- For prime location: Cardwell Beachfront Motel.
- If those two are fully booked: Kookaburra Holiday Park.
Click through to the next section: Tully and Mission Beach.