Cheapest fuel stops from Cairns to Mount Isa
Plan your drive below with Cairns and Mount Isa 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 1112 km and takes roughly 14h 27m 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 $11.52 — 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 265 km, between Conjuboy, QLD and Hughenden, QLD, starting about 325 km in. That is far enough to need planning rather than noticing. Plenty of cars cover it from full — but nobody arrives at the far end of a stretch like that full, so what matters is what is in the tank when you reach the start of it. Fill before it, not after.
Reported ULP 91 prices on this road range from $2.26/L at Edmonton, QLD to $2.75/L at Conjuboy, QLD — a spread of 49.0c a litre. On a 60 litre fill that is $29.40 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
Shell Express Edmonton in Edmonton is about 15 km from Cairns. Its reported price is $2.26/L, about 2.7 km off the route.
Middle of the drive
Midway Service Station in Richmond is about 705 km from Cairns. Its reported price is $2.46/L, about 0.7 km off the route.
Final approach
Astron Mount Isa in Mount Isa is about 1111 km from Cairns. Its reported price is $2.38/L, on the route.
Where the fuel gets dearer on this drive
Fuel on this road is averaging about 19.8c a litre more in the last third of the drive than in the first. Leaving Cairns with a full tank buys the cheaper fuel while it is still around you, and the stops near Mount Isa become a top-up rather than a fill.
| Part of the drive | Average ULP 91 | Stations listed | Cheapest in it |
|---|---|---|---|
| First third | $2.41/L | 46 | $2.26/L at Edmonton, QLD |
| Middle third | $2.56/L | 6 | $2.46/L at Richmond, QLD |
| Last third | $2.60/L | 9 | $2.38/L at Mount Isa, QLD |
Towns selling fuel between Cairns and Mount Isa
29 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 |
| Cairns NorthQLD | 0 km | 1 | $2.34/L |
| North CairnsQLD | 0 km | 1 | $2.35/L |
| Edge HillQLD | 0 km | 1 | $2.35/L |
| CairnsQLD | 1 km | 5 | $2.37 – $2.45/L |
| ManundaQLD | 3 km | 4 | $2.39 – $2.44/L |
| ManooraQLD | 5 km | 1 | $2.29/L |
| EarlvilleQLD | 5 km | 2 | $2.30 – $2.34/L |
| PortsmithQLD | 5 km | 1 | $2.43/L |
| White RockQLD | 10 km | 1 | $2.38/L |
| EdmontonQLD | 15 km | 5 | $2.26 – $2.41/L |
| GordonvaleQLD | 23 km | 2 | $2.40/L |
| YungaburraQLD | 65 km | 1 | $2.46/L |
| MalandaQLD | 75 km | 3 | $2.46 – $2.49/L |
| Millaa MillaaQLD | 95 km | 1 | $2.54/L |
| Mount GarnetQLD | 160 km | 2 | $2.45 – $2.47/L |
| ConjuboyQLD | 325 km | 1 | $2.75/L |
| RichmondQLD | 705 km | 1 | $2.46/L |
| Julia CreekQLD | 855 km | 1 | $2.71/L |
| Mount IsaQLD | 1111 km | 5 | $2.38 – $2.71/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.
- 7-Eleven3 stations listed$2.32/L
- Shell2 stations listed$2.33/L
- United Petroleum4 stations listed$2.35/L
- Solo1 station listed$2.38/L
- EG Ampol2 stations listed$2.38/L
- Mobil4 stations listed$2.38/L
- Liberty4 stations listed$2.41/L
- Ampol Foodary2 stations listed$2.41/L
- Independent18 stations listed$2.48/L
- BP8 stations listed$2.48/L
- Shell Reddy Express5 stations listed$2.50/L
- Ampol2 stations listed$2.53/L
- Caltex6 stations listed$2.55/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 | 87 L | No — 2 stops |
| Mid-size SUV60 L tank, 8.0 L/100km | 563 km | 107 L | No — 1 stop |
| Ute or 4WD80 L tank, 9.5 L/100km | 632 km | 127 L | No — 1 stop |
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
61 stations within 5 km of the road, averaging $2.45/L.
| Station | Price | Into the drive | Off the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shell Express EdmontonShell · Edmonton · QLDReported | $2.26/L | 15 km | 2.7 km |
| OOM Energy Cairns CentralIndependent · Cairns Central · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 0 km | 1.1 km |
| United WoreeUnited Petroleum · Woree · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 5 km | 0.9 km |
| Liberty WoreeLiberty · Woree · QLDReported | $2.27/L | 5 km | 2.0 km |
| Caltex WoreeCaltex · Woree · QLDReported | $2.28/L | 5 km | 1.7 km |
| Liberty ManooraLiberty · Manoora · QLDReported | $2.29/L | 5 km | 4.2 km |
| BP EarlvilleBP · Earlville · QLDReported | $2.30/L | 5 km | 1.6 km |
| 7-Eleven Woree7-Eleven · Woree · QLDReported | $2.30/L | 5 km | 2.0 km |
| 7-Eleven Westcourt7-Eleven · Westcourt · QLDReported | $2.32/L | 5 km | 1.6 km |
| United Cairns NorthUnited Petroleum · Cairns North · QLDReported | $2.34/L | 0 km | 1.8 km |
Cheapest Diesel on this route
66 stations within 5 km of the road, averaging $2.82/L.
| Station | Price | Into the drive | Off the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solo Mount IsaSolo · Mount Isa · QLDReported | $2.65/L | 1110 km | 0.9 km |
| Caltex RichmondCaltex · Richmond · QLDReported | $2.68/L | 705 km | On route |
| Shell Express EdmontonShell · Edmonton · QLDReported | $2.68/L | 15 km | 2.7 km |
| OOM Energy Cairns CentralIndependent · Cairns Central · QLDReported | $2.69/L | 0 km | 1.1 km |
| Midway Service StationLiberty · Richmond · QLDReported | $2.69/L | 705 km | 0.7 km |
| United WoreeUnited Petroleum · Woree · QLDReported | $2.69/L | 5 km | 0.9 km |
| Liberty WoreeLiberty · Woree · QLDReported | $2.69/L | 5 km | 2.0 km |
| Liberty ManooraLiberty · Manoora · QLDReported | $2.69/L | 5 km | 4.2 km |
| Astron Mount IsaIndependent · Mount Isa · QLDReported | $2.70/L | 1111 km | On route |
| Caltex WoreeCaltex · Woree · QLDReported | $2.70/L | 5 km | 1.7 km |
Common questions
- How far is it from Cairns to Mount Isa?
- It is about 1112 km by road, roughly 14 hours 27 minutes of driving before stops.
- Can you drive Cairns to Mount Isa 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 2 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 1 stop. 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 1 stop. These use real-world consumption, about 20% above the lab figure, and hold back a reserve.
- Where is the cheapest fuel between Cairns and Mount Isa?
- In the latest fresh reports, the cheapest ULP 91 on this corridor is $2.26/L at Shell Express Edmonton in Edmonton, about 15 km into the drive. Prices can change before you arrive.
- How far off this road is cheap fuel worth driving for?
- At the 49.0c spread currently listed between Edmonton, QLD and Conjuboy, QLD, a 60 litre fill at the cheap end saves about $29.40. For a car using around 9.6 L/100km that pays for roughly 69.6 km each way off the route before the detour has eaten the saving — and that is fuel only, not the time.
- Should you fill up before leaving Cairns?
- On current reports, yes. Fuel averages about 19.8c a litre more in the last third of this drive than in the first, so leaving Cairns on a full tank buys the cheaper fuel while it is still around you.
- Is diesel cheaper than petrol on this drive?
- No. Along this corridor diesel is averaging about 37.1c a litre more than ULP 91 in the latest fresh reports.