Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Qantas (tel. 13 13 13 in Australia) has direct flights throughout the day to Cairns from Sydney and Brisbane, and at least one flight a day from Darwin, Uluru (Ayers Rock), and Perth. From Melbourne you can sometimes fly direct, but most flights connect through Sydney or Brisbane. QantasLink also flies from Townsville, Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays, and Alice Springs. Virgin Blue (tel. 13 67 89 in Australia) flies to Cairns direct from Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne. Jetstar (tel. 13 15 38 in Australia) flies from Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide, and Melbourne. Several international carriers serve Cairns from various Asian cities and New Zealand.

Cairns Airport is 8km (5 miles) north of downtown. The domestic and international terminals are linked by a covered walkway -- it takes about 5 minutes to walk between the two. Airport Connections (tel. 07/4099 5950; www.tnqshuttle.com) will meet all flights at both terminals. Transfers to the city cost A$11 (US$9.90/£4.95) adults and A$5.50 (US$4.95/£2.45) children 4 to 14, and they also run transfers to as far as Cape Tribulation, Mission Beach, and Dunk Island. Sun Palm Express Coaches (tel. 07/4084 2626; www.sunpalmtransport.com) provides transfers from the airport to the city and northern beaches. The one-way fare is A$10 (US$9/£4.50) adults and A$5 (US$4.50/£2.25) children 2 to 12 to the city, and A$18 (US$16/£8.10) adults and A$8 (US$7.20/£3.60) children to Palm Cove.

A taxi from the airport costs around A$18 (US$16/£8.10) to the city, A$35 (US$32/£16) to Trinity Beach, and A$45 (US$41/£20) to Palm Cove. Call Black & White Taxis (tel. 13 10 08 in Australia).

Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz, Redspot, and Thrifty all have car-rental offices at the domestic and international terminals.

By Train -- Long-distance trains operated by Queensland Rail's Traveltrain (tel. 1800/872 467 in Queensland; www.traveltrain.com.au) run from Brisbane several times a week. The 160kmph (100-mph) Tilt Train takes about 25 hours and costs A$310 (US$279/£140) for business class. Northbound trains leave Brisbane at 6:25pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday; southbound runs depart Cairns at 8:15am on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The train features luxury business-class seating, with an entertainment system for each seat, including multiple movie and audio channels.

The Sunlander, which runs four times a week between Brisbane and Cairns, takes 32 hours and costs A$212 (US$191/£95) for a sitting berth, A$271 (US$244/£122) for an economy-class sleeper, A$417 (US$375/£188) for a first-class sleeper, or A$761 (US$685/£342) for all-inclusive Queenslander class (only available twice a week). Trains pull into the Cairns Central terminal (tel. 07/4036 9250) on Bunda Street in the center of town. The station has no showers, lockers, or currency exchange booths, but you will find 24-hour ATMs outside the Cairns Central shopping mall, right above the terminal.

By Bus -- Greyhound Australia (tel. 1300/473 946 in Australia, or 07/4051 5899 in Cairns; www.greyhound.com.au) buses pull into Trinity Wharf Centre, on Wharf Street, in the center of town. Buses travel from the south via all towns and cities on the Bruce Highway; they also run from the west, from Alice Springs and Darwin, via Tennant Creek on the Stuart Highway, and the Outback mining town of Mount Isa to Townsville, where they join the Bruce Highway and head north. The 46-hour Sydney-Cairns trip costs A$360 (US$324/£162); the 30-hour trip from Brisbane is A$240 (US$216/£108).

By Car -- From Brisbane and all major towns in the south, you'll enter Cairns on the Bruce Highway. To reach the northern beaches or Port Douglas from Cairns, take Sheridan Street in the city center, which becomes the Captain Cook Highway.

Visitor Information

Tourism Tropical North Queensland's Gateway Discovery Centre, 51 The Esplanade, Cairns, QLD 4870 (tel. 07/4051 3588; fax 07/4051 2509; www.tropicalaustralia.com.au), has information on Cairns and its environs, Mission Beach, Port Douglas, the Daintree Rainforest, Cape York, and Outback Queensland. It's open daily from 8:30am to 6:30pm and 10am to 6pm on public holidays; it's closed December 25, New Year's Day, and Good Friday.

City Layout

The focal point of the city is the Esplanade, which has a 4,000-sq.-m (43,000-sq.-ft.) man-made saltwater swimming lagoon, with a wide sandy beach, and surrounding parkland, with public artworks and picnic areas. Suspended over the mud flats and providing a platform for birding, a timber boardwalk runs 600m (1,968 ft.) along the waterfront and is lit at night. A walkway links the Esplanade to the Reef Fleet Terminal, the departure point for Great Barrier Reef boats.

Downtown Cairns is on a grid 5 blocks deep, bounded in the east by the Esplanade on the water and in the west by McLeod Street, where the train station and the Cairns Central shopping mall are. In between are shops, offices, and restaurants.

Heading 15 minutes north from the city along the Captain Cook Highway, you come to the northern beaches: Holloway's Beach, Yorkey's Knob, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove, and Ellis Beach.

Croc Alert! -- Dangerous crocodiles inhabit Cairns's waterways. Do not swim in or stand on the bank of any river or stream.

Getting Around

By Bus -- Sunbus (tel. 07/4057 7411) buses depart City Place Mall at the intersection of Lake and Shields streets. Buy all tickets and passes on board, and try to have correct change. You can hail buses anywhere it's convenient for the driver to stop. Bus nos. 1N, 1X, 2, and 2A travel to Trinity Beach and Palm Cove. The N route is an express bus that runs between the city and Palm Cove on Friday and Saturday nights only. Routes and timetables change, so check with the driver. Most buses run from early morning until almost midnight.

By Car -- Avis (tel. 07/4051 5911), Budget (tel. 07/4051 9222), Europcar (tel. 1300/131 390 in Australia), Hertz (tel. 07/4051 6399), and Thrifty (tel. 1300/367 227 in Australia) have offices in Cairns city and at the airport. Redspot Car Rentals (tel. 07/4034 9052) has an airport office. One long-established local outfit, Sugarland Car Rentals (tel. 07/4052 1300), has reasonable rates. Britz Campervan Rentals (tel. 1800/331 454 in Australia, or 07/4032 2611) and Maui Rentals (tel. 1300/363 800 in Australia, or 07/4032 2065) rent motor homes. Britz and most major rental-car companies rent four-wheel-drive vehicles.

By Taxi -- Call Black & White Taxis (tel. 13 10 08).