Sydney to Cairns - inland route

[J1mbo]

Hi

On Monday i'm going to be heading north from Sydney. The plan is to head up to Cairns inland fairly rapidly and then take a bit more time to head down the coast back to Sydney.

I'm after some suggestions on routes - I do want to get there fairly quickly, as I am a bit pushed for time, but don't need to necessarily go the quickest/shortest route.

Which way would you go?

From purely looking at a map and based on no real knowledge of the area, it looks like there are two main options:

1) Sydney, Dubbo, Bourke, Barcaldine, Cairns - possible detour via Mt Isa & Normanton?

2) Sydney, Moree, Emerald, Cairns

The first option is longer, do you think its worth the detour?? I do love the (lack of) scenery of the outback, so if this is what the first route would be like, I'd probably like it.

Thanks!!

J

[Frank Warner]

Burke will certainly give you that long distance horizon.

But I go up the range ..
Putty Rd to Singleton .. up to Armadale and keep going north from there ... will be shorter and cooler ..

If it looks like rain on the coast then head west a bit ...

[farqhuar]

Yep, I've done Melbourne to Cairns using your option 1 route a couple of times over the last 25 years.

Mt Isa is definitely worth it, even it is just for the road from Cloncurry to Mt Isa - one of my favourites.

Garry from Oz.