Distance from Sydney to Cairns

The straight-line (great-circle) distance between Sydney and Cairns is 1,963.4 kilometres, roughly 2 h 49 min by plane at 850 km/h. By road it is about 2,410 km via Gregory Developmental Road and Bruce Highway, which takes around 30 h 55 min of driving without stops. The map below shows both routes, and the calculator recomputes them for any other pair of places.

Straight line1,963.4 km
By road2,410 km
Driving time30 h 55 min
Flight time2 h 49 min

About this page

This page is for anyone planning a trip from Sydney 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 Sydney to Cairns?
In a straight line it is 1,963.4 km. By road it is about 2,410 km, roughly 30 h 55 min of driving.
How long is the flight from Sydney to Cairns?
Roughly 2 h 49 min: 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 Sydney and Cairns?
About 2,410 km on the fastest route via Gregory Developmental Road and Bruce Highway, which takes around 30 h 55 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.