All road trips

QLD, NT

Queensland Gulf Discovery — 4WD Optional

Outback stations and Gulf Country landscapes beyond the tropical tablelands.

Build a day-by-day driving plan

Suggested days
15 suggested days · 9 as a shorter start
Vehicle
4WD / conditions apply

This is a 4WD route. Seasonal closures, river crossings and hire-car rules override this plan. Check the state road authority before you leave.

Stops, in order

  1. 1Cairns
  2. 2Atherton
  3. 3Mount Surprise
  4. 4Undara Volcanic National Park
  5. 5Georgetown
  6. 6Croydon
  7. 7Normanton
  8. 8Karumba
  9. 9Burketown
  10. 10Borroloola
  11. 11Katherine

No driving time or distance is shown. A straight line on a map would be wrong for ferries, the Gulf, Cape York and the Kimberley.

Day by day

  1. Days 1–3

    Cairns → Atherton

    Cairns: reef departures and rainforest day trips; Atherton: tablelands farms and waterfalls.

    Suggested overnight: Atherton

  2. Days 4–6

    Mount Surprise → Undara Volcanic National Park

    Mount Surprise: outback town and Undara approach; Undara Volcanic National Park: lava-tube landscape and guided access.

    Suggested overnight: Undara Volcanic National Park

  3. Days 7–9

    Georgetown → Croydon

    Georgetown: Gulf Savannah heritage; Croydon: gold-rush town.

    Suggested overnight: Croydon

  4. Days 10–11

    Normanton

    Normanton: Gulf Savannah history.

    Suggested overnight: Normanton

  5. Days 12–13

    Karumba → Burketown

    Karumba: Gulf coast sunsets and fishing; Burketown: remote Gulf wetlands and fishing.

    Suggested overnight: Burketown

  6. Days 14–15

    Borroloola → Katherine

    Borroloola: Gulf-side outback services; Katherine: river country and Nitmiluk access.

    Suggested overnight: Katherine

Things to do

Undara lava tubes; guided Gulf wildlife trip.

Ideas only. There is no booking button, price or tour link until a real product is approved.

Road, ferry and access

  • Between Burketown/Borroloola there may be seasonally impassable roads; require a verified route, not a straight-line connection.
  • 4WD requirement: operator/road authority guidance and current conditions override this editorial plan.

Specified work rules: subclass 417 and subclass 462. This page is a travel guide, not migration advice.