"registration": { Take a stroll along the beachfront to the jetty as the sun sets and keep an eye out for turtles and dugongs, which are often seen from the jetty. Loop around lush Tropical North Queensland fromCairns, gateway to theGreat Barrier Reef, up to Cooktown, rich with Aboriginal and early European history and down toTownsville, to explore ancient rainforests, fruit plantations, gold mining towns and secluded hideaways along the way. Cool off at nearby Little Crystal Creek before driving the remaining 45 minutes to Ingham, a sugar cane town with a distinctly Mediterranean feel thanks to the Italian and Spanish migrants who came here at the end of the 19th century to work in the cane fields. you can get answers personalized for your tastes, budgets, Bring your camera! An easy loop walk through forest, mangroves and wetlands brings you to a grassy knoll with panoramic views of the paperbark swamp and water birds below. But what makes Ingham particularly interesting is Lee's Hotel (formerly known as the Day Dawn hotel). A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it. Don't miss a truly enchanting meal with theFlames of the Forest Aboriginal Cultural Experience, where you'll venture into the rainforest near Port Douglas to indulge in a seven-dish banquet as your Kuku Yalanji hosts share music, ceremony and storytelling. This is where you branch off if you want to see Australias highest waterfall Wallaman Falls in the Girringun National Park. This magical moss covered pleasure garden has enough nooks, crannies and sources of fascination to keep you delighted for hours. Flights from CNS to TSV are operated 33 times a week, with an average of 5 flights per day. We've listed some beautiful places to camp along the way, some of them free, so this is a great journey to do in a campervan. Once you arrive in Noosa National Park . Lose yourself in one of the castles many hideaways, marvel at the rumbling Mena Creek Falls, and feel dwarfed as you take a stroll down the magnificent Kauri Avenue. Stop for lunch in Atherton, then explore the nearbyHallorans Hill Conservation Park. Walk to McClellands lookout for spectacular views over the islands and coastline. This application remediates the websites HTML, Josephine Falls, Wooroonooran National Park, Queensland Colyn Huber, Tourism and Events Queensland. In the centre of Mossman turn left into . Facilities include free WiFi, showers, camp kitchen, BBQs, laundry, pool. Day 4. Walk one kilometre (0.6 miles) return toAlligator Creek lookoutfor a photogenic canopy-level view of the creek, before a quick dip in the nearby swimming area. Head back to Paronella Park for their Evening Experience, exploring the grounds and night and seeing the castle and Mena Creek Falls come alive with lights. If you can spare the time to go via the Gillies highway from Cairns, through the southern part of the Atherton Tableland then it is an excellent drive. Day 14: Head out to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns on an all-day . All of that glorious rainfall makes Tully River an awesome place forwhite water rafting, with rapids ranging from grade three to the more challenging grade four. Drive from Cairns to Townsville via Cooktown, through World Heritage-listed reef and rainforests to golden outback savannah, taking in tropical Queensland at its finest. From the beach landing, take a short walk through rainforest to the sparkling freshwater pool at the base of Zoe Falls, an idyllic swimming hole. Other less-frequented highlights of the park include: Free Camping at Japoonvale Rest Area - is on the banks of Liverpool Creek. For any assistance, please reach out to, We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience. For families: Discovery Parks Townsville. Continuing along the Cook Highway, stop halfway at Rex Lookout for magical views over the Coral Sea beaches, before reachingPort Douglas. Whichever you choose, you can expect a memorable introduction to the worlds largest coral reef, home to more than 3,000 individual reef systems and coral cays, plus hundreds of stunning islands with sun-soaked beaches. With activities to suit everyone's holiday agenda, Townsville North Queensland will create memories to last a lifetime. Head back onto the main drag and continue into Cairns and rest up at one of the many resorts and caravan parks available. Take the long track back to the campground and enjoy a rainforest dip at Douglas Creek. It takes 4-5 hours to drive the Great Green Way between Cairns and Townsville if you drive without stopping. Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Then sleep under the stars atUndara Experience, with permanent and powered tents that house comfortable bedding. The direct drive from Townsville to Cairns is 216 mi (347 km), and should have a drive time of 4 hrs 42 mins in normal traffic. It stores a true/false value, indicating whether it was the first time Hotjar saw this user. This tropical region is warm to hot all year round with lots of great swimming in rock pools, gorges and waterfalls to experience. What may come as a surprise is that the spectacular waterfalls and crystal-clear pools tucked away in this lush green paradise are so easily accessible, despite feeling worlds away from the hustle and bustle of nearby city life. There are lots of campervan hire companies in Cairns we decided to go with Britz which was a great solution and gave us plenty of flexibility to change our itinerary if we needed. Day 1: Airlie Beach to Townsville 275 km | 3 h 15 m . Then continue north on the Mulligan Highway for 20 minutes to historic Cooktown, and climb to the top ofGrassy Hillin the town centre for a breathtaking view. This self drive itinerary offers a handy guideline to base your day of exploring Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest. If youre feeling like a big kid, or youre travelling with actual kids, the natural waterslide here will be very popular. What is the biggest national park in Australia? Heart of Reef Shuttles, 48-50 Carlo Drive, Cannonvale, Queensland 4802 Phone: 1800 216 223, 40 French Street, Eagle Farm, Queensland 4009 Cape Tribulation-Cooktown (4WD only) 100km. This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations. Townsville to Charter Towers. *Product Disclaimer:Tourism Australia is not the owner, operator, advertiser or promoter of the listed products and services. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. Mission Beach, situated midway between Townsville and Cairns is made up of four beach villages linked by 14 kilometres of wide golden sands. Near Townsville until May 1. If youre craving a thrill, take to the mighty Tully River on a white water rafting adventure with Raging Thunder and tackle 3 and 4 grade rapids. Located in the ruggedly beautiful Mount Mulligan, this all-inclusive outback station is all about quintessential Australian experiences combined with effortless luxury. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Cairns to Townsville. Dunk Island is only 4km off the coast of Mission Beach, and takes only 10mins with Mission Beach Water Taxi, so its almost rude not to visit. A 20km detour off the Bruce Highway between Tully and Cardwell will take you to a lookout at at the base of the falls, with a swimming hole just downstream. Check-in: Etty Bay Caravan Park - gets well-reviewed for its location on peaceful Etty Bay. Cairns to Cooktown Road Trip: Bloomfield Track or Inland Road? Cairns & Great Barrier Reef 35 kms south of Port Hinchinbrook on the Bruce Highway, the Hinchinbrook Lookout gives you unforgettable views of the Hinchinbrook Channel. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Australia Travel Questions is an independent travel advice site full of expert knowledge about Australia. Charter Towers to Hughenden. 532 helpful votes. Hotjar sets this cookie to detect the first pageview session of a user. Reduced speed limit (60km/h). Last name. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD). There is creekside camping at Jourama Falls suitable for campervans. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Good stops on a Townsville to Cairns road trip include Ingham, Cardwell, Mission Beach and Innisfail. Keep an eye out for the Frosty Mango along the Bruce Highway before you reach your final destination of Townsville. Facilities include a pizza oven, pool, gym, camp kitchen, BBQ area, showers and laundry. The route may look simple on the map, but you'll need to factor in which roads are sealed and unsealed, which are four by four only, and which have supply stops along the way. More chilled than thrill? Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc. If you wish to, you can just head up the Bruce Highway as quickly as possible. While in Innisfail, download the Cassowary Coasts Tropical Deco App for a self-guided Art Deco and historical walk around the town, and jump aboard a croc-spotting and wildlife tour with Snapping Tours. Buckle up for aTexas Longhorn Wagon Tourthen explore the custom saddlery shop. Its a perfect spot to park the campervan and cool off in crystal clear water amid granite boulders. Mackay-Airlie Beach 150km. You can stop off at Lake Barrine for morning tea and scones, then onto the curtain fig tree, then onto the Hypipamee Crater . Road trips call for recharging days and Mission Beach is made for reading a book on the sand, relaxing by the pool or walking barefoot along the beach. Head southwest for 50 minutes toMillstream Falls, Australias widest single-drop waterfall, for a brief stop before spending the morning atInnot Hot Springs, relaxing in the therapeutic mineral waters that fill its six public pools. Texas longhorn cattle, Charters Towers, Queensland Melissa Findley, Tourism and Events Queensland. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. For a fittingly European-inspired stay,Villa Veronis a charming bed and breakfast which also hosts an Italian festival every year. "startScreen": "gigya-update-profile-screen" If youre craving more swimming, make way to Behana Gorge behind Walshs Pyramid and embark on a 7.4km return hike with the stunning Clamshell Falls as a cooling reward. The road to Undara is sealed the entire way from Cairns, Townsville and . The drive from Townsville to Cairns connects northern Queensland's two . Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on Photo:overlandersway via Instagram. First things first brekkie! If time permits, drive about one hour west of Ingham to seeWallaman Falls, Australia's highest single-drop waterfall. Dogs are welcome on this part and there are many great spots to pull up and enjoy your lunch along the way. The Far North up close and personal: Drive from Cairns to Townsville. Free WiFi. Welcome to Tourism Australia. Townsville is a big place, about the same as Cairns but without so much of that "tourist centric feeling". Here's the top 10 things to do. > 2. Facilities are basic - compost toilets and BBQs, but no showers. Typically 21 buses run weekly, although weekend and holiday schedules can vary so check in advance. Another 30 minutes behind the wheel will bring you to Babinda. Your trip begins in Cairns, Australia. Discover more things to do on and around Tropical North Queensland. Take a refreshing dip in the main pool and wander along the rainforest path to the eeringly-named Devils Pools and discover the Indigenous legend behind this spooky spot. 347km. This will take you to a small parking area and the path begins here. It ends in Townsville, Australia. Mission Beach (2 answers) 2. Records the default button state of the corresponding category & the status of CCPA. With over 240 species of birds, TYTO Wetlands is the perfect spot for some bird-watching. Email. It took a while to plan . 6:32 pm arrive in Cairns. Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. }, "login": { Mission Beach is the birthplace of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, where in the 1960s-70s, John Busst campaigned to save Ellison Reef from limestone mining, setting the legal precedent for the protection of the entire marine park. "screenSet": "Aus-V3-RegistrationLogin", Babinda Boulders is located in the Wooroonooran National Park. "resetPassword": { Your journey may draw to an end in Townsville, but there are plenty of things to do in this historic town before continuing your East Coast adventure. Accessibility Statement. The first decent-sized town on the Bruce Highway going north is Ingham. At over 1,853 million km Queensland is Australia's second-largest state. If youve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, well be happy to hear from you. regardless of circumstance and ability. Children $10. is not on the beach but it is only a 10 minute walk away. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. 2023 Tourism Tropical North Queensland - Is a not for profit organisation and the official Regional Tourism Organisation (RTO) of Cairns and Great Barrier Reef, extending from Cardwell to the tip of the Torres Strait Islands and out to the Northern Territory border. script.async = true; Day 2. Make a few hours of it and tuck into takeaway from Etty Bay Kitchen or save your appetite and head to the famous Oliveris Deli in Innisfail for European-inspired lunches and gourmet products. This anonymous data helps us to better understand users' needs and customize the website accordingly. Flames of the Forest, Port Douglas, Queensland Flames of the Forest. The drive is approx 630km from Cairns to Airlie Beach, which takes approx 7 hours. who wants the trip to end? stay for about 1 hour. . The uuid2 cookie is set by AppNexus and records information that helps in differentiating between devices and browsers. Hervey Bay-Rockhampton 470km. Check road conditions from Townsville to Cairns, or you can get reverse directions from Cairns to Townsville. 457km (one way) How. Undara Experience, Undara, Queensland Rowan Bestmann, Tourism and Events Queensland. From the camping area, stroll along the Butterfly walk (its renowned for the Ulysses butterflies that flit along this passage between September and February)through World Heritage-listed rainforest to the gorge. Photo: Nodotel_ of Instagram. drive for about 59 minutes. This self drive route will take you through some of Australia's most beautiful and best known attractions. To get here, take Bramston Beach Road (off Bruce Highway) and follow the signs to Eubnangee Swamp National Park. There are several waterfalls to see here, but the highlight is swimming in the rock pools of Crystal Creek. Some of the data that are collected include the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously. Next stop, Ingham. Stay: Eco-friendly Hidden Valley Cabinsare set in natureand have unique smoked wood-firecuisine, orfind camping grounds byJouramaFalls and Big Crystal Creek. Paronella Park, Mena Creek, Queensland Mark Clinton, Tourism and Events Queensland. This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions. After breakfast at Caffiend, one of many hip cafs along Grafton Street in Cairns, drive 68 kilometres (42 miles) north towards Port Douglas.Fifteen minutes out of Cairns, exit the Captain Cook Highway at Smithfield to take the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway for an incredible 90-minute ride over World Heritage-listed rainforest. Photo: ecologist.sHayes via Instagram. For example, we provide accurate form labels; Richmond to Julia Creek. Zoe Falls on Hinchinbrook Island. Bamboo grove at Paronella Park. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. YouTube sets this cookie to store the video preferences of the user using embedded YouTube video. After parking the campervan at Port Hinchinbrook or Cardwell, you can ferry across to Hinchinbrook Island. Stay at: Agnes . Spanning 457km down Australia's East Coast, the drive from Cairns to Townsville takes you on a journey infused with exhilarating natural experiences and breath-taking beauty, with highlights from two world heritage listed areas, the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. But Townsville is worth a visit as well, thanks to its family-friendly attractions, excellent day trips, and close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. Feel inspired by the extraordinary story of Jos Paronellas ingenuity and determination as he turned his dreams into a reality. travelers and answer their questions about Cairns! Continue east for an hour to Mission Beach and check intoCastaways Resortbefore ditching the car for a bike and cycling along the citys foreshore, including theUlysses Link Walking Track, past artworks depicting the areas Aboriginal and European history. Detour to Queensland's oldest hotel at the Nindigully Pub and try the 1.2 kilogram 'Road Train' hamburger - if you dare! Once back on land, drive 45 minutes north to Cardwell. 0. Route: Brisbane-Agnes Water-Airlie Beach-Cairns. There's no denying that fact, but it's still easy to underestimate the kilometers involved. Spanning 457km down Australias East Coast, the drive from Cairns to Townsville takes you on a journey infused with exhilarating natural experiences and breath-taking beauty, with highlights from two world heritage listed areas, the Wet Tropics Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef. From Cairns, lovely Port Douglas is about an hour drive north . 11/11/2021. Single Cab Utility - One way from Cairns to Townsville . For a good value, well located motel: Yongala Lodge By The Strand. The drive from Rockhampton to Noosa Heads is one of the longest so far, so get an early start to make the most of the day. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors. Try searching for places within 4 hours of Cairns. Your email has been successfully verified, please click the button below to continue to log in. Photo: Caravaningqueensland, Spa Pool near Cardwell. 115km. CNS-TSV is a really nice drive, and 4 hours is about right if your drive sensibly. Or get a full Cairns to Townsville flight plan. "custEvent": "FYASignUp", CBD meaning: What does CBD stand for in Australia? This is a True/False flag set by the cookie. Drive just 25 more minutes to end the day in Malanda, and spend the night under the rainforest canopy at Sharlynn by the river. Installed by Google Analytics, _gid cookie stores information on how visitors use a website, while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. The Townsville to Cairns drive is 347km in distance, with a driving time of 4h4m. Of course, Trippy is the perfect place to ask questions trip dates & more! because there's an entire community of travelers talking Continue north forone and a halfhours along Cape Tribulation Road and explore the regions other icon, theDaintree National Park, home to the majesticMossman Gorge. Meander through the ancient forest on your own along theRainforest Circuit Track, which begins at Rex Creek bridge and entails a 2.5-kilometre (1.5-mile) loop with incredible views. The Atherton Tablelands are lovely, and in September the nights will still be cool. "taIdRetryLimit": 3 Little Crystal Creek, Paluma Range National Park, Queensland Tourism and Events Queensland. Self-made Spanish immigrant Jos Paronella built Paronella Park as a gift to his wife Margarita. To determine the most generic cookie path that has to be used instead of the page hostname, Hotjar sets the _hjTLDTest cookie to store different URL substring alternatives until it fails. If you're going on a road trip from Townsville to Cairns, we did the research for you and compiled some great stops along the way with Paluma Range National Park and Little Crystal Creek, or the ever-popular . Pub and club tour. Continue along well signed and flat . Spend at least 2-3 days of your Brisbane to Cairns drive itinerary off the road in Townsville. Answer 1 of 7: We are planning to drive between Cairns and Townsville next September, and are looking at a possible overnight stay about half way. Alternatively, Greyhound Australia operates a bus from Townsville to Cairns twice daily. Watch out for crocodiles though, theyve been known to sunbake on the nearby rocks. At Mamu Tropical Skywalk, meander through the rainforest canopy on a raised boardwalk, and climb to the top of the 37m observation tower delivering epic views of the North Johnston River Gorge. Katherine to Judbarra/Gregory National Park. Limmen National Park to Katherine. If you want to go by car, the driving distance between Cairns and Townsville is 345.47 km. Swap the rainforest for the seaside and veer towards the coast to Lucinda, which offers a bewdy of a view of Hinchinbrook Island.