Getting around the Cairns region is relatively easy.

 

International flights

 

Cairns International Airport operates regular flights from major cities around the world. However direct flights can be quite expensive so most visitors travel via Sydney, Melbourne or Perth and Darwin.

Getting to Australia and Cairns

An island continent, Australia is surrounded by ocean and therefore the only way to visit is via plane or boat. Almost all visitors will have to enter the country via a major capital city, usually Sydney, Melbourne or Perth. About half of all visitors enter via Sydney’s Kingsford-Smith International Airport.

How long does it take to get to Australia?

It takes about three hours to fly from New Zealand to Australia.
It takes between 7 and 11 hours to fly from Asian countries to Australia.
It takes about 15 hours to fly from the west coast of the United States of America to Australia.
It takes about 18 hours to fly from South Africa to Australia.
It takes between 13 and 16 hours to fly from South America to Australia.
It takes more than 24 hours to fly from Europe to Australia.

* based on direct flights only

Due to the long travelling time, most visitors choose to break their journey in Singapore, Dubai, Thailand or Malaysia.
After Sydney, visitors also arrive, in descending order, in the cities of Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. Only a few travellers enter the country directly at Cairns, Adelaide, Darwin, the Gold Coast, Norfolk Island, Newcastle or Broome (WA).

Getting to Cairns – Domestic flights

Cairns International Airport operates regular and numerous flights from the major capital cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Perth as well as Darwin, Adelaide, Hobart and Brisbane arriving in the Domestic terminal.

How long does it take?
It takes about 3 hours to fly from Sydney to Cairns.
It takes about 2.5 hours to fly from Brisbane to Cairns.
It takes about 3.5 hours to fly from Melbourne to Cairns.
It takes about 8.5 hours to fly from Perth to Cairns with a stop over in Brisbane.
It takes about 6.5 hours to fly from Adelaide to Cairns with a stop over in Melbourne.
It takes about 2.5 hours to fly from Darwin to Cairns.
It takes about 6.5 hours to fly from Hobart to Cairns with a stop over in Melbourne.

Customs and quarantine

As an isolated region with economic dependence on its agriculture, Australia operates under very strict customs and quarantine laws. There are even restrictions on carrying fruit between various states around Australia.

Australia is free of many diseases and insect pests which is why animal and vegetable product imports, including wood, are highly controlled.

All incoming visitors must pass a customs check. No fruits, vegetables, meat or other food products are allowed into the country unless they are factory produced or on an approved list – chocolate, for example, is acceptable.

As long as visitors declare all such products there is no penalty. There are a number of prominent signs at every airport outlining the import restrictions. Declared products will be confiscated and destroyed or held in quarantine.

Should a visitor not declare restricted imports there are very heavy penalties including fines of thousands of dollars and a possible jail term.

Since the increase in airport security due to the threat of terrorism, customs has become even more stringent with every piece of baggage being examined. There is almost no possibility of smuggling restricted items into the country.

For more information go to the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service website at www.daff.gov.au/aqis

Medication, baby foods and accepted items are able to be brought into Australia. As a multicultural nation, almost all food stuffs, including ethnic specialities, are available in the capital cities and most major towns. Tourist destinations, like the Cairns region, offer specialist produce stores.

Visas and documentation

All foreign nationals except New Zealanders need visas to enter Australia. Citizens of some countries can obtain an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) which is a tourist or business visa valid for up to 3 month stays at one time, up to one year in duration.

There are a number of other kinds of visas available including student visas, working visas, one year, under 25 years, working visas for citizens of the United Kingdom and other forms of residency. Australia does have a refugee program; however in recent years restrictions have been tightened and numbers of these granted have been reduced.

For more information see the Australian Government Department of Immigration and Citizenship at www.immi.gov.au

 

Useful numbers for airlines in Cairns

 

Public transport in Cairns

Once visitors have arrived in Cairns, getting around consists of a combination of public and private transport depending on how long the visitor intends to stay.

From Cairns International Airport, visitors can choose to take a city transport bus or a taxi (cab). Accommodation providers, particularly backpacker hostels, also provide bus transport from the airport.

It is only about 10-15 minutes from the airport to the city centre and should cost approximately $13-15.

Getting around Cairns city

Bicycles

Cairns is a relatively flat city and many visitors enjoy hiring bicycles for the duration of their visit to get around the city and close by attractions like the Cairns Botanic Gardens, the Esplanade and Shopping Centres. Bicycles can be hired from hire companies or bought second-hand via the local newspaper, The Cairns Post.

Taxis

Taxis are relatively expensive for long journeys outside of Cairns city centre, but reasonable for short jaunts in the city itself. The major taxi rank is located on Lake St in the centre of Cairns city. Taxis can also be picked up from most hotels or called to order on 131 008. Taxis tend not to pick people up in the street unless dropping off another passenger.

Car hire

Many visitors choose to hire a car or 4WD vehicle, particularly if they plan to stay for an extended period and/or visit other towns in the region. There are a number of international car hire companies in the city as well as cheaper options with older cars available.

>> For more information go to Car Hire

Buying a car

A popular choice with backpackers is to hire or buy a van, which has often been converted into a mini caravan, and use it as their base of operations, camping and travelling without a schedule around the area. These vans can be found in the pages of the local newspaper, The Cairns Post, or from amateur advertisements at various backpacker accommodations around the city.

Tour buses

It is not necessary for visitors to hire a car as all towns, tours and attractions can be reached via tour operators. These tours will pick visitors up from their accommodation and return them at the end of the tour.

Local public buses

Public buses – the blue Sunbus – travel around the city of Cairns and to all suburbs including the northern beaches and Palm Cove. There are also public buses to the smaller towns including Kuranda and Port Douglas, the Atherton Tablelands, Mission Beach and Cooktown.

Interstate public buses

Visitors can travel to other states via ‘coaches’ leaving from a central depot at the Reef Fleet Terminal on the Cairns Esplanade. There are two major companies, Greyhound-Pioneer and McCafferty’s.

Trains

Trains are another way to travel into the region from other states, however there is no light rail in the Cairns region apart from the tourist attraction of the Kuranda Scenic Railway and other historic trains. Queensland Rail operates from the Cairns Central Railway Station to the rear of Cairns Central Shopping Centre.

Useful numbers for public transport

 

Road conditions

RACQ road condition reports (recorded) 1300 130 595