Destination guides > Australia > Queensland > Cairns > Coming & going
Cairns
Coming & going
Cairns is reasonably well connected to all forms of transport. There’s a busy international airport as well as regular train, bus and ferry connections.
AIR
Cairns International Airport (tel (07) 4052 9744) is about 6km north of the city centre on Captain Cook Highway and handles frequent flights within Australia and is increasingly becoming a popular international gateway with flights from Asia and Papua New Guinea.
Many backpackers either arrive or depart Cairns by air and flights between Cairns and Alice Springs, Darwin and Sydney are often bundled with backpacker bus package deals.
There are buses between the airport and the centre of Cairns, although many hostels also provide a free shuttle service. Alternatively there’s an Airport Shuttle (tel (07) 4048 8355) between the city centre and the airport. A taxi between the airport and the city centre costs around $15 for up to four passengers.
BUS & COACH
Both Greyhound (tel 1300 473 946) and Premier Motor Service have coaches going south to Sydney and Melbourne and Greyhound also have coaches to the Northern Territory. Coral Reef Coaches (tel (07) 4031 7577) have buses to Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation and Cooktown.
Premier coaches depart from stop D near Woolworths on Lake Street and the Greyhound terminal is in the Reef Fleet Terminal Area.
TRAIN
The train station is located between Bunda and McLeod Streets, next to the Cairns Central shopping centre. There are five trains a week down the coast to Brisbane as well as daily trains to Kuranda.
(trip departs from Cairns)
HITCHHIKING
It’s not too difficult finding a good hitching spot for a lift out of Cairns and there are usually plenty of other backpackers driving in and out of town that may give you a ride. It is easier, however, to put a notice up in the hostels around town asking for a lift or to use a web-based ride sharing service.
The Bruce Highway runs south from Cairns and the Captain Cook Highway heads north. Take bus 1, 1A or 1Z up the Captain Cook Highway for rides north to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation or bus 1B south to the Bruce Highway for a lift down the coast.
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