Townsville to Cairns road trip: Distance, drive time and best stops
Townsville to Cairns road trip: Cardwell and Mission Beach
After Ingham comes Cardwell, best known as the gateway to Hinchinbrook Island. Unlike some other Queensland islands, Hinchinbrook is delightfully wild and best suited to walkers tackling the 32km Thorsborne Trail.
Otherwise, Cardwell’s top attraction is the Cardwell Spa Pools – a rainforest swimming hole where minerals turn the water an eerie shade of blue.
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.
Tully, supposedly the wettest town in Australia, comes next while driving from Townsville to Cairns. Here, the Golden Gumboot – one of Australia’s notorious Big Things – makes for a decent photo stop. But if you’re looking for somewhere to stay the night, veer east past the Mount Mackay National Park towards Mission Beach.
5 great Mission Beach experiences to book in advance
- Small group Great Barrier Reef snorkelling cruise – with pristine snorkelling on the Outer Reef, barbecue lunch and snorkelling equipment provided.
- Hull River National Park eco cruise – spotting wildlife in the mangroves.
- Full day sports rafting on the Tully River – tackle the rapids while rafting through the rainforest.
- Skydive from 15,000ft – and land on the beach.
- Dunk Island day trip – with plenty of time for rainforest hikes.
Mission Beach is actually a collection of four connecting beach towns. Ferries to Dunk Island leave from here, but there’s plenty more to do. Options include rainforest bushwalks in the Clump Mountain National Park, mountain biking in the Djiru National Park and whitewater rafting with Raging Thunder Adventures.
Click through to the next section: Innisfail and surrounds.