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Let’s say you’ve just landed in Cairns. Maybe it’s your first time, or maybe you’re back for more. You step outside the airport terminal and the warm, tropical air hits you. You take a deep breath, your shoulders drop, and things feel different. Something in your brain quietly recalibrates. You're not sure if it's the heat or the humidity or the fact that two of the planet's greatest natural wonders are within arm's reach, but Cairns has a way of making wherever you came from feel very, very far away.
Sitting in northern Queensland, Australia, Cairns is where ancient meets electric. On one side you’ve got the world’s oldest tropical rainforest, the Daintree. And on the other, the Great Barrier Reef, the planet's largest coral reef system stretching out like the galaxy’s underwater theme park. Between the two are volcanic crater lakes, sugarcane plains, Aboriginal rock art, thundering waterfalls, cultural richness and coastal drives so great you might just forget how to blink.
We’ve got a Spaceships depot in Cairns so you can pick up a campervan right in the heart of it. Cairns’ northern location makes it one of the best places in Australia to start, or finish, a road trip. And after reading this, we think you’ll agree.
Campervan hire in Cairns: a scenic start of your road trip | photo: denisbin (Flickr)
Why Start a Road Trip in Cairns?
Cairns is a tropical city that knows its superpower is all the magic surrounding it. From the heart of the city, every direction you drive is rewarding in a completely different way. North is an ancient rainforest and dramatic coastline. South is the Cassowary Coast and the road to the Whitsundays. West is volcanic highlands full of waterfalls and crater lakes. East is the famous Great Barrier Reef. And the best way to experience it all is from behind the wheel, on no one else's schedule but your own.
It’s also pretty well connected to Australia and the rest of the world. Cairns Airport handles direct international flights from Asia and New Zealand as well as many domestic flights. Getting yourself to Cairns is easy. Getting yourself to leave is the harder problem!
Road Trips From Cairns
| Route | Driving Distance | What You'll See |
| 5 Days Around Cairns | 644km+ | Reef, rainforest, Tablelands, beaches, rivers |
| Cairns to Brisbane | 1,700km+ | Cassowary Coast, Magnetic Island, Whitsundays, Noosa |
| Cairns to Sydney | 2,600km+ | Tropical north, surf coast, beach towns and Sydney as the grand finale |
| Cairns to Melbourne | 3,600km+ coastal route | Coastal driving, hinterland, Byron, Sydney and the Great Ocean Road |
| Cairns to Adelaide via Uluru | 3,700km+ | The Explorer's Way through outback Queensland and South Australia's wine country |
Best Things to do in Cairns
Cairns doesn’t really do “city attractions” in the traditional sense. There is no famous bridge to climb or harbour to gawp at. What it has instead is unrivalled access to two of the greatest natural environments on the planet. Here’s what to do in Cairns and how to make the most of it all.
Into the Blue
The Great Barrier Reef - If there is one thing to do in Cairns, it’s this. The outer reef is about 90 minutes by boat from Cairns Marina and the experience of snorkelling, even for someone who’s snorkelled before or thinks they know what the reef looks like from photographs, tends to produce a stunned kind of quiet. It’s bigger than most people expect. More alive. The range of marine life is truly amazing. Reef day trips run daily from the marina and most include snorkelling with an intro to diving for those who’ve never dived before. During the dry season (May to October), ocean visibility can push to 20 metres deep.
Fitzroy Island - a 45 minute ferry from the marina brings you to an island that feels remote without being that hard to reach. Nudey Beach (not a nudist beach) is an award-winning white sand beach with crystal clear waters perfect for swimming in. Snorkel straight off the beach and explore trails through the rainforest taking you up to summit views over the Coral Sea.
The Esplanade Lagoon - Cairns doesn’t have a traditional beachfront. It’s more mudflats and mangroves but the esplanade lagoon makes up for it. It’s a free saltwater pool right on the waterfront, open to everyone for free. Swim laps, grab a coffee from one of the nearby cafes, watch the pelicans or enjoy a walk along the waterfront.
Snorkel, dive & explore the Great Barrier Reef
Into the Rainforest
Skyrail and the Karunda Scenic Railway - The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway runs from Smithfield, just north of Cairns, above the rainforest canopy to the mountain village of Kuranda. There are stops at Red Peak and Barron Falls (best seen in wet season when the falls are full with water). Take the Kuranda Scenic Railway back down through tunnels and over bridges built into the mountainside in the 1800s.
Mossman Gorge - About an hour north of Cairns, just before the road crosses into the Daintree, Mossman Gorge sits quietly being one of the most beautiful places in Australia. The Mossman River runs clear over ancient granite boulders under full rainforest cover, and the swimming holes immerse you right into wilderness. The Ngadiku Dreamtime Walks, run by the Kuku Yalanji people, offer a guided experience that puts everything you’re visiting into a context that makes it mean so much more. It’s one of the more meaningful and culturally rich things you can do in the whole region.
The Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation - Cross the Daintree River by ferry (your Spaceships camper can come too) and the atmosphere changes. The road narrows, the canopy closes overhead and the mobile signal goes quiet as you enter a landscape that has been growing undisturbed for longer than most of human history. Cape Tribulation, where the rainforest meets the reef, is the headline destination. It’s one of the only places in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage Sites meet side by side at the shoreline.
Up in the Highlands
Atherton Tablelands Waterfall Circuit - An hour west of Cairns the land rises into volcanic highlands and the temperature drops lower than the coastal heat. The famous waterfall circuit, passing Millaa Millaa, Zillie Falls and Ellinjaa is the most popular loop. But the Tablelands are more than just their waterfalls. Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham are ancient volcanic craters filled with clear water - perfect for swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding and more. Visit Yungaburra to see platypuses at Peterson Creek or Malanda to see tree kangaroos.
Visit Millaa Millaa Falls, the most photographed waterfall in Australia | Photo by Peter Nijenhuis
In Cairns City
Rusty’s Market - Friday to Sunday, Rusty’s is a proper working market with local farmers, tropical fruit, Asian food stalls, flora and even jewellery. It’s a delicious spot to stock up the van to keep you fuelled on all your adventures.
The Food Scene - Cairns is better for eating out than people expect. The city's proximity to Southeast Asia and its multicultural community have created a dining scene with real range and real quality. Eat Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Malaysian and modern Australian often all found within the same block. The Night Markets on the esplanade are a good place to start, it’s open every evening and the food is reliably good.
Cairns Aquarium - The Cairns Aquarium covers the reef, rainforest and freshwater ecosystems surrounding the region. See reef sharks, crocodiles, turtles, fish and the full supporting cast of tropical Queensland under one roof.
So Why Travel Cairns by Campervan?
Honestly, the reef is one way, the rainforest is another, the highlands are an hour west and the coastline stretches for hundreds of kilometres in both directions. If you're basing yourself in a hotel in Cairns city and day-tripping to all of it, you'll spend a lot of time driving back to the same pillow every night when the best version of the trip has you sleeping somewhere new each time. A campervan helps change that. Tropical North Queensland has amazingly positioned campgrounds. Park beachside, or fall asleep listening to the rain forest. You'll get the kind of experience you can't manufacture from a hotel room.
Best Time to Visit Cairns
Cairns goes through four seasons just like the rest of Australia. However, most people refer to the weather in Northern Australia as the wet season and dry season.
The dry season runs from May to October and this is when the region is at its best for road tripping. Think clear skies, manageable humidity, calmer seas and reef visibility that can stretch to 20 metres or more. Peak season would be June through to August, with average low temperatures of 17℃ and average highs of 26℃. During these months the region fills with travellers from all over the world creating a buzz that works in its favour.
The wet season runs roughly from November through to April. Humidity rises, marine stingers restrict ocean swimming and some roads and river crossings flood - not a great thing for road trippers! Though it is wet and humid, there is still beauty in Cairns at this time of year. Waterfalls that barely trickle in winter become thunderous in the best way. The Daintree turns gorgeous shades of green and afternoon storms over the Coral Sea are spectacular (do keep an eye on cyclone warnings).
How Long to Spend in Cairns
Two to three days gets you the city highlights and a reef trip. That’s a solid visit. Five to seven days give you better time to explore the region properly. You’ll get more time to see the Tablelands, Port Douglas, Fitzroy Island, and some of the Daintree Rainforest. That's a great trip. Ten days to two weeks is when hiring a Spaceship from Cairns becomes something more than a holiday. By this point you’re likely heading south on the road trip of a lifetime.
Hire a campervan and drive through tropical Queensland at your own pace
Where to Next?
More coast, more wilderness, more culture, more history? Whatever you’re after, Cairns is the perfect launchpad for it. Here’s where to head next…
South: The Coastal Way to Brisbane
One of the great Australian road trips following the Queensland coast right from Cairns to Brisbane. The first stretch takes you through the Cassowary Coast, a ribbon of sugarcane flats and lush rainforest where actual cassowaries roam about. About 2 hours south of Cairns is Mission Beach, a calming coastal town with Dunk Island sitting just offshore. Continue south and the coast keeps delivering. See Townsville and Magnetic Island, Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays, Noosa and the Sunshine Coast all before arriving in Brisbane.
North: Into the Wilderness
Most travellers don’t venture north of Cape Tribulation, which is actually why it’s worth considering. The road beyond Daintree gets rougher, settlements get smaller and the idea of ‘tourism’ fades away. Cooktown, about 330km north of Cairns via the sealed Mulligan Highway, is a small, deeply historic town where Captain Cook beached the Endeavour for emergency repairs in 1770 after hitting the reef. It’s a brilliant two to three day extension from Cairns that has that end-of-the-road quality only truly remote destinations deliver, without being inaccessible.
Camp in peace with everything you could need - kitchen, bed, cooking & sleeping gear
West: The Heart of the Outback
If the Atherton Tablelands gave you a taste for something wilder, keep heading west. Continue your travels through the highlands, and eventually the landscape opens into outback Queensland where things are vast, ancient, red-earthed and staggeringly beautiful. Follow the Gulf Development Road to Darwin, then south on the Stuart Highway, stopping at Alice Springs, Uluru, Coober Pedy and Lake Hart before arriving in Adelaide. It’s a proper overland adventure following The Explorers Way and about as far from a coastal road trip as you can get.
The Full East Coast: Cairns to Sydney (or Beyond)
Some trips are defined by their ambition, and picking up a campervan in Cairns with Sydney, or further to Melbourne, as the destination is exactly that kind of trip. Driving the east coast from Cairns to Sydney covers roughly 2,600km of coastline, rainforest, hinterland and beach towns. From Sydney you can continue to Melbourne via the coastal route along Princes Highway or the inland route to see the Murray River. Then, why not tackle the Great Ocean Road as a finale? The full east coast road trip is the trip of a lifetime and it’s best to plan at least 2-3 weeks on the road to see all the best highlights. Pick up in Cairns, drop off at any other Spaceships depot and let the road take care of the rest.
Park up & cook in style everywhere you go!
All Systems Are Go! It’s Road Trip Time
The best thing about Cairns is that it earns its reputation honestly. No one’s overselling it. Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, one of the greatest coastal drives in the country, an island a ferry ride from the city, highlands an hour to the west and the whole east coast stretching south in front of you. It’s a lot, but it really is as epic as it sounds.
So let's go! Grab your camper from the Cairns depot and start ticking off the list.