What is the best way to travel from Cairns to Darwin? I have been told that it is 4wd only to go across from Cairns and I would need to come back down to Townsville and travel across through Hughnden etc if I wanted a better road. All suggestions welcome. I only have an XTrail and have no desire to do 4wd although I appreciate I may not be able to avoid dirt roads. Thanks.
You can go to Charters Towers and turn right, takes you to Mt Isa and then the Three Ways and turn right to Darwin. You can go Georgetown-Normanton-Cloncurry, can't imagine why you'd need a 4wd to do that. Unless there's been a major deterioration in the roads that we don't know about. Cairns-Townsville is a very slow busy trip.
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You don't know what you've got till it's gone so I gave it all away to see what I had.
Last year I took the Gulf Development Road from Normanton to Ravenshoe. Some of it is gravel and some only the single lane but it is suitable for 2WD (I have a HiAce camper). You would probaly have to drop down from Normanton to Cloncurry, as it gets a bit rougher to continue west - people told me I could probably make it but I decided not to. From Normanton you could go north to Karumba, I certainly found it a pleasant town.
The Atherton Tablelands is very nice also, and you could visit the Undara Lava Tubes if you want, as you will be travelling past them.
Did that run only last year. We also did a season at Undara Lava Tubes (Mt. Surprise) in 2010, and used to travel to Cairns on our 4 days off in every 10. Not an issue, fully sealed all the way.
However last year 2012 when coming back from Darwin to Cairns, the road at times was single lane and a bit rough from Cloncurry to Normanton. Just to back track on the NT side of the border at Camoweel for about 20 kms, was being upgraded with a side track. However once past that all the road from there to Darwin is just sensational. From Normaton to the Undara turn off, just west of Mt. Surprise there is a lot of road works, however we did the trip in an 1976 Chrysler Valiant and a train wreck of a van, without an issue.
The only time a 4wd is recommended is if you use the Savannah Way, from Normanton.
Hope that helps
Cheers and beers
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If you decided to go on the Burke Development road between Normanton and Chillagoe the stretch is around 560ks,with no fuel out lets along the way.(or food /water )
The food and water bit would be fine but not the fuel situation and I don't carry any extra with me either. Might have to look at that very carefully. Thanks for the info. That's the sort of thing I was hoping people would point out as well as actual road conditions e.g. bitumen or gravel. I prefer to stay on bitumen as much as I can although I also appreciate that I will come across dirt roads along the way. Just don't want to do actual 4wd stuff.
We went across from Cairns and the tablelands to Normanton last year in the motorhome, which does not like unmade roads, and found the trip to be terrific. Found lots of good places to camp, all the way, fuel was not a problem, just need to be organised, fill up, even if you are only half full, at every opportunity, we have a 100l tank, so don't have too many worries this way. However, when I had a 4wd towing caravan, made it a rule to never run under half full, just to be sure, to be sure!!
There are some great spots - Gilbert River was one, and there are some hot pools as well, on to Normanton, half way to Karumba there is Walkers Creek, a huge area where a lot of people free camp - no facilities though. Hot shower at the dump point in Karumba was very welcome. Leaving Normanton, down to Burke and Wills Roadhouse, down to Cloncurry - good shopping to stock up there - and you can camp at Mary Kathleen - we camped up on the tennis court - had a "virtual" game of tennis!!!!! Then on into Mt Isa, plain sailing from there on.
All in all, a great trip, the countryside is what we all love about this travelling thing - enjoy it!!
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jules "Love is good for the human being!!" (Ben, aged 10)
