Amazing Places To See

Are you planning a Cairns to Darwin road trip and wondering which route would be best for your 2wd, how long it takes and where to stay along the way?

You’re in luck! We spent 10 days driving from Cairns to Darwin in our 2wd self converted tiny camper and we’re here to tell you everything you need to know about your trip.

This Cairns to Darwin road trip will cover an alternative 2wd route to the famous Savannah Way which has sections that motorhomes, large vans and low lying vehicles might struggle with. It’ll take you to famous movie locations, historic towns and prehistoric discoveries. Ready? Let’s go!

Cairns To Darwin Road Trip: 10 Day Itinerary

We did this drive from Cairns to Darwin just as the Tropical North Queensland wet season was starting to roll in. Local farmer at the rural pub we were working in had warned us that the Savannah way was prone to flooding and that our 2wd van would unlikely make it all the way there unscathed.

Sensing their concern we plotted an alternative route for our Cairns to Darwin itinerary. Following this route, and our top tips, you’re almost guaranteed to get to Darwin without much drama, providing you’re well prepared.

This Cairns to Darwin road trip drive time is roughly 32 hours, 2,967 km.

Looking for an easier road trip from Melbourne? Checkout the drive from Melbourne to Sydney

Undara Volcanic National Park

Time from Cairns; 3 hours // Time from Darwin; 29 hours

Kicking off the Cairns to Darwin road trip is the Undara lava tubes in the famous Undara Volcanic National Park. This is a unique geological area that’s home to a network of tunnels that were created by lava flow.

What makes it unique is how the surrounding rainforest has continued to thrive in and around the tunnels, creating habitats for wildlife and plants that is unique to this part of Australia, and the world.

You’ll need to check if the road between Undara Volcanic National Park and the next stop (Porcupine Gorge) is open. If it isn’t we recommend doing the volcanic park as a day trip from Cairns, then you can back track down the coast of Townsville to start/continue this route. Which is actually what we ended up doing.  

Photo courtesy of Tropical North Queensland

Porcupine Gorge

Time from Cairns; 8.5 hours // Time from Darwin; 24 hours

Due to road closures, the first official stop on our outback Cairns to Darwin road trip was Porcupine Gorge. If you want to get a sense of just how big and old the Australian landscape is, Porcupine Gorge will help you with that.

The Gorge has been forming for over 150 million years and after the rainy season, the river still flows strong, carving new edges to the walls every year.

There are a few different viewpoints for the Gorge, the furthest away is the Pyramid lookout; here you’ll be able to see some of the oldest parts of the Gorge with a good description of how far back each layer dates.

Next is Bottle Tree Lookout which doesn’t look directly over the Gorge but still gives you a good vantage point over the rest of the area. Our favourite lookout was the namesake ‘Porcupine Gorge lookout’ as this gives you the longest stretch of views across the gorge and in mid-December, there was still a teeny bit of water at the bottom here.

Other interesting points of interest at Porcupine Gorge include the postman grave next to Bottle Tree lookout, complete with his story.

Getting to Porcupine Gorge:

Because we headed to Townsville before taking the road inland we reached Hughenden and then North to Porcupine Gorge to then come back on ourselves when we left for Richmond.

However, depending on the road conditions, you can take the inland southbound route from Cairns (through Undara Volcanic National Park) 

Free camping near Porcupine Gorge:

We found a nice but very basic campsite just south of Pyramid Lookout. If you don’t require the ritz while you’re travelling, there’s plenty of free camping as you drive from Cairns to Darwin, it’s just knowing where to look.

WikiCamps is usually a good place to start. I’ll add a Google pin here.

Here’s a great guide to the famous jumping croc tour, if you fancy getting up close and personal to wild crocodiles while you’re in the Northern Territory!

Richmond

Time from Cairns; 10 hours //  Time from Darwin; 22 hours

Richmond is 1/3 of the Australian Dinosaur Trail, we didn’t do the other 2 parts as they’re quite a bit south, so required quite a big detour, but if you have the time here’s more details on them.

If you like a bit of prehistoric history and looking at fossils or bones, you’ll love Richmond’s Kronosaurus Korner marine fossil museum.

Home to some of Australia’s best-preserved fossils and most complete dinosaur remains, the Kronosaurus Korner is a really unique place to see on this Cairns to Darwin road trip.

At $25pp*, we got more than we expected from the experience.

It’ll teach you about Australia’s massive inland sea and how most of the prehistoric remains found within the outback are marine animals!

There’s also a public fossicking site at Richmond so anyone can go and try and find their own fossils. To do this all you’ll need is a $30 per vehicle, suncream and heaps of patience.

*Price as of February 2024

Getting to Richmond

The roads to Richmond from Porcupine gorge are all sealed roads, meaning it’s accessible in all weathers if you don’t have a 4×4.

They’re also pretty long, straight and pass through cattle fields so don’t let yourself get distracted!

Camping At Richmond

Camping at any of the fossicking sites is prohibited, but if you wanted to stay in Richmond there’s an RV stop, Richmond’s Lake View Caravan Park and several motel options available.

Mckinlay – WalkAbout Creek Hotel

Time from Cairns; 12.5 hours  //  Time from Darwin; 20.5 hours

Walk About Creek Hotel should sound familiar to you but if it doesn’t, I might be showing my age here.

This famous pub was the filming location for the bar featured in Crocodile Dundee, and to my surprise, it’s still a fully functioning pub serving beer and food, which makes it the perfect place to stop on your drive from Cairns and Darwin, to escape the heat.

In the films, the interior was a specifically built set which the hotel owners were able to keep and still have set up and open to the public in their back garden. In front of the pub are Mick Dundee’s truck and Walters white car.

Getting to walk about creek

The road from Richmond to Mckinlay isn’t sealed but it is suitable for 2wd.

It’s one long continuous dirt track through an outback cattle station so if you don’t have aircon (like us) you’re either gonna have to sweat for a bit with the window up or be prepared for everything to get covered in that lovely red sand.

We opted for the second option and were still cleaning red dust out of our van for the next 6 months.

Free camping near Walkabout Creek

Our next camp spot took us to the Fullerton River rest area.

Not that there was any water in the river at this time of year. This rest stop does have toilets this time as well as benches and plenty of shade

Mount Isa City

Time from Cairns; 14 hours  //   Time from Darwin; 16 hours

An oasis in the desert, Mount Isa is the first city you’ll come to after Cairns, and the last before Darwin. You could easily spend a couple of days here as there’s a lot of unique attractions. From mining museums, a fossil discovery centre and an underground hospital museum, to the city lookout, Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park and even the Southern Hemisphere’s largest rodeo, there’s something for everyone. 

Consider if there’s anything you need to stock up on and get it here. Whether that’s fuel, snacks, water… because while this isn’t the last fuel station, or town, on this Cairns to Darwin road trip, it is the last place for a while that has a proper supermarket.

We used this as an opportunity to get new tires fitted, something we really should have done before leaving Cairns. Unfortunately this ate into our time in Mt. Isa so we didn’t get to experience much else.

Camping at Mt Isa

There’s plenty of accommodation options in Mt. Isa, but if you want to make use of a campground with all of the facilities you need, before you head into the proper outback, there’s Mount Isa Caravan Park and Discovery Parks. If you’re looking for free options, check out WikiCamps.

Camooweal Caves

Time from Cairns; 15 hours  //   Time from Darwin; 16 hours

Camooweal is the last town before the Northern Territory border (And the last fuel for 3 hours until you reach Barkly Homestead… who were out of fuel when we arrived) but just south from the town is the Camooweal Caves or Nowranie Caves.

These caves are different from the ones we saw at the Jenolan Caves, NSW, as they’ve been formed underground instead of on the side of a mountain or hill.

Camooweal Caves are over 100m deep and go well below the local water table, meaning after heavy rains they’re often flooded.

There are two caves at the Nowranie Caves site, on which you can walk right to the edge of and the other; the Great Nowranie Cave, is fenced off with a viewing platform.

Getting to Camooweal Caves:

The road to Camooweal Caves is all dirt track with lots of pebbles and rocks in places. It also goes through an open cattle field (like many of the roads in the outback) so you’ll need to keep your eyes out for wandering stock.

That being said, it’s still doable in a 2WD if you take your time and if the track isn’t too wet.

As you’re coming into Camooweal there’s a road leading left near the BP garage.

Follow this track until you see signs for the Nowranie National Park – google will want you to go straight on but go left with the signs. From here the track gets rougher but nothing our little van couldn’t handle.

Free camping near Camooweal Caves

While there is a paid campsite in Camooweal, there’s also a beautiful free camp spot just over the bridge on the way out of town (google pin here).

It’s supposed to be a riverside camp but in the dry season it dries up, so it’ll depend on when you visit what sort of view you’ll get.

Even without the river, we were still treated to a beautiful sunset and plenty of stars. The road noise is minimal but the flies can be pretty bad. Fly nets are essential when road tripping the outback.

Three Ways RoadHouse

Time from Cairns; 21 hours Time from Darwin; 10 hours

Not really a scenic stop as such but it’s an important stop if you need fuel, food or water. There’s also showers here that we took full advantage of, as well as camping if you want it.

I’ve seen Cairns to Darwin road trip itineraries include Alice Springs but that would take you 5 hours south from here (one way) and really, if you’re going all that way you may as well go to Uluru which is a whole other road trip.

So from here, you’re going to start tracking North.

Daly Waters

Time from Cairns; 25 hours Time from Darwin; 6 hours

Between Camooweal to Daly Waters there’s either not much to see, or it stops that you’re going to have to stop off at; like the 3 ways RoadHouse, because it’s the only fuel stop for miles.

Once you cross over into the Northern Territory, it becomes clear that there’s a lot of history up there. It’s where a lot of the military was based during world war 2 and surprisingly, there’s a lot remaining from then!

Between Elliot (where we had our very first, and only near-miss in the van)  and Daly Waters there’s everything from old war barrack ruins, air bunkers and bridges used to cross the rivers during the war.

There’s also Australia’s first international airport at Daly Waters and while it’s no longer running, there’s still a lot that’s been left behind.

Mataranka Thermal Pools

Time from Cairns; 27 hours  //  Time from Darwin; 4.5 hours

By the time you get to Mataranka, you’ll probably be pretty fed up with the heat and desert.

That’s not to say it isn’t pretty to look at, but there are only so many days of long drives in 35+ humid heat that a person can put up with.

Thankfully Mataranka is an oasis in the desert and from here you’ll start to see the land change back to green.

Leave yourself at least a day for Mataranka, especially if you want to enjoy a few hours at the thermal pools.

There’s also a couple of walks you can do from the thermal pools, one to the Rainbow Spring that feeds the thermal pools and another slightly longer walk that takes you to Stevie’s Hole; A river that’s a popular spot for crocodile spotting.

Only Mataranka Thermal Pools are safe for swimming. All other waterholes in the area are home to fresh and saltwater crocodiles.

If you enjoy looking at film sets, Mataranka also has a replica of the homestead used to film ‘we of the never-never’. A film that’s similar to ‘Australia’ about the first settlers and how they dealt with life in the outback. We’ve never seen the film but the set is interesting and there’s plenty of history explained too.

Where to stay at Mataranka

There are a few options for camping and accommodation in Mataranka, the main one being Territory Manor Motel & Camping. To reach the hot pools you will have to walk through/alongside this campsite, which you can do for free, but it makes a great location for one or two nights if you want to relax with all of the facilities before moving on.

Then there’s Mataranka Road House which offers nothing more than  basic motel accommodation. Of the two we’d probably opt for the motel & camping but if you want a quick bed to stay in, it’s an option.

Katherine

Time from Cairns; 26 hours  //  Time from Darwin; 3 hour

One of the most beautiful spots in the Northern Territory is located a short drive north of Katherine, and that’s Nitmiluk National Park (Katherine Gorge). There’s several tracks to explore, or you can take a guided tour to explore the Katherine river and learn more about the area.

Katherine is also rich in aboriginal history and home to more hot water springs, so it’s yet another spot on your Cairns to Darwin drive that deserves a couple of days!

Where to stay at Katherine

Here are a couple of accommodation options in Katherine

• Katherine Big4 A good budget option for camping and motel rooms
• Discovery Park is another large holiday park in Katherine. It boasts free wifi, large rooms and has good ratings on Agoda.com!
• Contour Hotel has beautiful grounds and free wifi, but appears to book up fast so if you’re wanting to stay here you might need to book in advance.

Adelaide River Road House

Time from Cairns; 30 hours  //  Time from Darwin; 1hour

If you’re a crocodile Dundee fan, Adelaide River Road House is a must-see on the route to Darwin from Cairns.

Anyone who knows the film by heart will remember the buffalo taming scene where Mick puts the buffalo to sleep with his hands.

Well, this Buffalo belonged to Adelaide River Road House and now spends his resting days on their bar (yea… he’s stuffed).

Another impressive feature at the Adelaide River Road House is ‘Joc the Croc’, another stuffed friend of the snapping kind.

Joc was a nuisance 5.2meter crocodile in the nearby creek so he was controversially captured and ‘rehomed’ to Adelaide River Road House. Their food and fuel are also pretty cheap when you take into consideration how isolated it is although going to see the Buffalo is completely free.

Free camping near Adelaide River:

We camped just south of Adelaide River at Bridge Creek rest area. Again this was a very basic camp but it was away from the road so noise was minimal too.

Here there were toilets, bins, shade and places available to make a fire if you wanted to. No drinking water though.

Litchfield National Park

Time from Cairns; 31 hours  //  Time from Darwin; 1 hour 40 minutes

Litchfield National Park is an amazing little National Park detour no matter which direction you’re heading.

Filled with beautiful waterfalls and unique natural sculptures in the form of huge Cathedral and Magnetic termite mounds, Litchfield National Park deserves more than just a quick fly through.

If you’ve read our posts about waterfall routes you’ll know that we love a good waterfall or two, who doesn’t! But Litchfield National Park goes beyond that.

I think it’s because you know you’re so close to the desert, so it leaves you wondering how you could possibly be surrounded by so much greenery. I don’t know but either way, you’d be crazy to not even do it as a day trip from Darwin!

Best Time to Road Trip From Cairns to Darwin

The reason we chose to drive from Cairns to Darwin via the inland route, rather than via the Savannah highway, is because we were travelling through the wet season. 

If you want to avoid extreme weather, like huge storms or even extreme heat, we think the best time to do this trip is May – October when things are dryer, and cooler.

That being said, we really enjoyed our summer drive from Cairns to Darinw, it just required a bit more planning.

Things to Know About Driving From Cairns to Darwin

With a drive time of over 30 hours, this Cairns to Darwin 10 day road trip itinerary isn’t for the faint hearted. A lot could go wrong if you don’t plan it right, so here’s a few key things to think about before you set off!

Prepare For Long Hours

Even though there’s seemingly plenty of things to do between Cairns and Darwin, you’re still going to spend a lot of time driving. There were days when that was all we did, and that’s why we’ve suggested you spend a few extra days in certain locations. 

Carry Extra Fuel

Don’t underestimate the distances between the towns. You’ll want to carry plenty of extra fuel just in case you need it. The fact we got to a fuel station and it didn’t have fuel blows my mind. If we didn’t have extra on board, we would have had to wait days for them to get a delivery… not a situation you want to be in.

Don’t Drive At Night

Between the kangaroos and wandering cows, driving at night in Australia is dangerous and not worth the risk when it can be avoided.

After working on the farms and having to drive at dusk/dawn, and having more than several near misses, I can promise you you’re almost guaranteed to hit something. Don’t risk it.

Carry Plenty Of Water

We were always amazed by how many people weren’t carrying some form of drinking water on their road trips. Whether you’re driving from Cairns to Darwin in a car or camper van, drinking water is essential, especially if you’re travelling through summer.

We carried an extra esky on this trip that was full of drinks and we’d stock it with ice at every chance. This ensured we had plenty of cold drinking water & juice to keep us going on the long drives

Have you done this Cairns to Darwin road trip route? Just the thought of being in the middle of nowhere puts a lot of people off but trust us when we say, it’s amazing.

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic, why you chose not to do it or what you thought about it if you did!! Let us know over on our Facebook page!!

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