The Blues booted nine goals to one in the second half to score their most impressive victory of the season to date 12.10.82 to 10.9.69.
The 13-point victory, which was the Blues first over the Kangaroos since the 1995 preliminary final, means Carlton has now won three matches on the trot and has entrenched itself in the eight after a shaky start to the season.
The Roos looked more comfortable in the slippery conditions in the first half, suiting their rugged, direct style, and led 9.4 (58) to 3.5 (23) at the main break.
They looked as good as home for a third straight win to re-ignite their finals ambitions, but their win-loss record now stands at a precarious 3-6.
The key to the first half performance was the experienced defenders of the Roos, with David King rebounding across half-back, Glenn Archer shutting down Brendan Fevola, and John Blakey gaining many possessions.
Beanpole ruckman Matthew 'Spider' Burton was well on top of Mark Porter in ruck.
Carlton switched to a smaller forward line in the third quarter, with a game plan revolving around long kicks to Anthony Koutoufides, with crumbers around him.
After an early goal to Michael Mansfield, the strategy worked perfectly when Brett Ratten took a crumb to goal seven minutes into the third, narrowing the gap to four goals.
It was take two when Koutoufides got an almost illegally slick handball to Camporeale for a third for the quarter, and Camporeale - the Blues best on the night - soccered another through entering time on.
Fevola scored a goal on the run at the 24 minute mark, and by the last change, the Roos lead had been whittled to just five points.
Luck appeared on Carlton's side early in the final quarter when a quick kick forward dropped over a posse of Roo defenders into the lap of Simon Beaumont.
He converted to put the Blues in front for the first time since early in the first term.
When in-form Darren Hulme broke a tackle to goal and extend the lead to seven points, the momentum had swung completely against a Roos outfit that could not find any avenue to goal against the mean Carlton defence.
However Carlton allowed Saverio Rocca to mark uncontested and convert midway through the term to breathe new life into the Roos' hopes.
But it was quickly snuffed out when Lance Whitnall kicked a long bomb goal to mark his 100th match and Matthew Lappin kicked the match-winner.
Scoreboard:
CARLTON: 1.2, 3.5, 8.8, 12.10 (82)
KANGAROOS: 6.1, 9.4, 9.7, 10.9 (69)
Goals: Carlton: M Mansfield 2 M Lappin 2 S Camporeale 2 B Ratten L Whitnall B Fevola D Hulme S Beaumont R Houlihan. Kangaroos: S Rocca 2 C McKernan 2 J Sinclair M Burton S Clayton A Lange B Pickett S Cochrane.
Best: Carlton: S Camporeale M Mansfield L Whitnall A Koutoufides M Porter D Hulme R Houlihan. Kangaroos: M Burton J Blakey C McKernan S Rocca D King A Simpson.
Umpires: H Kennedy, S Wenn, D Woodcock
Official crowd: 43,624 at MCG.
