Cairns to Chillagoe Self Drive Itinerary

The Barron Falls is an iconic attraction for Cairns. A giant waterfall tumbling down a granite rockface, surrounded by tropical rainforest. It’s the first stop on our Cairns to Chillagoe self-drive guide.

Once you’ve driven up the range and crossed the Barron River bridge, turn at Kuranda and follow the signs to Barron Falls. The 800m (one-way) path from the car park to the lookout includes elevated sections, with views down into the rainforest below. It’s shaded and cool, with interpretive signage explaining key features of flora and fauna. There are toilet facilities at the car park and for those needing a caffeine hit, stop into Kuranda Village and get one to go.

Hectic Valley Farm at Mutchilba has camels, cows, sheep, horses, pigs, chickens, ducks and more. There are over 300 animals here. Stop in to feed and pat them – the camels are awesome.

From Mareeba to Mutchilba, you’ll see less houses and more farms, with large orchards growing limes and other citrus, avocadoes, mangoes and grapes. Sometimes there’s roadside stalls, selling fresh produce. A stop at the locally owned and family run Hectic Valley Farm is must-do for animal lovers of all ages. It’s open on weekends from 9.30am – 12pm (longer during school holidays). There’s also the Elpasacodore Mini Moos at nearby Dimbulah, who are registered breeders of miniature belted Galloways. The Mini Moos aren’t always open: check ahead on Facebook.

The tiny towns continue with Almaden – home to around 40 people and the historic Railway Hotel. Stop in for a cold drink and chat with the friendly owners, make time for a game of pool or hooky.

The Railway Hotel is the heart of Almaden, it’s where the locals come to meet to talk about the weather and their stations. The new owners are collating a selection of historical images, which show the pioneering and railway history of the town. The Savannahlander Train also has a station, adjacent to the hotel. Fun Fact: Until recently this was also known as ‘Cow Town’, with cattle roaming the streets and roads.

Chillagoe has over 200 registered caves, with more being discovered every year. You can explore 3 of them – the Donna, Trezkinn and Royal Arch Caves – on Ranger guided tours. Book in advance.

We’ve done all the Ranger guided Chillagoe Cave tours and highly recommend them. The first tour of the day starts at 9am at the Donna Cave, followed by the Trezkinn Cave tour at 11am and the Royal Arch Cave tour at 1.30pm. We recommend the Donna Cave for its false floors and impressive stalactites and stalagmites, while the Royal Arch Cave tour has more an Indiana Jones vibe, thanks to the head torches and lights. The tours operate all year round, except Christmas Day.

The Chillagoe Smelter chimneys are an iconic part of the Chillagoe landscape, as is that whole area. Interpretive signage unlocks the stories of this once thriving plant, that processed gold, silver, copper and lead.

Due to presence of pits and contaminates including asbestos, access to the site is restricted. However, there’s pathways surrounding it which provide various different views and aspects, taking in the assay office, pre-treatment area and slag heap. If you’re wanting more information about the smelters after your visit, head over to The Hub in Chillagoe, which has excellent historical photos and information surrounding its development and operations.

The Chillagoe Weir is a great place to cool off with a swim or enjoy a picnic under the paperbarks. The clear freshwater is a refreshing temperature all year round, making this popular with locals.

There’s something undeniably Australian, about swimming in a creek which is lined by paperbark trees, and the Chillagoe Weir is just the place to do it. The Weir is located ‘behind’ the aerodrome and while the road is gravel, you do not need a 4WD to visit it. Look for the concrete stairs, which lead you down to the swimming hole.

There are small galleries of Aboriginal Rock Art located at various places around Chillagoe, which you can enjoy on self-guided walks. You can see them at the Wullumba Site, Mungana Site and Ramparts.

The Wullumba Rock Art site is the most central of the three and is a short walk from Chillagoe’s Balancing Rock. The Mungana Rock Art site (pictured here) is the furthest from town and is a 16km drive, heading through Chillagoe and away from Cairns on the Burke Development Road. This system has animal motifs painted in the rocks in ochre. Finally the Rampart Rock Art is in the Ramparts section of the National Park (more on this below); you will need a 4WD to access this.

Chillagoe has a dinosaur and his name is Dave. Dave is an Elasmosaur, a marine dinosaur who used to measured 5m from head to tail. He is one of the few, true early Elasmosaurs known worldwide.

You can catch up with Dave at a roadside display in Chillagoe. There’s a lifesize sculpture of him and some interesting signage, which explains his history and that of this area. It’s an interesting read covering the late Jurassic period and the formation of the Great Artesian Basin and its northern extension, the Carpentaria Basin.

All good road trips must come to an end and that time is now, on our Cairns to Chillagoe Self Drive Itinerary. So once you’ve ticked all the boxes, fuel up and commence your return journey.

For the return to Cairns, you are re-tracing the same route you arrived on. As such you can choose to drive straight through, or stop in at some of the places you skipped on the way out. Cairns is the gateway to many amazing destinations, including the Daintree Rainforest, Atherton Tablelands, Cape York Peninsula and Gulf Savannah. We will continue to add self drive itineraries into the site in coming months, to help you plan your next adventure.