Cheapest fuel stops from Brisbane to Cairns
Plan your drive below with Brisbane and Cairns already filled in. Add your car and fuel level to see stops you can reach. View route prices and details.
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This drive is about 1701 km and takes roughly 20h before stops. The prices and sample-car estimates below are a corridor snapshot.
Latest listed price report: . Individual stations may have older reports.
Filling 60 litres at the cheapest station on this route instead of an average one saves about $39.48 — before you count the detour to reach it.
The long stretch on this drive
The longest gap between listed stations on this corridor is about 100 km, between Ogmore, QLD and Carmila, QLD, starting about 770 km in. Most cars clear that on a full tank, so it is a stretch to be aware of rather than one to plan around.
Reported ULP 91 prices on this road range from $1.75/L at Cardwell, QLD to $2.60/L at Marlborough, QLD — a spread of 85.0c a litre. On a 60 litre fill that is $51.00 between the best and worst place to stop.
Fuel options along this drive
These are the lowest fresh ULP 91 reports in each third of the drive, among stations listed within 5 km of the route. They show where a cheaper stop falls in the journey; the lowest pump price is not always the best stop after a detour.
Early drive
Liberty Annerley in Annerley is near the start in Brisbane. Its reported price is $2.19/L, about 4.0 km off the route.
Middle of the drive
Mobil Richmond in Richmond is about 970 km from Brisbane. Its reported price is $2.29/L, about 4.3 km off the route.
Final approach
United Cardwell in Cardwell is about 1520 km from Brisbane. Its reported price is $1.75/L, about 2.0 km off the route.
Where the fuel gets dearer on this drive
No part of this drive is much dearer than another — there is about 4.5c a litre between the cheapest and dearest thirds, and the last third comes out lowest on average. On a road like this one, which station you pick matters more than where along it you stop: the gap between two servos in the same town is usually wider than the gap between the two ends of the drive.
| Part of the drive | Average ULP 91 | Stations listed | Cheapest in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| First third | $2.41/L | 246 | $2.19/L at Annerley, QLD |
| Middle third | $2.44/L | 63 | $2.29/L at Richmond, QLD |
| Last third | $2.39/L | 116 | $1.75/L at Cardwell, QLD |
Towns selling fuel between Brisbane and Cairns
218 towns on this corridor had a fresh price report at the last check. Listed below are 20 of them, spaced along the drive in the order you reach them. Where a town shows a range, that is the gap between its own stations — worth knowing before you pull into the first one you see.
| Town | Into the drive | Stations | ULP 91 reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnnerleyQLD | 0 km | 2 | $2.19 – $2.28/L |
| Norman ParkQLD | 0 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
| NewsteadQLD | 5 km | 2 | $2.42 – $2.43/L |
| Everton ParkQLD | 10 km | 1 | $2.33/L |
| HendraQLD | 10 km | 1 | $2.47/L |
| Strathpine CityQLD | 20 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
| North LakesQLD | 30 km | 4 | $2.44 – $2.48/L |
| Glass House MountainsQLD | 65 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
| YandinaQLD | 110 km | 1 | $2.45/L |
| GunaldaQLD | 195 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
| Apple Tree CreekQLD | 315 km | 1 | $2.50/L |
| RockhamptonQLD | 632 km | 9 | $2.42 – $2.49/L |
| YaambaQLD | 670 km | 1 | $2.44/L |
| OoraleaQLD | 965 km | 1 | $2.42/L |
| ProserpineQLD | 1090 km | 2 | $2.40 – $2.42/L |
| IdaliaQLD | 1345 km | 3 | $2.33 – $2.43/L |
| VincentQLD | 1350 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
| Bushland BeachQLD | 1370 km | 1 | $2.42/L |
| InnisfailQLD | 1610 km | 4 | $2.38 – $2.44/L |
| Parramatta ParkQLD | 1699 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
Brands you will pass on this road
A discount docket or a loyalty card is only worth carrying if the brand turns up where you are going. These are the brands with a fresh report on this corridor, cheapest average first — averages across a handful of sites, not a verdict on the brand.
- U-Go3 stations listed$2.26/L
- Liberty20 stations listed$2.33/L
- Pearl Energy6 stations listed$2.35/L
- United Petroleum25 stations listed$2.35/L
- Independent49 stations listed$2.38/L
- Mobil14 stations listed$2.38/L
- Metro Petroleum4 stations listed$2.39/L
- Shell10 stations listed$2.41/L
- BP64 stations listed$2.41/L
- Ampol25 stations listed$2.41/L
- 7-Eleven50 stations listed$2.42/L
- Caltex48 stations listed$2.43/L
- Ampol Foodary37 stations listed$2.43/L
- Puma Energy1 station listed$2.44/L
- EG Ampol29 stations listed$2.44/L
- Shell Reddy Express40 stations listed$2.44/L
Will your tank make it?
Range here uses real-world consumption — about 20% above the lab figure most cars are advertised with — and holds back a reserve rather than running you to the last drop.
| Vehicle | Real range | Fuel used | One tank? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small car45 L tank, 6.5 L/100km | 513 km | 133 L | No — 3 stops |
| Mid-size SUV60 L tank, 8.0 L/100km | 563 km | 163 L | No — 3 stops |
| Ute or 4WD80 L tank, 9.5 L/100km | 632 km | 194 L | No — 2 stops |
Your car is not one of these three. Use your actual make and model in the planner above and OTW works it out from the manufacturer's figures and how much fuel you have right now. If you have measured your own fuel use, you can calculate your L/100 km.
Cheapest ULP 91 on this route
425 stations within 5 km of the road, averaging $2.41/L.
| Station | Price | Into the drive | Off the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| United CardwellUnited Petroleum · Cardwell · QLDReported | $1.75/L | 1520 km | 2.0 km |
| Liberty AnnerleyLiberty · Annerley · QLDReported | $2.19/L | 0 km | 4.0 km |
| Quill Petroleum HawthorneIndependent · Hawthorne · QLDReported | $2.24/L | 0 km | 3.5 km |
| Ampol Foodary WoolloongabbaAmpol Foodary · Woolloongabba · QLDReported | $2.25/L | 0 km | 2.8 km |
| Caltex WilstonCaltex · Wilston · QLDReported | $2.25/L | 5 km | 2.1 km |
| U-Go LutwycheU-Go · Lutwyche · QLDReported | $2.25/L | 10 km | 2.2 km |
| Shell Express EdmontonShell · Edmonton · QLDReported | $2.26/L | 1685 km | 2.0 km |
| U-Go Bracken RidgeU-Go · Bracken Ridge · QLDReported | $2.26/L | 20 km | 2.8 km |
| U-Go West ChermsideU-Go · Chermside · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 15 km | 1.6 km |
| Liberty TaigumLiberty · Zillmere · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 15 km | 2.8 km |
Cheapest Diesel on this route
251 stations within 5 km of the road, averaging $2.80/L.
| Station | Price | Into the drive | Off the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| United CardwellUnited Petroleum · Cardwell · QLDReported | $1.80/L | 1520 km | 2.0 km |
| Ampol Nambour Diesel StopAmpol · Nambour · QLDReported | $2.61/L | 105 km | 1.8 km |
| MG FuelsIndependent · Bowen · QLDReported | $2.61/L | 1150 km | 3.9 km |
| Ampol Crystal Creek ServoAmpol · Crystal Creek · QLDReported | $2.64/L | 1420 km | 1.6 km |
| Kuttabul Road House and StoreIndependent · Kuttabul · QLDReported | $2.65/L | 995 km | 2.0 km |
| Quill PetroleumIndependent · Red Hill · QLDReported | $2.65/L | 0 km | 2.4 km |
| Liberty MonklandLiberty · Monkland · QLDReported | $2.66/L | 165 km | 1.9 km |
| Rollingstone FuelsBP · Rollingstone · QLDReported | $2.66/L | 1405 km | 1.1 km |
| Ampol Foodary MonklandAmpol Foodary · Monkland · QLDReported | $2.68/L | 165 km | 1.9 km |
| Shell Express EdmontonShell · Edmonton · QLDReported | $2.68/L | 1685 km | 2.0 km |
Common questions
- How far is it from Brisbane to Cairns?
- It is about 1701 km by road, roughly 20 hours of driving before stops.
- Can you drive Brisbane to Cairns on one tank?
- A small car (45 L tank, 6.5 L/100km) has an estimated real-world range of about 513 km, so it needs at least 3 stops. A mid-size SUV (60 L tank, 8.0 L/100km) has an estimated real-world range of about 563 km, so it needs at least 3 stops. A ute or 4WD (80 L tank, 9.5 L/100km) has an estimated real-world range of about 632 km, so it needs at least 2 stops. These use real-world consumption, about 20% above the lab figure, and hold back a reserve.
- Where is the cheapest fuel between Brisbane and Cairns?
- In the latest fresh reports, the cheapest ULP 91 on this corridor is $1.75/L at United Cardwell in Cardwell, about 1520 km into the drive. Prices can change before you arrive.
- How far off this road is cheap fuel worth driving for?
- At the 85.0c spread currently listed between Cardwell, QLD and Marlborough, QLD, a 60 litre fill at the cheap end saves about $51.00. For a car using around 9.6 L/100km that pays for roughly 120.7 km each way off the route before the detour has eaten the saving — and that is fuel only, not the time.
- Is diesel cheaper than petrol on this drive?
- No. Along this corridor diesel is averaging about 39.2c a litre more than ULP 91 in the latest fresh reports.