In-depth guide · CampingSpirit
From Cairns over the Kuranda Range to Mareeba, Atherton, Yungaburra and the waterfalls of Millaa Millaa, on via Ravenshoe to the lava tubes of Undara, to Mount Surprise and Chillagoe and back to the coast: just under 1,000 kilometres of driving on the left, from the rainforest highlands to the dry savannah.
The spirit of the route
Just twenty minutes out of Cairns, the sea has gone. The road winds up the Kuranda Range through rainforest, and at the top a green tableland opens up at 700 to 1,000 metres: coffee bushes and mango plantations around Mareeba, red volcanic soil and dairy cows around Malanda, crater lakes with crystal-clear water where you swim your laps alone in the morning. From the sliding door you look out on tree ferns, strangler figs and waterfalls, and at night it gets cool enough up here that you need a blanket. Then the landscape tips over. Beyond Ravenshoe the forest thins out, termite mounds stand in the yellow grass, road trains drag plumes of red dust, and beneath the savannah lie the tubes of a lava flow that cooled around 190,000 years ago. Finally, in Chillagoe, limestone towers stand in the bush like ruins, with limestone caves beneath them – and above the camp a starry sky without any coastal light.
Stage-by-stage plan
1Stage 1: Cairns to Mareeba via Kuranda (approx. 65 km)
- The drive
- From the edge of town at Smithfield, take the Kennedy Highway up the Kuranda Range: around 10 km of steep, winding mountain road with few overtaking opportunities through the rainforest of the Barron Gorge, then up to Kuranda (a good 25 km from Cairns). After that the road becomes straighter and drier, running through eucalypt forest and the first plantations to Mareeba. Pure driving time is a little over an hour; on the range, expect delays in rush hour and at roadworks.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Barron Falls in Barron Gorge National Park: a short boardwalk from the car park on Barron Falls Road to the viewing platforms; after rain the falls thunder, in the dry season they are just a trickle over the rock.
- Kuranda: a village in the rainforest with markets, the station of the Kuranda Scenic Railway and the terminal of the cableway to Smithfield – quietest in the morning before the excursion trains arrive.
- Mareeba: coffee plantations with tastings and the Mareeba Heritage Museum with visitor centre, plus a detour to the granite boulders of Granite Gorge Nature Park.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Granite Gorge Nature Park around 12 km south-west of Mareeba: a private nature campground among granite boulders with powered and tent sites, amenities and a colony of Mareeba rock-wallabies that you can watch at close range (feed is available on site). The final approach is via a short side road; if you will arrive after dark, ask beforehand about facilities and the condition of the access road.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Cairns Regional Council and Mareeba Shire only allow overnight stays in vehicles at approved sites; this is not permitted at the Kuranda Range lookouts or in the car parks of Kuranda. WikiCamps and CamperMate show low-cost, council-approved sites in the hinterland with current reviews.
- Insider tip for campers
- Stock up on supplies, water and gas in Cairns – supermarkets in the hinterland are smaller and more expensive. Kuranda has designated parking areas for larger vehicles on the edge of the village; do not drive into the narrow village streets. Drive down the Kuranda Range in a low gear; trucks tend to stay in the middle on the bends.
2Stage 2: Mareeba to Yungaburra via Atherton (approx. 65 km)
- The drive
- Take the Kennedy Highway via Walkamin and Tolga to Atherton, through flat farmland with avocado, maize and peanut fields. From Atherton head east on the Gillies Range Road to Yungaburra, then do a loop to the crater lakes Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine and back. Well-maintained, quiet country roads, around 1.5 hours in total.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Curtain Fig Tree near Yungaburra: a strangler fig whose aerial roots hang down like a 15-metre-high curtain, with a boardwalk in Curtain Fig National Park.
- Lake Eacham (Yidyam) in Crater Lakes National Park: a crater lake with clear water, swimming from the jetty and a circuit of around 3 km along the shore through rainforest; Lake Barrine with its teahouse and two mighty kauri pines on the lakeside path.
- Peterson Creek in Yungaburra: a creekside path on the edge of town where, with patience, you can watch platypuses at dusk; plus the Hou Wang Temple in Atherton's former Chinatown.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Lake Eacham Tourist Park on Lakes Drive between Yungaburra and the lake: powered and grass sites, amenities, rainforest at the edge of the park, a few minutes from the swimming lake. If you would rather stay by the large reservoir, drive to Tinaroo to the Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park on the shore (power, amenities, boat ramp nearby). Check facilities, site lengths and seasonal prices in advance.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Camping is not permitted in Crater Lakes National Park; Lake Eacham and Lake Barrine are day-use areas only. For a more natural setting, stay in the QPWS camps of Danbulla National Park and State Forest on the northern shore of Lake Tinaroo, such as School Point or Kauri Creek: book in advance, bring your own drinking water, generators are prohibited, campfires only when no fire bans are in place. The Danbulla Road is mostly unsealed and, according to council signs, unsuitable for caravans – usually excluded for rental campers.
- Insider tip for campers
- On the fourth Saturday of the month there is a large market in Yungaburra; park the camper early on those days. The car park at Lake Eacham is small – with a large vehicle, come in the morning or late afternoon. For platypuses at Peterson Creek, stay quiet and do not shine a torch into the water.
3Stage 3: Yungaburra to Millaa Millaa via Malanda (approx. 60 km)
- The drive
- Over gentle hills with pasture to Malanda, the tableland's old dairy capital, on to Millaa Millaa and along the Millaa Millaa Waterfall Circuit (a good 15 km, Theresa Creek Road) to three waterfalls. Narrow but sealed back roads with crests and bends; driving time without stops is under an hour.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Malanda Falls Conservation Park with short rainforest walks and the visitor centre opposite the falls.
- Millaa Millaa Falls: the classic curtain fall with a swimming hole, backlit in the morning; plus Zillie Falls (view from above) and Ellinjaa Falls (stepped path down to the pool).
- Bromfield Swamp near Malanda: a lookout over a volcanic crater where cranes and brolgas fly in during the evening in the dry season.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Millaa Millaa Tourist Park on the edge of town, a quiet park with power, amenities and a camp kitchen, just a few minutes from the waterfall circuit. Alternative in Malanda: Malanda Falls Caravan Park right next to the falls and the rainforest circuit. In the cool months, a powered site for the heater is worth its weight in gold.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Overnight stays are not permitted at the waterfall car parks or along the roadsides of the circuit; Tablelands Regional Council only allows camping at approved sites. A look at WikiCamps shows which low-cost sites the councils currently permit.
- Insider tip for campers
- The car parks at Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls are small and have hardly any turning space – with long vehicles, drive the circuit in the signposted direction and rather stop briefly at the roadside than get stuck in the car park. After heavy rain, do not swim in the pools: the water rises quickly and the currents at the falls are treacherous. Malanda has a dump point; check its location in the apps.
4Stage 4: Millaa Millaa to Undara via Ravenshoe (approx. 160 km)
- The drive
- A short stretch across the plateau to Ravenshoe, Queensland's highest town at a good 900 m, then down the Kennedy Highway into the dry country: Innot Hot Springs, Mount Garnet, through the dry rainforest of the Forty Mile Scrub to the turn-off onto the Gulf Developmental Road and along the sealed access road to Undara. Within an hour the vegetation changes from rainforest to savannah. Some sections are narrow, with oncoming road trains; a good 2.5 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Millstream Falls near Ravenshoe: a wide basalt waterfall, a short walk from the car park, considered one of the widest waterfalls in Australia.
- Innot Hot Springs: thermal water in Nettle Creek, where you can dig yourself a warm pool in the gravel on the bank; thermal pools at the local holiday park.
- Forty Mile Scrub National Park: a short circuit through dry rainforest right by the highway – a remnant of ancient vegetation in the middle of the savannah.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Discovery Resorts – Undara (formerly known as “Undara Experience”) on the edge of Undara Volcanic National Park: powered and unpowered sites, amenities, camp kitchen, restaurant and accommodation in historic railway carriages and tents; according to the park, with a dump station. The lava tubes can only be visited on a guided tour – book tours together with your site.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): There is no public campground within Undara Volcanic National Park itself; overnight stays are intended to be at the resort. On the way, Archer Creek Rest Area west of Ravenshoe on the Kennedy Highway near Millstream is a well-known free rest area with a toilet for an overnight break; observe signs on length of stay. Innot Hot Springs has a holiday park with sites.
- Insider tip for campers
- Fill up in Ravenshoe or Mount Garnet: for over 100 km after that there are hardly any petrol stations, and prices at roadhouses are higher. From Mount Garnet, give way to long road trains in good time – on a narrow road, pull right onto the shoulder and stop. At dusk, wallabies and cattle stand on the road, so arrive in daylight.
5Stage 5: Undara to Mount Surprise (approx. 45 km)
- The drive
- A morning tour into the lava tubes, then back along the access road to the Gulf Developmental Road and west through open eucalypt savannah to Mount Surprise. Sealed, little traffic, just under half an hour's drive.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Guided tour into the Undara Lava Tubes: basalt vaults left behind by a lava flow around 190,000 years ago; the “Archway Explorer” tour runs over walkways and steps, the more demanding “Wind Tunnel Explorer” tour over uneven rock; check season and departure times with the resort.
- Kalkani Crater: a circuit around the crater rim with wide views over the savannah and the chain of extinct volcanoes, at its best in the late afternoon.
- Mount Surprise: gem shops and fossicking for topaz at O’Briens Creek Gemfield; station of the Savannahlander, a tourist train that from April stops here once a week on its multi-day journey through the Gulf Country.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Mount Surprise you will find Discovery Parks – Mount Surprise (formerly Bedrock Village) with powered and grass sites and amenities; check facilities and season in advance. Alternatively, spend a second night in Undara to do both lava tube tours and the crater walks at leisure.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Etheridge Shire is sparsely populated, but free camping at the roadside is still not a good idea: grazing land along the road is almost always private land, and unfenced cattle pastures reach right up to the tarmac. Use the designated rest areas of the road authority; WikiCamps and CamperMate show their locations and current rules.
- Insider tip for campers
- For fossicking you need a Queensland state Fossicking Licence, which you can obtain online; the access to the gemfield is unsealed and usually excluded for rental campers – better to take guided fossicking tours from town. In Undara, take sturdy footwear, a hat and water for the crater walks; tours may be cancelled in heat or rain.
6Stage 6: Mount Surprise to Atherton / Lake Tinaroo (approx. 215 km)
- The drive
- Back along the Gulf Developmental Road and the Kennedy Highway via Mount Garnet and Ravenshoe into the highlands, then via Tumoulin and the Kennedy Highway to Atherton. Long savannah straights with occasional sections that feel single-lane; from Ravenshoe onwards winding and green again. Around 3 hours of pure driving time; plan breaks in Mount Garnet and Ravenshoe.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Mount Hypipamee National Park: a short walk to the vertical volcanic pipe, over 50 m deep down to the green water surface, plus Dinner Falls on the Barron River.
- Hastie’s Swamp near Atherton: a two-storey bird hide over a wetland, particularly lively towards the end of the dry season.
- Hallorans Hill in Atherton: a lookout with views over the red soil and the fields of the Tablelands.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Lake Tinaroo Holiday Park in Tinaroo, reachable on a sealed road via Kairi, with power, amenities and lakeshore – handy as a base for the stage to Chillagoe. Right in Atherton, Atherton Woodlands Tourist Park is on the edge of town; check facilities beforehand.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Around Atherton the same applies again: camping only at approved sites; car parks in town and at the lakes are off limits. If you drive your own vehicle suited to gravel, you can stay at the booked Danbulla camps (see stage 2).
- Insider tip for campers
- Atherton is the supply town of the Tablelands: large supermarket, petrol stations, gas bottle swap and dump point – stock up on everything here before Chillagoe. In the highlands, expect fog in the morning; keep your lights on and your distance.
7Stage 7: Atherton / Lake Tinaroo to Chillagoe (approx. 150 km)
- The drive
- Via Walkamin to Dimbulah, through mango and sugar cane fields, then west on the Burke Developmental Road into ever drier country via Almaden to Chillagoe. Sealed as far as Almaden; according to the national park authority, sealed and unsealed sections alternate on the last 30-odd km. Usually manageable for normal vehicles in the dry season, at times impassable in the wet season (December to March). About 2 hours.
- Highlights & must-sees
- Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park: Donna, Trezkinn and Royal Arch Cave only with a ranger-guided tour, daily except Christmas Day; Pompeii and Bauhinia Cave can be explored on your own with two torches.
- Balancing Rock and the limestone towers on the edge of town, with a short walk and views over the karst landscape.
- Ruins of the old copper smelter (Chillagoe Smelters): only from the viewing area – the site is closed because of unstable ground, asbestos and contaminants.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: Chillagoe Tourist Village on Queen Street with powered and grass sites, amenities, pool and laundry, or Chillagoe Observatory & Eco Lodge on the edge of town with sites, camp kitchen and evening stargazing through its own telescope. In high summer the pool is no luxury.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): There is no campground within the national park itself. According to users, the Chillagoe Cockatoo Hotel offers spots for campers – ask about conditions on site. Further out, the land is privately owned grazing and mining country.
- Insider tip for campers
- Numbers on the ranger tours are limited: reserve in advance by phone through The Hub, the visitor centre in Chillagoe, and pay there. After a heavy wet season, individual caves and paths may be closed for months – check Park Alerts on the Queensland Parks website. Before setting off, clarify whether the unsealed sections before Chillagoe are permitted under your rental agreement; road conditions via QLDTraffic. There is a petrol station and a small workshop in town.
8Stage 8: Chillagoe to Cairns via Mareeba and Kuranda (approx. 210 km)
- The drive
- Back on the Burke Developmental Road via Almaden and Dimbulah to Mareeba, then via Kuranda down the range to Cairns. First savannah, then plantations, finally rainforest and the view of the Coral Sea. Just under 3 hours. Alternative with a farewell loop through the highlands: via Atherton and the Gillies Range to Gordonvale – a mountain road with around 260 bends over 19 km, only advisable with short vehicles and without a trailer or caravan.
- Highlights & must-sees
- In the morning, the limestone outcrops of Chillagoe in the first light, before the heat sets in.
- Mareeba: a coffee tasting or mango wine at one of the farms north of town as a break before heading down to the coast.
- Henry Ross Lookout on the Kuranda Range: a pull-in bay with views down over Cairns, Trinity Inlet and the Coral Sea.
- CampingSpirit overnight tip
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Official campsite or RV park: In Cairns there are several holiday parks on the arterial roads to the north and south, all with power, dump point and pool; for returning the rental camper, a park near the airport or on the Bruce Highway approach is practical. Book ahead during school holidays and in the dry season.
Free camping or nature tip (where legal): Within the Cairns city area, sleeping in your vehicle outside approved sites is prohibited, and the beaches are patrolled. On the way back, a stopover in Almaden is possible, where Tamarind Gardens Caravan Park offers sites according to the park – enquire beforehand.
- Insider tip for campers
- Before returning the vehicle, empty the cassette and drain the grey water in Mareeba or on the outskirts of Cairns – dump points along the range route are scarce. Filling up in Mareeba is usually cheaper than at the roadhouses in the west. Go down the Kuranda Range in second or third gear to spare your brakes.
Camping practice & local rules
Wild camping & overnight parking
- Queensland does not regulate sleeping in vehicles statewide but through the councils' local laws. On this route these are Cairns Regional Council, Mareeba Shire, Tablelands Regional Council and Etheridge Shire: in towns and at lakes, waterfalls and lookouts, camping outside approved sites is prohibited, and rangers issue fines.
- Rest areas of the road authority (Department of Transport and Main Roads) along the Kennedy Highway and Gulf Developmental Road are intended for rest breaks including an overnight stay, unless signs say otherwise. Do not spread out with awning and furniture, take your rubbish with you, do not empty anything.
- National parks (QPWS): Lake Eacham, Lake Barrine, Curtain Fig, Mount Hypipamee, Undara and Chillagoe-Mungana Caves are day-use parks without public camping. There are camps in Danbulla National Park and State Forest at Lake Tinaroo – only with a camping permit booked in advance; display the booking number visibly. Queensland's national parks charge no entry fee; guided tours in Undara and Chillagoe cost a fee.
- The lava tubes of Undara and the main caves of Chillagoe can only be visited on a guided tour (resort guides in Undara, rangers in Chillagoe). Fossicking for gemstones near Mount Surprise only with a Queensland Fossicking Licence.
- Apps: WikiCamps (rest areas, dump points, council sites, usable offline) and CamperMate; QPWS camps and Park Alerts directly on the Queensland Parks website.
Waste disposal & supplies
- Dump points are found in the larger towns of the Tablelands, such as Mareeba, Atherton and Malanda, and at the resort in Undara; in the savannah country they are rare. Check locations in WikiCamps or CamperMate and empty the cassette in every larger town.
- Water: at rest areas and national park camps the water is often untreated tank or lake water – in Danbulla, for example, you must bring your own drinking water. Fill up at campgrounds in Undara, Mount Surprise and Chillagoe; in the hot savannah, allow several litres per person per day.
- Gas: the norm is 9 kg steel bottles on a swap system at petrol stations and hardware stores, newer ones with an LCC27 valve, older ones with a POL fitting. Swapping and refilling are reliable in Mareeba and Atherton; European bottles and adapters do not fit. With rental campers, check the level before the savannah stage.
- Fuel: petrol stations in Mareeba, Atherton, Ravenshoe, Mount Garnet, Mount Surprise, Almaden and Chillagoe; between Mount Garnet and Mount Surprise and beyond Dimbulah there are long stretches without services. Fill up at half a tank – roadhouses are considerably more expensive than the towns in the highlands.
Vehicle size & traffic rules
- Traffic drives on the left, with right-hand-drive vehicles; roundabouts run clockwise, and vehicles already on the roundabout have right of way. After breaks on empty savannah roads, make a conscious effort to keep left.
- Speed limits in Queensland: generally 50 km/h in built-up areas, 100 km/h outside them, 110 km/h on selected sections; considerably less at schools, at roadworks and on the mountain roads. Blood alcohol limit 0.05, mobile phone use at the wheel prohibited and camera-enforced. If your licence is not in English, carry an International Driving Permit or a recognised translation.
- Tolls: there are no toll roads on the entire route.
- Animals: wallabies and kangaroos at dusk and at night, cattle on unfenced sections of the Gulf Developmental Road, cassowaries in the rainforest areas around the crater lakes. Avoid driving at night. Only overtake road trains on long straights, and on narrow roads move over to the left in good time.
- Rental campers: unsealed roads such as the Danbulla Road, access roads to gemfields or the tracks between Mount Garnet, Petford and Almaden are generally excluded in rental agreements, and damage there is usually not insured. Check the mixed sections just before Chillagoe against your agreement before booking; note any clauses on night driving.
- Weather: wet season from December to March with flooded crossings and closed roads, cyclone season until April; road conditions on QLDTraffic, warnings from the Bureau of Meteorology. Never drive through flooded roads. In October and November it gets very hot in Chillagoe and Undara – do walks in the cool morning hours.
CampingSpirit packing & preparation checklist
- Two powerful head torches or torches per person: expressly recommended by the park authority for the self-guided caves of Chillagoe, and also useful in the evening at Peterson Creek (with red light for the platypuses).
- A warm blanket and jumper: in the highlands around Malanda and Ravenshoe, night-time temperatures in the dry season drop into single figures, while in Chillagoe it is over 30 °C during the day.
- Sturdy, non-slip shoes for lava tubes, crater rims and caves – sandals are unsuitable on the tours.
- Two 10- to 20-litre water containers for the savannah stages and the Danbulla camps without drinking water.
- Swimwear and water shoes for Lake Eacham, the waterfall pools and the hot springs at Innot – Lake Eacham is pleasantly clear even in winter, but still heed the warning signs at the swimming spots.
- Offline maps and printed bookings (Undara tours, Chillagoe caves, QPWS camps): west of Ravenshoe there are long stretches without mobile coverage.
As of 2026-10. Closures, fees and booking rules change: check official sources before you go.
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