Distance between Bowen and Cairns
The distance from Bowen to Cairns is 550 kilometers by road including 23 kilometers on motorways. Road takes approximately 6 hours and 20 minutes and goes through Merinda, Guthalungra, Gumlu, Home Hill, Ayr, Stuart and Douglas.
Shortest distance by air | 432 km ✈️ |
Car route length | 550 km 🚗 |
Driving time | 6 h 20 min |
Fuel amount | 44 L |
Fuel cost | 73.5 AUD |

Point | Distance | Time | Fuel | |
Bowen | 0 km | 00 min | 0.0 L | |
A1 10 km, 08 min
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Merinda | 10 km | 08 min | 0.6 L | |
A1 39 km, 26 min
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Guthalungra | 49 km | 34 min | 3.4 L | |
A1 16 km, 11 min
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Gumlu | 65 km | 46 min | 4.7 L | |
A1 38 km, 26 min
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Home Hill | 103 km | 1 h 12 min | 7.9 L | |
A1 13 km, 09 min
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Ayr | 117 km | 1 h 22 min | 9.0 L | |
A1 74 km, 50 min
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Stuart | 191 km | 2 h 13 min | 14.9 L | |
A1 13 km, 09 min
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Douglas | 205 km | 2 h 22 min | 16.2 L | |
A1 11 km, 06 min
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Shaw | 216 km | 2 h 29 min | 17.0 L | |
A1 334 km, 3 h 51 min
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Cairns | 550 km | 6 h 20 min | 43.8 L |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to drive from Bowen to Cairns?
Fuel cost: 73.5 AUD
This fuel cost is calculated as: (Route length 550 km / 100 km) * (Fuel consumption 8 L/100 km) * (Fuel price 1.67 AUD / L)
You can adjust fuel consumption and fuel price here.
How long is a car ride from Bowen to Cairns?
Driving time: 6 h 20 min
This time is calculated for driving at the maximum permitted speed, taking into account traffic rules restrictions.
- 20 km with a maximum speed 100 km/h = 11 min
- 403 km with a maximum speed 90 km/h = 4 h 28 min
- 106 km with a maximum speed 80 km/h = 1 h 19 min
- 6 km with a maximum speed 70 km/h = 5 min
- 15 km with a maximum speed 60 km/h = 14 min
The calculated driving time does not take into account intermediate stops and traffic jams.
How far is Bowen to Cairns by land?
The distance between Bowen and Cairns is 550 km by road including 23 km on motorways.
Precise satellite coordinates of highways were used for this calculation. The start and finish points are the centers of Bowen and Cairns respectively.
How far is Bowen to Cairns by plane?
The shortest distance (air line, as the crow flies) between Bowen and Cairns is 432 km.
This distance is calculated using the Haversine formula as a great-circle distance between two points on the surface of a sphere. The start and finish points are the centers of Bowen and Cairns respectively. Actual distance between airports may be different.
How many hours is Bowen from Cairns by plane?
Boeing 737 airliner needs 32 min to cover the distance of 432 km at a cruising speed of 800 km/h.
Small plane "Cessna 172" needs 1 h 57 min to flight this distance at average speed of 220 km/h.
This time is approximate and do not take into account takeoff and landing times, airport location and other real world factors.
How long is a helicopter ride from Bowen to Cairns?
Fast helicopter "Eurocopter AS350" or "Hughes OH-6 Cayuse" need 1 h 48 min to cover the distance of 432 km at a cruising speed of 240 km/h.
Popular "Robinson R44" needs 2 h 3 min to flight this distance at average speed of 210 km/h.
This time is approximate and do not take into account takeoff and landing times, aerodrome location and other real world factors.
What city is halfway between Bowen and Cairns?
The halfway point between Bowen and Cairns is Mutarnee. It is located about 3 km from the exact midpoint by road.
The distance from Mutarnee to Bowen is 272 km and driving will take about 3 h 6 min. The road between Mutarnee and Cairns has length 278 km and will take approximately 3 h 14 min.
The other cities located close to halfway point:
Where is Bowen in relation to Cairns?
Bowen is located 432 km south-east of Cairns.
Bowen has geographic coordinates: latitude -20.01069, longitude 148.24682.
Cairns has geographic coordinates: latitude -16.9205, longitude 145.77189.
Which highway goes from Bowen to Cairns?
The route from Bowen to Cairns follows A1.