Brisbane to Cairns on the Bruce Highway with a caravan or motorhome
Brisbane to Cairns on the Bruce Highway runs 1,728 km from Brisbane to Cairns. With a car and caravan, you're looking at about 28 hours behind the wheel. Our map shows it sealed the whole way.
We planned it on Motocamp's own router for a car and caravan and for a motorhome, at the sizes in the table below, so every number here comes from a real plan, not a guess.
The stops: Brisbane · Gympie · Bundaberg · Rockhampton · Mackay · Townsville · Cairns
Is Brisbane to Cairns on the Bruce Highway OK for a car and caravan?
Yes, on our plan. It gets through for a car and caravan without using a road signed too low, too short or closed to caravans. Here's what to keep an eye on.
- 1 km of it is steeper than 8%. The steepest kilometre is about 7% uphill on Bruce Highway, at km 1,508.
- It keeps you off 13 nearby roads with a signed limit your rig wouldn't clear, like Cultural Centre Tunnel (2.3 m high), Back Woombye Road (2.9 m high) and John Street (3 m high).
- Road reports change daily out here. Motocamp checks Queensland Transport and Main Roads for the day you travel.
The plan, rig by rig
| Car and caravan | Motorhome | |
|---|---|---|
| Distance | 1,728 km | 1,728 km |
| Driving time | about 28 hours | about 26 hours |
| Unsealed | none | none |
| Steeper than 8% | 1 km | 1 km |
| Total climb | 5,855 m | 5,855 m |
| Longest gap between fuel | 99 km | 99 km |
| Signed limits it goes round | 13 | 22 |
| Planned at | 3.1 m high, 14.3 m long and 6.8 t | 3.7 m high, 10 m long and 8.7 t |
Towns on the way
- Brisbane · km 0
- Nambour · km 102
- Gympie · km 168
- Childers · km 312
- Benaraby · km 530
- Rockhampton · km 654
- West Hill · km 903
- Mackay · km 990
- Mount Ossa · km 1,036
- Heronvale · km 1,161
- Ayr · km 1,291
- Cardwell · km 1,545
- South Johnstone · km 1,631
- Cairns · km 1,728
Caravan parks on the way
- Brighton Caravan Park · km 22
- Twin Lakes Village Caravan Park · km 162
- Burrum River Caravan Park · km 279
- Riverdale Caravan Park · km 366
- Kangaroo Country Caravan Park · km 639
- BrandyBottle Caravan Park & Golf Course · km 872
- Hilltop Caravan Park · km 994
- Harbour Lights Caravan Park · km 1,179
- BIG4 Silver Link Caravan Village Ayr · km 1,291
- BIG4 Ingenia Holidays Townsville · km 1,398
- Diggers Creek Motel and Van Park · km 1,606
- Cairns Sunland Leisure Park · km 1,728
- and 99 more in the app
Free camps on the way
- Calliope River Rest Area · km 550
- Calliope River RA · km 550
- Kershaw Gardens Free Campground · km 657 · caravans OK
- Canoona Rest Area · km 709 · caravans OK
- Marlborough North Puma · km 759
- Wilson Creek Rest Area · km 1,252 · caravans OK
- Sandy Corner Rest Area · km 1,300 · caravans OK
- Bluewater Park · km 1,413
- Toomulla Beach · km 1,425
- Balgal Beach Rest Area · km 1,437
- Gordonvale Rest Area · km 1,703
National park and other campgrounds
- Wescloud Lodge Farm Stay · km 36
- Pomona Showgrounds · km 133
- Theebine Pub Camp · km 199
- Display / Camp area · km 257
- Keirs Krafts Camp · km 397
- Marlborough Hotel Campground · km 759 · fees apply
- Mycow Freedom Campground · km 980 · fees apply
- Ayr Rest Area 'Plantation Park' · km 1,289
- Jourama Falls Camping Area · km 1,470
- Babinda Rest Area · km 1,669
- and 62 more in the app
Rest areas
- Marchant Park · km 11 · water
- Lions park · km 107 · toilets · water
- rossendale park RV camp · km 216
- War Nurses Memorial Park · km 363 · toilets · water
- Mt Alma Rest Area · km 567
- Backwater Creek Rest Area · km 692
- Service Centre with HV facilities · km 849
- Mount Gordon · km 1,175 · toilets · water
- Helens hill · km 1,476
- Cairns Esplanade · km 1,728 · toilets · water
- and 101 more in the app
Dump points
- at BP Travel Centre Sth bound rest area · km 42
- at six mile crk rest area · km 162
- at Huntsville Caravan Park · km 252
- at Millennium park rest area · km 312
- at Boyne River, Benaraby Rest Area rest area · km 528
- at The Jack Hinson Memorial Rest Area rest area · km 1,279
- at blue water park rest area · km 1,413
- at Greenpatch campground rest area · km 1,703
- and 10 more in the app
Fuel stops
- BP · km 0
- United · km 19
- Caltex Nambour · km 102
- Puma · km 248
- gas station · km 458
- Yaamba Stockmans Country Store · km 691
- BP Shakespeare Street · km 990
- Ampol Roadhouse · km 1,358
- Marano's Fuel · km 1,589
- Coles Express Shell · km 1,728
- and 88 more in the app
Plan this trip for your own rig
Free for 14 days. Cancel any time.
Tell Motocamp what you drive, from an enduro bike to a 25-foot off-road caravan or a 10-metre motorhome, and it plans this trip for that vehicle: the roads it fits, the low bridges and closed roads to steer clear of, and places to stay on the way. The maps keep working where there's no signal.
Plan this trip for your own rig Already have Motocamp AUS? Open it hereCamps, fuel and road limits come from OpenStreetMap and state agencies, and some can be missing or out of date. Distances are along our plan. Always go by the signs on the road.