Emerald to Cairns road trip: Best stops, drive time & distance
The best stops on an Emerald to Cairns road trip, following the Carnarvon Highway route, include Charters Towers, Townsville and Mission Beach. The distance from Emerald to Cairns is 956km, with a driving time of around 10h37m.
Planning an Emerald to Cairns road trip itinerary
The drive from Emerald to Cairns will, for most, be a leg on a longer road trip through Queensland. The drives from Newcastle to Cairns and Sydney to Port Douglas pass through this way.
Emerald offers a good botanic garden and the Outback Exploratorium. For Emerald accommodation, book here.
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. 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.
Find your ideal Great Barrier Reef tours by location
Great Barrier Reef tours run from numerous destinations along the Queensland coast. Different tours cater to different tastes – some make sure they go to the best snorkelling spots, others build in beach time and some throw in extra such as underwater observatories and glass bottom boat tours.
Use the following links to start picking the best Great Barrier Reef tour options where you’re going on holiday.
- The best Great Barrier Reef tours in… 1770 | Airlie Beach | Bundaberg | Cairns | Cape Tribulation | Mackay | Magnetic Island | Mission Beach | Palm Cove | Port Douglas | Townsville.
Use this guide to help you plan the perfect stops on an Emerald to Cairns road trip itinerary.
Emerald to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
By car, the distance from Emerald to Cairns is 956km. That makes for a driving time of around 10 hours and 37 minutes.
The best road trip stops to add to an Emerald to Cairns road trip itinerary include Charters Towers, Townsville and Mission Beach.
Things to do in Emerald once you arrive include pushing lots of buttons at the kid-friendly Outback Exploratorium and admiring the world’s biggest Van Gogh sunflower painting. It’s not, alas, an original.
Where to stay in Emerald
The best Emerald accommodations options are:
- For central location: Motel 707.
- For a more stylish motel: Abode37.
- For a good quality motel with cheap rates: A&A Lodge Motel.
- For families: Discovery Parks Emerald.
Emerald to Blackwood National Park
From Emerald to Townsville, it’s another 611km, which starts off along the Gregory Highway. The first town you’ll pass through is Capella. It comes equipped with a racecourse and golf course, but isn’t going to get too many visitors excited.
Much more interesting is Clermont. Here, the Clermont Historical Centre delves into gold prospecting heritage and the catastrophic 1916 flood that killed 65 people.
Top Clermont accommodation options
The best places to stay in Clermont are:
- For a cheap, decent motel for a one night stay: Clermont Hotel Motel.
- For a bit of character, plus a pool, restaurant and gardens: Clermont Country Motor Inn.
- For overall quality: Smart Stayzzz Inns.
On the Clermont to Charters Towers section of the Emerald to Cairns road trip, the Gregory Highway becomes the Gregory Developmental Road.
Blackwood National Park, shortly after the Belyando Crossing roadhouse, is worth a short break. The 1km Brigalow Circuit gives a good overview of the wetlands.
Click through to the next section: Charters Towers and Townsville.