Cairns: Rainforest Ranges to the Tablelands

Two ranges, one city

Cairns sits at the base of two escarpments and both have roads over them. The Kuranda range climbs north-west out of the city into the rainforest, and the Gillies Highway climbs south-west from Gordonvale onto the Atherton Tablelands.

Both are tight, wet, rainforest roads with constant corner sequences, and both are the reason Cairns riders do not need to travel far for a good ride. Barron Gorge National Park, which the Kuranda road passes through, is described by the state parks service as rugged peaks, steep gorges, waterfalls and lush rainforest with easy access — which is a fair summary of the whole escarpment.

The two combine into a loop over the tablelands: up one, across the top, down the other. It is the single best day ride in far north Queensland.

• Kuranda range: the climb north-west out of the city through Barron Gorge country.
• Gillies Highway: the climb south-west from Gordonvale to the Atherton Tablelands.
• The tablelands loop: up one range, across, down the other.
• The coast road south: the Bruce Highway towards Innisfail and Mission Beach.

The Atherton Tablelands

On top of the ranges the country changes completely. The tablelands are cool, green and agricultural: dairy farms, crater lakes, rainforest remnants and a very different climate from the coast below.

It is also where the riding becomes flowing rather than technical. The roads across the top are open and well surfaced, with long curves and reasonable sight lines, and the towns are spaced for a lunch stop.

The altitude matters. The tablelands run several degrees cooler than Cairns, which is a relief in the wet season and a genuine cold snap in the dry season mornings.

The tablelands are also the gateway to the peninsula, and the ride from Cairns to Cape York starts with the same climbs out of the city.

• The crater lakes: the volcanic country south of the tablelands towns.
• Millaa Millaa and the waterfall circuit: the wet-season payoff.
• The tablelands towns: spaced for food and fuel, unlike the range roads.
• Altitude: cooler than the coast by several degrees, and cold at dawn in winter.

North: the Daintree and Cape Tribulation

North of Cairns the coast road runs to Port Douglas and on to the Daintree, where the rainforest meets the reef. Daintree National Park (CYPAL) has two sections — Mossman Gorge and Cape Tribulation — and the drive between them is one of the great tropical roads.

The Mossman Gorge section is where the Mossman River runs over granite boulders, and the Cape Tribulation section is where rainforest-clad mountains come down to long sandy beaches. Both are short detours rather than through routes.

The road beyond Cape Tribulation becomes the Bloomfield Track, which is a different proposition entirely and not a road to attempt on a road bike.

If the trip is a family one with the bikes left at home, a campervan hired in Cairns is the usual way to do the Daintree and the tablelands in one go.

• Mossman Gorge: the rainforest and river section closest to Cairns.
• Cape Tribulation: where the rainforest meets the reef, at the end of the sealed road.
• The Daintree River crossing: a ferry that marks the change in the country.
• The Bloomfield Track: unsealed, steep and not a road bike route.

The wet season, honestly

Cairns has a wet season that changes what is rideable, not just what is comfortable. Tracks close, creek crossings flood, and the range roads become genuinely dangerous when the surface is wet and the visibility drops.

The dry season is the riding season: roughly May to October, with lower humidity, drier roads and the best of the tablelands. The build-up before the wet is hot and humid and the roads are still open, which makes it a period of compromise.

The practical approach is to plan the ranges for the morning in any season, and to have a plan B for the days when the escarpment is in cloud.

• Dry season: the reliable window, May to October.
• The build-up: hot, humid, roads still open but the storms arrive early.
• The wet: tracks closed, crossings flooded, range roads dangerous.
• Mornings: the best of any day on the escarpment, before the cloud builds.

Before you leave

Cairns is the staging point for far north Queensland, including the ride to Cape York, and that shapes what a rider needs to think about here. The local riding is easy; the onward trips are not.

The state guide covers the peninsula road and the preparation it needs, and it is worth reading before committing to anything north of the Daintree.

• Ride the ranges in the morning, in any season.
• Carry rain gear: the escarpment makes its own weather.
• Check track and park status in the wet season before planning a ride.
• Read the Cape York planning before committing to the peninsula.

What is worth riding to