Ingham to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time & best stops
The Ingham to Cairns drive covers a distance of 236km in a driving time of roughly 2h50m. Top road trip stops along the route include the Cardwell Spa Pools, Josephine Falls and the Babinda Boulders.
The drive from Ingham to Cairns covers some of northern Queensland’s most spectacular scenery. For most travellers, this will be a leg on a longer road trip – Townsville to Cairns or Airlie Beach to Cairns, perhaps. But if you have the time to take it slowly, you’ll be amply rewarded.
Ingham is the gateway to Girringun National Park and Australia’s highest waterfall, Wallaman Falls.
Cairns, meanwhile, offers Green Island tours, jet boat adventures, Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruises and river tubing adrenalin rushes.
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.
Ingham to Cairns distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Ingham to Cairns is 236km. That makes for a driving time of around two hours and 50 minutes.
This will obviously take longer if you visit a few attractions or make an overnight stop along the way.
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.
Ingham to Cairns road trip: Cardwell and Hinchinbrook Island
Travelling along the Bruce Highway, the first town after Ingham is Cardwell. Here, you can take a boat transfer to Australia’s largest island national park – Hinchinbrook Island.
The star attraction of the wild, resortless Hinchinbrook Island is the 32km Thornsborne Trail – one of Australia’s great walks.
The other key attractions in Cardwell are the strangely blue Cardwell Spa Pools. Just to the north of Cardwell, you can also visit Murray Falls in Girrimay National Park.
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.
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