Road trip! Whether you’re young or old, want to spend a day, week, month or year out and about, the unique and diverse landscapes of Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef rate as one of the best self-drive holidays on the planet.
Toss your watch and wind away at your own pace along palm-fringed beaches, ancient World Heritage-listed rainforests and the golden outback of the Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef region on Australia’s only true tropical motoring route - the Great Tropical Drive.
The Great Tropical Drive road map encompasses 2079km of tropical Outback Australia, including 13 Discovery Trails showcasing some of Australia’s most breathtaking scenery, bird watching and best known attractions - the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, Atherton Tablelands, Cape York, Gulf Savannah, Mission Beach, Hinchinbrook Island and Undara Lava Tubes – just to name a few.
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Most of the roads in the Cairns and Great Barrier Reef region are accessible by conventional car or motor home and a myriad of self-drive car hire services rent these, as well as four-wheel drive vehicles so you can travel as far and wide as your heart desires.
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| Outback Fishing adventure
Don’t go Outback without your fishing rod…barramundi, mangrove jack, coral trout, black jew, blue salmon, king salmon, cod and barracuda are just some of the fish you can catch. | | 
| Undara
Indiana Jones – Australia style! Visit the Undara Lava Tubes and explore awesome natural architecture and wildlife inside the world’s longest lava flow from a single volcanic crater. | | 
| Find wildlife in their natural habitats
See emus, goannas, cassowaries, wedge tail eagles, crocodiles, kangaroos, rock wallabies and lots of other different animals and birds that live only in the Australian Outback. | | 
| Bloomfield Track 4WD Safari
Very little gravel, unimproved creek crossings and steep climbs - tackle the Bloomfield Track between Cape Tribulation and Cooktown for a unique, true-blue 4WD adventure. | |