The North Queensland coastline while driving from Townsville to Cairns features some of the most incredible beaches, spectacular scenery, great fishing and exciting things to do.. Museum of Underwater Art, Townsville, Queensland Tourism and Events Queensland. Paronella Park. '//pixel.roymorgan.com/stats_v2/Tress.php?u=5tqi9smhs3&ca=20004853&a=daw1nwh3&cb=' + cachebuster; Photo:tgriffo18 via IG. 0. var script = document.createElement('script'); Finish your day at Babinda and pull up at the Babinda State Hotel or Boulders Tavern for some classic pub tucker. Encompassing waterfalls, wetlands, mountains, and plenty of friendly country towns, this itinerary includes the unmissable hot spots, so that you can begin your East Coast adventure in the best possible way. Rockhampton, Queensland. Located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and a 20-minute ferry from Townsville, "Maggie," as the locals call it, tends to be off the typical traveller trail. > 10. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Drone shot of Eubenangee Swamp and grassy knoll. What are the biggest cities in Australia? Walk to McClellands lookout for spectacular views over the islands and coastline. This cookie is used for session tracking. But what are they? Cairns->Townsville is 350km or 4 hours. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. 3,050 km | 21 - 26 days. Dogs are welcome on this part and there are many great spots to pull up and enjoy your lunch along the way. Zoe Falls, Hinchinbrook Island, QueenslandTourism Australia. If you pay for entry into Paronella Park (around $46 per adult) you can stay in their caravan park for free. Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia, Mossman Gorge Centre, Queensland Tourism Australia. Cape Tribulation-Cooktown (4WD only) 100km. Townsville is located in tropical north Queensland. Photo: Nodotel_ of Instagram. YSC cookie is set by Youtube and is used to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages. This magical moss covered pleasure garden has enough nooks, crannies and sources of fascination to keep you delighted for hours. Some websites which are linked to the Tourism Australia website are independent from Tourism Australia and are not under the control of Tourism Australia. Babinda Boulders. stay for about 1 hour. All prices quoted are in Australian dollars (AUD). All content copyright David Whitley. After you've explored the forest, book in for anafternoon Daintree River cruisethrough mangrove estuaries and past tropical birds and crocodiles, before continuing the drive for another hour or so to Cape Tribulation. Take a 20min ferry to this true-blue paradise and spot koalas, hang at one of the many bays or pull up a pew at one of the many beach-front bars and restaurants. If youre not strapped for time, bail on your plans to head north straight away and head out for some island time at Maggies, as shes known by the locals. Don't miss out on the headlines from Townsville. Cairns is located in Australia with (-16.923,145.7663) coordinates and Townsville is located in Australia with (-19.2664,146.8057) coordinates. Please visit the operators website for further information. Spend at least 2-3 days of your Brisbane to Cairns drive itinerary off the road in Townsville. This cookie is installed by Google Analytics. A 15-minute walk will lead you to an impressive 25m waterfall; you can swim at the base of the falls, so make sure you bring your swimmers. In addition to the highlights listed on road trips #4 and #5, the Sydney to Cairns drive includes Babinda Boulders, Josephine falls, The Pyramid summit climb, Paronella Park, Mission Beach, Hinchinbrook Island, and empty palm-fringed beaches and national parks in which to camp. 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. There are several waterfalls to see here, but the highlight is swimming in the rock pools of Crystal Creek. Continue along well signed and flat . Day 2. Travel between Cairns and Townsville in a convenient and comfortable Greyhound coach from just $66. Click through for the next section: Cardwell and Mission Beach. ), even more waterfalls. Heading south, its not long until youll notice the distinctive silhouette of Walshs Pyramid rising steeply above the historic sugar-milling town of Gordonvale. Timber Creek to Keep River National Park. 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. 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. Take a step back in time as you stretch your legs to marvel the colourful architectural beauty of the town. Little Crystal Creek, Paluma Range National Park, Queensland Tourism and Events Queensland. Finish the day in the bustling sugar town of Innisfail. The direct drive from Cairns to Mackay is 457 mi (735 km), and should have a drive time of 9 hrs 25 mins in normal traffic. And how can we get a piece of sand cay action? 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. Facilities include showers and laundry. 56km. Weve all seen those gorgeous wisps of whiteness poking out from an azure sea on Great Barrier Reef. Experience the best Tropical North Queensland has to offer, from the rugged outback to tropical islands. The __qca cookie is associated with Quantcast. This is the eastern half of the . More chilled than thrill? USB Chargers. Pack a picnic and spend the morning exploring tropicalTully Gorge National Park. This famous railway winds its way on a journey from Cairns to Kuranda. "startScreen": "aus-link-account" After 19 years as a teacher, David Titherley says students learn . Departure times vary between 06:00 - 18:50. "registration": { "profileUpdate": { 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. 138km. Reduced speed limit (60km/h). We've listed the highlights from north to south so if you're traveling from Townsville to Cairns, start from the bottom and work up. This cookie is placed by Pinterest Tag when the user cannot be matched. Overlanders Way drive takes you from the Great Barrier Reef to the Northern Territory outback, so be sure to pack your flippers and your hiking boots. With activities to suit everyone's holiday agenda, Townsville North Queensland will create memories to last a lifetime. "screenSet": "Aus-V3-RegistrationLogin", playground, games room with TV, free WiFi, BBQ area. Back on the road, drive beside a golden chain of beaches to affluentPalm Cove. to each other and sharing tips and advice. Here's a sample itinerary for a drive from Cairns to Townsville. The area is named after the endangered Eastern Grass Owl (TYTO Capensis) and is one of the few places in the world where you may be fortunate enough to spot one. The test_cookie is set by doubleclick.net and is used to determine if the user's browser supports cookies. 3-day Brisbane to Cairns itinerary. Although a difficult hike, the 360 degree Instagrammable views at the top are worth every sweaty second. Discover the dreamy charm of this quiet stretch of of coastline. Edmund Kennedy National Park. Get the latest information on offers & upcoming attractions via our newsletter. Josephine Falls, Wooroonooran National Park, Queensland Colyn Huber, Tourism and Events Queensland. 2.2 Day 2: Scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. You won't be sitting in the car for long when you have some of Mother Nature's best water parks along the way. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "validationUrl": "/bin/ta/postauth", Provided by Google Tag Manager to experiment advertisement efficiency of websites using their services. Set on five hectares (12.4 acres) of tropical gardens beside Mena Creek, you can peruse the castles architecture and ingenious hydroelectric system, as well as a waterfall, gardens, museum and caf. Head to the foothills of Mount Bartle Frere and cool off at Josephine Falls. Yes, even this step is optional, because if you're on vacation Our coaches stop in the heart of Cairns and Townsville, eliminating the need for a transfer. For a sassy, chic resort: Rambutan Resort. Spend the afternoon just outside of town atLeahton Park, home to the largest herd of pure bred Texas Longhorn cattle in Australia. Click the button below to explore more questions Choose Cairns to be in the heart of the Great Barrier Reef, where day boats and liveaboard boats launch from the massive dock area there. > 3. Townsville is a big place, about the same as Cairns but without so much of that "tourist centric feeling". In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. Day 4. If time permits, drive about one hour west of Ingham to seeWallaman Falls, Australia's highest single-drop waterfall. Typically 21 buses run weekly, although weekend and holiday schedules can vary so check in advance. drive for about 45 minutes. This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. Tourism Australia makes no representations whatsoever about any other websites which you may access through its websites such as australia.com. Photo: Reubennutt via Instagram. Stay Updated: Dine alfresco by the ocean, uncover the stories of a military past, explore dramatic landscapes or immerse yourself in a remarkable diving experience on the Great Barrier Reef. Check-in: Travel NQ Your experience begins with a traditional smoking welcome ceremony before you stroll along private paths with your Kuku Yalanji guide, who will share their traditions and culture passed down over thousands of years. It contains a unique UUID to group actions across pages. We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners of the land, sea and waters of the Australian continent, and recognise their custodianship of culture and Country for over 60,000 years. Allow four hours to complete the walk, which takes you across the ridge between Henrietta and Douglas creeks, before winding down to the spectacular, double-tiered Nandroya Falls. Distance: 1,718km. Hotjar sets this cookie to know whether a user is included in the data sampling defined by the site's pageview limit. From: 1 traveler 2 travelers 3 travelers 4 travelers 5 travelers 6 travelers. Pack your togs and soak in the emerald-green water at the Babinda Boulders or slide down the smooth rockslide at Josephine Falls. 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. Google DoubleClick IDE cookies are used to store information about how the user uses the website to present them with relevant ads and according to the user profile. News; Doctor says too many in Townsville not heeding the sun safety message. Cairns to Townsville. > 9. "custAction": "event2" From Cairns, lovely Port Douglas is about an hour drive north . If you want to go by car, the driving distance between Cairns and Townsville is 345.47 km. The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. Day 1: Airlie Beach to Townsville 275 km | 3 h 15 m . Townsville. Additional adults $15. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Day 4-6. For families: Discovery Parks Townsville. Check - plan - go - with up-to-date traffic and travel information on road conditions, incidents, vehicle crashes, emergency roadworks, special events, road closures and congestion state-wide. For business-friendly apartments: Quest Townsville . Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. Sunset atop Castle Hill is highly recommended for 360-degree across. Continue 400 kilometres south (249 miles) to the enchanting outback town ofCharters Towers, where the heritage streetscapes hark back to the gold rush days of the late 19th century. Serving everything from pancakes and freshly made wraps to fresh fruit sorbet and ice-cream, theres no chance youll drive away hungry. Stay: Paronella Park has on-site camping and cabins, or stay 2mins down the road at Mena Creek Hotel, also promising a tasty pub feed. In the centre of Mossman turn left into . Mission Beach, Queensland Chris McLennan, Tourism and Events Queensland. Phone: 1800 216 223, 440 Sheridan Street, Cairns, To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortiums (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. If you're planning a road trip, you might be interested in seeing the total driving distance from Cairns, Australia to Townsville, Australia. Hotjar sets this cookie to identify a new users first session. and others. stay for about 1 hour and leave at 1:44 pmdrive for about 1 hour, 2:46 pm Lucinda 14 years ago. Optional Detour Tully Gorge National Park. "event": "taCustEvent", 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. Turn the drive into a Townsville to Cairns road trip, instead, and you can enjoy the Paluma Range National Park, Mission Beach and Behana Gorge. Tide Caf delivers dishes with locally-sourced ingredients and has vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. 11/11/2021. 2.4 Day 4: Cairns to Townsville (347km) 2.5 Day 5: Townsville to Airlie Beach (275km) 2.6 Day 6: Day trip to the Whitsundays. Pub and club tour. 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. You can also sign up for SMS traffic alerts for selected far north or south coast regions. }, stay for about 1 hour and leave at 11:45 amdrive for about 59 minutes, 12:44 pm Mission Beach Learn the Aboriginal legend of the Babinda lovers. Orange dots mark camping sites, red stars mark highlights. Start with a trip to the Mossman Gorge Centre, the gateway to the rainforest. Trippy is where Swap the rainforest for the seaside and veer towards the coast to Lucinda, which offers a bewdy of a view of Hinchinbrook Island. The world renown Thorsborne Trail takes in the full diversity of the island in four days, but as only 40 people are permitted on the trail at a time, you need to book ahead. Photo: Elsa's Wholesome Life of Instagram. We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience.