Visit Talaroo Hot Springs on Queensland’s Savannah Way road trip

The Savannah Way is a road trip that will take you through five World Heritage areas. It covers 3,700 kilometres of spectacular Aussie landscapes from Cairns to Broome but we are just focusing on the Cairns to Talaroo Hot Springs leg of this colossal road trip. This seasonal road trip is best from April to October when the Talaroo Hot Springs are open.

Talaroo Hot Springs

Talaroo Hot Springs is an incredible natural wonder formed over 65 million years in Queensland’s Gulf Savannah. The hot springs are one of only two natural mound springs in Australia not fed by the Artesian Basin. The main spring pumps out 62 degrees Celcius water that flows into many pools and terraces producing vivid colours and diverse formations. The water is heated by hot granite rocks as it seeps kilometres underground. The water takes 20,000 years from falling as rain in the nearby Newcastle ranges to discharging from the Springs.

This unique landscape is also home to aquatic animals and plants found nowhere else on earth. The 800-square-metre springs site sites on the 31,500-hectare Talaroo Station.

Hot Springs Discovery Tour

Joining a tour with a Traditional Ewamian Owner is the only way to access Talaroo Hot Springs including the bathing pools. You will learn about  Talaroo’s spiritual and cultural significance while the kids marvel at the geological wonder. A boardwalk separates little hands and feet from the searing 62 °C water that bubbles from the Earth. You can take a dip in the therapeutic bathing pools, cooled to bath-like temperatures. The tour is $36 for adults, $20 for children 5 to 15 and free for under 5’s.

The tours operate from April to October each year.

Talaroo Hot Springs is four and a half hours from cairns and 20 hours from Brisbane. But the journey here is better as a slow one, road-tripping the impressive Savannah Way. Read on for the best Savannah Way road trip stops for families.

Cairns to Talaroo Hot Springs via the Savannah Way

The trip from Cairns along the first leg of the Savannah Way to Talaroo Hot Springs will take you from waterfalls to steaming pools, with the world’s longest lava cave system in between.

From Cairns, it takes 35 minutes to reach the first highlight, Barron Gorge Lookout. The drive takes you winding through the scenic Kuranda Range towards the Atherton Tablelands. At the lookout, you’ll be greeted by the spectacular sight of Barron Falls tumbling straight from the World Heritage-listed rainforest.

Nearby lies a hidden gem, Fruibies Juice’s Dragon’s Fire smoothie with locally-grown dragon fruit is our pick to fuel the 67-kilometre onward trek to Atherton.

Atherton Tablelands

The region has more waterfalls than days of the week, crater lakes bluer than the sea, kangaroos that live in trees, and a trilogy of chocolate, cheese and ice cream to devour. You could easily spend a week here exploring ancient rainforests, wetlands, volcanic lakes, waterfalls and national parks. This is your stop to slow down and spend time forest bathing and taking in your stunning natural surroundings. 

Read: 28 best things to do in Atherton Tablelands with kids

Ravenshoe

Queensland’s highest town, Ravenshoe is the base from which to chase waterfalls. It is 50 kilometres and approximately a 40-minute drive from Atherton.

Two of the region’s most scenic waterways are found nearby in Millstream Falls National Park, in the shadow of the Great Dividing Range. You’ll also find both Little and Big Millstream Falls near the town. The latter is reputedly Australia’s widest single-drop waterfall and is easily viewed via the sun-dappled walking tracks that weave throughout the park.

Innot Hot Springs

Innot Hot Springs are the closest hot springs near Cairns. If you were to drive to the hot springs directly from Cairns it would take just over two hours. 

Undara Volcanic National Park

After a dip in the mineral-infused waters at Innot Hot Springs, the kids will be soothed to sleep you punch out another 120 kilometres to reach the Undara Volcanic National Park. Arrive by 5pm for the ‘Wildlife at Sunset Tour‘ with Undara Experience (The company closes from November to March during wet season). It concludes at dusk with thousands of nocturnal microbats leaving the cave system to feed, while pythons and brown tree snakes do their best to snatch them in a scene that feels very Attenboroughesque.

Undara Volcanic National Park dates back 190,000 years, and a guided tour inside its lava tubes reveals the fascinating engineering work created by just one volcano. You can also fossick for topaz here. Then take a walk around the rim of Kalkani Crater to finish off an epic visit to this geological wonder.

Stay: Spend the night in a remodelled turn-ofthe-century Queensland Rail carriage at Undara Experience

From Undara Volcanic National Park it is another 100 kilometres to reach Talaroo Hot Springs. It is a special section of the road trip from Cairns where the landscape changes from open woodland to golden grassland.

The Talaroo Hot Springs turnoff is approximately 5 kilometres east of the Einasleigh River on the Savannah Way. Then there is 10 kilometres of unsealed road, it is possible to drive a normal car on this road. Einasleigh itself is a small town with a train that stops right outside the local pub.

The Einsleigh River near to the Talaroo Hot Springs is fantastic for swimming and fishing.

Talaroo Hot Springs accommodation

Families can stay right by the springs in the recently built Talaroo Outback Camping and Caravan Park. There are 16 powered and 14 unpowered sites, eco tents, a camp kitchen, reception, gift shop and kiosk café. Sit around the fire pit at night to swap stories with fellow travellers and hear Dreamtime stories from the Ewamian people. The campsite is open from April to October each year.

The simple Eco Tents sleep two in a queen bed and have a battery-powered lantern, deck and luggage rack. The tents have no water or power connection. So switch off and enjoy the sounds of Queensland’s Gulf Savannah.

Want to see more of the outback? Take a 77-kilometre detour from Mt Surprise to Copperfield Gorge in Einasleigh, the perfect spot for a dip.

This article was produced with in partnership with Cairns & Great Barrier Reef and is a Holidays with Kids digital exclusive. Be the first to see more exclusive online content by subscribing to the enewsletter here.

Keep reading:

• Cairns to Cape Tribulation road trip
• The best holiday parks in Australia
• Feeling lucky? Check out our latest competitions

QLD family accommodation