Distance from Adelaide to Cairns

The straight-line (great-circle) distance between Adelaide and Cairns is 2,128 kilometres, roughly 3 h by plane at 850 km/h. By road it is about 2,863 km via Barrier Highway and Aramac Torrens Creek Road, which takes around 36 h 40 min of driving without stops. The map below shows both routes, and the calculator recomputes them for any other pair of places.

Straight line2,128 km
By road2,863 km
Driving time36 h 40 min
Flight time3 h

About this page

This page is for anyone planning a trip from Adelaide to Cairns, in Australia. The straight-line distance comes from the haversine formula (great-circle distance). The road distance and driving time are the fastest car route on the OpenStreetMap road network, computed with OSRM; the actual time depends on traffic, stops and the roads you choose. Tap "Calculate distance" in the calculator to redraw the route live.

Frequently asked questions

What is the distance from Adelaide to Cairns?
In a straight line it is 2,128 km. By road it is about 2,863 km, roughly 36 h 40 min of driving.
How long is the flight from Adelaide to Cairns?
Roughly 3 h: the distance at a cruising speed of 850 km/h plus about 30 minutes for take-off and landing.
How many kilometres by road between Adelaide and Cairns?
About 2,863 km on the fastest route via Barrier Highway and Aramac Torrens Creek Road, which takes around 36 h 40 min by car. Tap "Calculate distance" in the calculator to see the route on the map.
How is this distance calculated?
The straight-line distance uses the haversine formula, which gives the shortest path between two points on the Earth's surface.