Cairns to Darwin road trip: Distance, stops and best route
The best stops on a Cairns to Darwin road trip include the Undara Lava Tubes, Normanton and Katherine Gorge. By car, the distance from Cairns to Darwin is 2,641km, with a driving time of around 29 hours.
A Cairns to Darwin road trip is a serious undertaking from the Queensland coast towards the Northern Territory border. The drive will usually form part of a longer road trip. The routes from Cairns to Alice Springs and Cairns to Uluru pass through this way.
Cairns in Queensland brings holding koalas at the Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome, snorkelling tours to Green Island and rainforest bungy jumps. 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.
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.
While there are long stretches of nothing between them, there are fair few attractions worth breaking the journey for. Use this guide to help you plan your perfect Cairns to Darwin road trip itinerary.
Cairns to Darwin distance and driving time
Hugging the Gulf of Carpentaria on the shortest possible route, the drive from Cairns to Darwin is 2,356km long in distance. That’s a Cairns to Darwin driving time of around 25 hours.
The major issue, however, is that the 720km stretch from Normanton in Queensland to Borroloola in the Northern Territory is unsealed. In a four wheel drive vehicle, that’s fine (apart from at the height of the wet season). In a normal rental car, you might just about be able to make it. But only if the road has recently been graded and you’re lucky with the weather. But that’s a moot point, as you’ll almost certainly be driving uninsured. Rental car companies deliberately exclude unsealed outback routes from their insurance coverage.
By car along sealed roads, the distance from Cairns to Darwin is 2,641km. That makes for a driving time of around 29 hours.
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 trip.
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 first section of the Cairns to Darwin drive, through the Atherton Tableland, is arguably the 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 Darwin 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: Malanda to Ravenshoe.