Cheapest fuel stops from Cairns to Brisbane
Plan your drive below with Cairns and Brisbane 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 1699 km and takes roughly 20h 15m 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 $39.42 — 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 Carmila, QLD and Ogmore, QLD, starting about 830 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
United Cardwell in Cardwell is about 180 km from Cairns. Its reported price is $1.75/L, about 1.4 km off the route.
Middle of the drive
Mobil Richmond in Richmond is about 730 km from Cairns. Its reported price is $2.29/L, about 4.7 km off the route.
Final approach
Liberty Annerley in Annerley is about 1697 km from Cairns. Its reported price is $2.19/L, about 4.0 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 4.6c a litre between the cheapest and dearest thirds, and the first 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 | $2.39/L | 118 | $1.75/L at Cardwell, QLD |
| Middle third | $2.44/L | 65 | $2.29/L at Richmond, QLD |
| Last third | $2.41/L | 245 | $2.19/L at Annerley, QLD |
Towns selling fuel between Cairns and Brisbane
220 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cairns CentralQLD | 0 km | 1 | $2.27/L |
| WestcourtQLD | 5 km | 1 | $2.32/L |
| Comoon LoopQLD | 90 km | 1 | $2.38/L |
| InnesQLD | 330 km | 1 | $2.39/L |
| Hyde ParkQLD | 350 km | 1 | $2.35/L |
| TownsvilleQLD | 355 km | 1 | $2.43/L |
| ProserpineQLD | 610 km | 2 | $2.40 – $2.42/L |
| MackayQLD | 734 km | 4 | $2.42 – $2.46/L |
| YaambaQLD | 1030 km | 1 | $2.44/L |
| RockhamptonQLD | 1068 km | 10 | $2.40 – $2.49/L |
| Apple Tree CreekQLD | 1385 km | 1 | $2.50/L |
| GunaldaQLD | 1505 km | 1 | $2.40/L |
| YandinaQLD | 1590 km | 1 | $2.45/L |
| Coochin CreekQLD | 1635 km | 2 | $2.40/L |
| North LakesQLD | 1669 km | 4 | $2.45 – $2.48/L |
| Bald HillsQLD | 1680 km | 2 | $2.35 – $2.38/L |
| VirginiaQLD | 1686 km | 5 | $2.43 – $2.47/L |
| ClayfieldQLD | 1690 km | 1 | $2.47/L |
| BalmoralQLD | 1695 km | 1 | $2.41/L |
| ToowongQLD | 1697 km | 1 | $2.55/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$2.27/L
- Liberty21 stations listed$2.34/L
- Pearl Energy6 stations listed$2.35/L
- United Petroleum26 stations listed$2.35/L
- Independent49 stations listed$2.38/L
- Mobil13 stations listed$2.38/L
- Shell10 stations listed$2.40/L
- Metro Petroleum5 stations listed$2.40/L
- BP64 stations listed$2.41/L
- Ampol26 stations listed$2.41/L
- 7-Eleven49 stations listed$2.41/L
- Puma Energy1 station listed$2.42/L
- Caltex49 stations listed$2.43/L
- Ampol Foodary36 stations listed$2.44/L
- EG Ampol30 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
428 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 | 180 km | 1.4 km |
| Liberty AnnerleyLiberty · Annerley · QLDReported | $2.19/L | 1697 km | 4.0 km |
| Quill Petroleum HawthorneIndependent · Hawthorne · QLDReported | $2.23/L | 1697 km | 3.5 km |
| U-Go LutwycheU-Go · Lutwyche · QLDReported | $2.25/L | 1690 km | 1.7 km |
| Caltex WilstonCaltex · Wilston · QLDReported | $2.25/L | 1695 km | 2.4 km |
| Shell Express EdmontonShell · Edmonton · QLDReported | $2.26/L | 15 km | 2.7 km |
| U-Go Bracken RidgeU-Go · Bracken Ridge · QLDReported | $2.26/L | 1680 km | 3.0 km |
| Liberty TaigumLiberty · Zillmere · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 1685 km | 2.9 km |
| Pearl Energy DeagonPearl Energy · Deagon · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 1680 km | 4.1 km |
| OOM Energy Cairns CentralIndependent · Cairns Central · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 0 km | 1.1 km |
Cheapest Diesel on this route
253 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 | 180 km | 1.4 km |
| MG FuelsIndependent · Bowen · QLDReported | $2.61/L | 550 km | 3.9 km |
| Ampol Nambour Diesel StopAmpol · Nambour · QLDReported | $2.62/L | 1595 km | 1.6 km |
| Ampol Crystal Creek ServoAmpol · Crystal Creek · QLDReported | $2.64/L | 280 km | 2.3 km |
| Quill PetroleumIndependent · Red Hill · QLDReported | $2.65/L | 1695 km | 2.2 km |
| Kuttabul Road House and StoreIndependent · Kuttabul · QLDReported | $2.65/L | 700 km | 2.4 km |
| Rollingstone FuelsBP · Rollingstone · QLDReported | $2.66/L | 295 km | 1.8 km |
| Liberty MonklandLiberty · Monkland · QLDReported | $2.67/L | 1535 km | 1.7 km |
| Shell Express EdmontonShell · Edmonton · QLDReported | $2.68/L | 15 km | 2.7 km |
| OOM Energy WulguruIndependent · Wulguru · QLDReported | $2.69/L | 355 km | 1.6 km |
Common questions
- How far is it from Cairns to Brisbane?
- It is about 1699 km by road, roughly 20 hours 15 minutes of driving before stops.
- Can you drive Cairns to Brisbane 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 Cairns and Brisbane?
- In the latest fresh reports, the cheapest ULP 91 on this corridor is $1.75/L at United Cardwell in Cardwell, about 180 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.