Kuranda Range Road
18 km
distance
18 min
Contour time
7.7
avg score
Sealed
surface
Scenery
Queensland
Kuranda is one of Queensland's most visited tourist towns, known for the Skyrail gondola, the historic railway, and the...
Road quality
7.7 RQS
Strong. Above average on most quality signals.
Accessibility
Fully sealed
Best in Sports car. Peak season: May-Nov.
7-day forecast
Good sports car and motorbike road. Higher tourist traffic than the other FNQ stages - best driven early morning on weekdays.
Scored 7.7/10 by Contour's road quality algorithm across curviness, surface, elevation and traffic. Best suited for sports car drivers.
The road
The Kuranda Range Road is the most famous mountain road in Far North Queensland, connecting the suburb of Smithfield to the rainforest village of Kuranda on the western edge of the Wet Tropics escarpment. Officially a section of the Kennedy Highway, the 11.5-kilometre range road shares its corridor with the Barron River and the 1891 railway - both taking different lines up the same escarpment - and it is framed by World Heritage rainforest for its full length. The road is a genuine tarmac rally stage (Targa Great Barrier Reef used it at 11.31 km) and also a significant tourist route, which creates a tension between the driving experience and the traffic on busy days. The solution is timing: early morning on a weekday, the road is almost empty and the rainforest is in its best light. The Queensland government has invested significantly in safety and resilience upgrades to the Kuranda Range Road. Despite the improvements, the road retains its original character - a winding mountain climb through some of the oldest rainforest on earth.
Why this road
The region
Kuranda is one of Queensland's most visited tourist towns, known for the Skyrail gondola, the historic railway, and the Kuranda Rainforest Markets. The Wet Tropics World Heritage Area surrounding the town is one of the most biodiverse regions in Australia.
Before you go
Fuel in Cairns before departure. High tourist traffic particularly in the July-September peak season. Best approached early morning on weekdays. Kuranda has good food options at the end of the stage.
See a routing error?
Flag itWorth stopping for
Barron Gorge National Park
Walking tracks and the Barron Falls viewpoint accessible from Kuranda.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
6 km gondola ride over the rainforest canopy from Smithfield to Kuranda - a completely different perspective on the same escarpment.
Route
Start
Smithfield
End
Kuranda
Gallery
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