OPEN ROAD ADVENTURES
THE GREAT BARRIER REEF DRIVE, QLD
Cairns to Cape Tribulation, 140km
On this tricoloured, tropical coastline, coconut palm-fringed beaches slide into the sea, sandwiched between lush green rainforests and luminous coral reefs. It’s wild, World Heritage-listed and oh-so-warm here. The fun begins on the northern edge of Cairns where the Captain Cook Highway hangs off the edge of towering cliffs into the deep blue sea.
In Palm Cove, a bar and restaurant strip studs a sweeping arc of sand fringed by towering melaleucas and shaggy coconut palms. The pet-friendly Palm Cove Holiday Park puts caravanners amid this uber-cool scene, with waterfront views and a jetty to fish from.
Leaving Palm Cove, you’ll barely warm up the engines before Ellis Beach pulls you back off the highway. Shaded by mango trees and paperbarks, Ellis Beach is the north’s only truly beachfront holiday park, with gentle boogie-board waves and a lively cafe-bar across the road (ellisbeach.com).
Close to Ellis Beach, hang-gliders launch themselves into the abyss from Rex Lookout, Instagrammers stack rock creations at The
