Trinity Beach to Cairns: Distance, driving time & road trip stops

The Trinity Beach to Cairns drive covers a distance of 20km in around 18 minutes. Attractions along the way include Skypark Cairns, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Mount Whitfield Conservation Park.

The drive from Trinity Beach to Cairns is a short one. Trinity Beach is one of Cairns’ northern beach suburbs, and the city isn’t as huge as some visitors expect.

There are a few places to stop along the way if driving into the city centre, however.

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.

Trinity Beach to Cairns distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Trinity Beach to Cairns is 20km. That makes for a driving time of around 18 minutes.

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.

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The drive is initially along Trinity Beach Road, passing Centenary Park where you’ve a good chance of spotting wallabies.

The quickest Trinity Beach to Cairns driving route then joins the Captain Cook Highway running east of Smithfield Regional Park.

Trinity Beach to Cairns drive: Smithfield attractions

Smithfield itself has several attractions, including Skypark Cairns where you can do a 50 metre rainforest bungy jump or dare to walk along a plank stretching out 140 metres above sea level.

Smithfield Pool, the Cattana Wetlands, Cairns Wake Park and the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum are also here.

Most importantly, though, Smithfield is where you’ll find the base station of the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. This is the hugely impressive cable car that goes up to Kuranda in the Atherton Tableland.

From here, the Captain Cook Highway stays west of Holloways Beach, Machans Beach and Barron Beach on the Barron River mouth.

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.

Attractions between Trinity Beach and Cairns: Airport and Mount Whitfield

Cairns Airport lies just south of the Barron River crossing in Aeroglen. From here, you can do a 40 minute scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef.

The Mount Whitfield Conservation Park with the Lumley Hill Lookout is directly opposite.

To the south of the airport are the Red Arrow Circuit Lookout, Cairns Botanic Gardens, Tanks Art Centre and Tobruk Memorial Pool.

From here, the drive into central Cairns runs level with the Cairns Esplanade. Once in the centre, you can enjoy the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon, Cairns Aquarium, the Cairns Night Markets, plus Cairns Zoom and Wildlife Dome.

The Reef Fleet Terminal, from where several Great Barrier Reef cruises depart, is also here.