Update, 12 September 2026: we rechecked this against the Department of Transport and Main Roads project page. The mid-2027 completion still stands. What has moved: three landslips near Lake Barrine have now been stabilised, work is currently underway on five upslope and downslope slip sites, and TMR says repairs to more sites will start during 2026. Changed traffic conditions including reduced speed limits, single-lane closures and traffic control remain in place for the duration of the works, and full road closures may be needed at times. The article below is left as published on 2 July 2026.
The Gillies Range road, the famous 263-corner climb between Gordonvale and the Atherton Tablelands, is getting a serious round of repairs, and if your Cairns itinerary includes crater lakes, waterfalls or Yungaburra’s platypus, this affects your drive. Here’s the situation, minus the drama.
What’s happening
The Queensland Government is running a major reconstruction program on the Gillies Range road, repairing 19 landslip sites damaged in past cyclone seasons, with the overall works valued at around $50.7 million and expected to continue until mid-2027, according to the Department of Transport and Main Roads’ project updates and the government’s announcements.
The practical translation: the road remains open, but expect reduced speed limits, single-lane sections under traffic control, and added travel time at various points along the range while crews work. Delays vary day to day depending on which sites are active.
What it means for your trip
Add buffer, not cancellation. The Tablelands remain completely accessible. Budget an extra 15 to 30 minutes for the Gillies climb on a workday and you’ll rarely be caught out. Early starts help, as they do for everything up here.
Consider the loop. The classic Tablelands route is a loop anyway: up one range, down another. While the Gillies has works, the Kuranda Range (via Smithfield) and the Palmerston Highway (via Innisfail) are your alternatives, and going up the Kuranda Range and down the Gillies (or vice versa) means you only meet the traffic control once. Our Atherton Tablelands guide covers all three routes.
Motorcyclists and drive enthusiasts: the corners are still there, all 263 of them, but treat the traffic control zones with patience. The road will come back better; landslip repairs are the reason it stays drivable at all in a region this rainy.
The bigger picture
Roads that climb rainforest ranges in one of Australia’s wettest regions need constant care, and this investment follows the cyclone damage of recent seasons. Short-term patience, long-term payoff: a more resilient road to the best day-tripping country in the north. Check the Department of Transport and Main Roads website for current traffic conditions before you drive, especially after heavy rain.
FAQs
Is the Gillies Range road open? Yes, open with roadworks: reduced speeds and single-lane traffic control at active sites. Allow extra time rather than changing plans.
How long will the Gillies roadworks last? The reconstruction program is expected to run until around mid-2027, per Transport and Main Roads. Individual work sites move around the range as repairs progress.
Is there another way to the Atherton Tablelands? Two: the Kuranda Range from Smithfield and the Palmerston Highway from Innisfail. A loop using two different ranges is the classic Tablelands day anyway.
Why are the works happening? Repairs to 19 landslip sites from cyclone damage, a roughly $50 million investment in keeping the range road resilient. Wet ranges and roads are an ongoing negotiation up here.
Header photo (colour adjusted): Kerry Raymond via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
