Melbourne to Brisbane by car - in 7 days - real?

sounds like a good plan to me.

Also, don't be afraid to continue asking questions, this is why some of us hang around here for.

Yep, Cairns is a great place to base yourself and there are plenty of places you could look at doing day tours to though at lest one or two you may want to consider looking at doing two day at least loops out of Cairns.
1. Head south a bit for Babinda ( Rocks & Gum boot ) and then just a bit more before heading inland on the Palmerston Hwy to kind of circle Wooroodooran NP for Millaa Millaa for waterfalls and a great look out over the NP rainforest - http://www.millaamillaa.com/walk_mamu.htm , then head north for Malanda and Yungaburra ( one of the largest timber hotels about ) before checking out the Curtain Fig Tree - http://www.cairnsattractions.com.au/explore/getting-back-to-nature/curtain-fig-tree.414.html , that site also giving a good list of plenty more attractions.

I would consider to save yourself some driving out and back to Cairns, you head north on the tablelands to join the Captain Cook Hwy near Mossman and from there you can drive through to the Daintree area.
Again, there will be many places for accommodation so you can stop when you like.

Go right through to Cape Tribulation and plenty of accommodation options right in the rain forest, some of it more expensive but also reasonably priced places like https://www.capetribbeach.com.au/ right at the cape and you are kind of in the jungle where the rainforest meets the reef ( probably ought to book for there ).

A drive back to Cairns along the Captain Cook Highway is one of the better coastal drives in Australia with some lovely spots along the way if you were about there looking for somewhere to stay for the night.
Three days ought to see you covering most of that.
You could then do a reef trip and Fitzroy Island just off Cairns is a great place that has some accommodation too.

Yep, five days for Cairns area can still be a couple too few so if you can juggle your itinerary accordingly to get a couple more,I'd do it.

Hi there

7 days is viable but there is so much to see on route that I think you would regret not spending longer. It is hard to gage how vast Australia is, we spent 2 weeks doing this route and could still have had longer! I would be inclined to do either Melbourne to Sydney or Sydney to Brisbane. Both offer different experiences equally as beautiful. Otherwise you may feel That your experience is rushed and spent mainly driving, after all it is good to relax and Australia is the best place to do so!
We got a 10% discount on our motorhome with Culture Club Travel, they then offer 10% on main campsites and advice on driving routes and distances. Might be worth speaking to them or another specialist company before making a final decision as they offer unbiased advice based on your requirements? Hope this helps x

Hello Michal,

For Brisbane and Gold Coast, there's an Event called the EKKA or The Royal Queensland Show. If you are not familiar it's Brisbane's largest cultural festival, and an annual event held at the Brisbane Showgrounds. There will be lots of events that sure you would love. I been there every year with my family and the show is amazing. You can search online for the tickets and list of events. What I love to see is the flower show where you will see different kinds of flowers and flower arrangement. I am from Brisbane and I would like to see what Christensen's Flower Auction has to present. Hope you'll have fun!

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.