Updated on: Thursday May 08, 2008

General Information

CLIMATE

Due to our location above the tropic of Capricorn Cairns has a very tropical climate with the lowest temperature we've experienced in 16 years being 9 degrees celsius (and this was at about 4 am!!). Our winter temperatures are usually between 24 - 28 degrees celsius and our summer temperatures hover around 30 - 35 degrees celsius. Because of our superb winter temperature you will always find there are a lot of visitors from both overseas and other parts of Australia in Cairns during this time just to escape the very cold temperatures of the northern hemisphere and our southern cities. The reef is good at this time of year and is always extremely busy with many people taking advantage of the idyllic conditions.
Even though the summer (the 'wet' or as we prefer to call it - the "green" season) is a lot more humid and there is a higher likelihood of rain the conditions on the reef are pretty close to perfect with the best underwater visibility in the summer, sometimes reaching 50 metres plus! There is usually very little wind making conditions for people travelling out to the reef a very comfortable. We believe the worst months for humidity are from October through to Xmas which normally corresponds with the thunderstorm season preluding the start of the monsoon rains. So if you are considering travelling here at this time of the year you must remember that most of our yearly rainfall does occur in the summer months usually early morning, late afternoon and through the night. It pays to carry an umbrella or other rain protection with you during these periods.

CYCLONES

Cyclones are the Australian term for hurricanes or typhoons. Cairns is in the cyclone affected part of Australia, and has had a few near misses as well as a few smaller direct hits. To read the previous owners blog about the affects of Cyclone Steve click here.  In March 2006 one of the largest cyclones to cross the Queensland Coast narrowly missed Cairns, making landfall at Innisfail. Click here to see some photo's of Cyclone Larry's destruction.

SAFETY

Cairns is generally a safe city. The Queensland Police Force have a large presence in the city and in co-operation with the Cairns City Council make personal safety a priority. Make sure you use hotel safes and as with anywhere never carry large amounts of money around always better to be on the safety side just in case. One thing we don't recommend is walking around the city at night alone especially if you're a female. While there are security camera's located in various points around the inner city they won't act as a deterrent all of the time. Catch a taxi home or walk with a male friend if you have one handy. If you plan to drive a vehicle do not speed and/or drink and drive you will get caught!

TRANSPORT

There is a very good public bus service in Cairns called the Cairns Sunbus. They provide regular buses throughout Cairns, it's southern suburbs and the Northern Beaches. To the major shopping centres in Cairns they run approximately every ten minutes and for very little expense.  Click here for timetables from their website                                             

Black and White Taxi is the only taxi company in Cairns. Times that you might have a bit of a wait in catching one are on Friday nights, Pension Day, race or show days and rainy days.  Your hotel can usually call them for you and apart from the days already mentioned the taxi will generally arrive within 10-15 minutes. You will also find numerous courtesy phones located around various sites in the city & shopping centres that connect you directly to the taxi operators.
A lot of the hotels and backpackers hostels in Cairns and the Northern Beaches have courtesy buses. When arranging your accommodation ask us about the availability of this so if they don't have this facility you will know how far from the city CBD and we can make or suggestion alternative arrangements.

INTERNET ACCESS

You will probably not see as many internet access places anywhere as there are in Cairns. We seem to be the E-mail capital of the world and the prices vary all of the time. Some places will let you check your email for free then start charging you after the first five minutes. Around Cairns at the moment the average price per hour seems to be about $3, but it goes as low as $1.00 and as high as $6.00. If you want to search you can even find many places offering a free half hour. Wireless Hotspots are constantly being added.

AIRPORT

The Cairns International and Domestic Airport is located within ten minutes drive from the Cairns CBD and is easily accessible by hire car, taxi or airport shuttle bus. A taxi will only cost you around $14 one way into the CBD and the airport shuttle will set you back around $7.00 per person. 
Hire cars can be picked up and returned from/to  the airport and you will find many hire car booths there on arrival in the lounge at both terminals.
If you are heading overseas from Cairns the airport departure tax is slightly higher here than other Australian airports due to it being privately owned. The departure tax is currently $46 per person.

BUS STATION

Very close to the Cairns CBD the interstate bus terminal is located at the Reef Fleet Terminal. Here you will find the bus services of Greyhound Pioneer, McCaffertys and Coral Coaches. Buses leave right up until 1am. 

TRAIN STATION

Although not as popular mode of travel as in the past though this is likely to change with Queensland Rail's Tilt Train being extended from Brisbane to Cairns as from March 17th 2003. The train station is located right beside one of our major shopping complexes - Cairns Central, on the southern side. It is only a five minute walk from the Cairns City centre and the Esplanade. The train to Kuranda departs from this station in the morning and returns late in the afternoon.

HIRE CARS

In Australia as long as you have a valid driver's license you really shouldn't find that you will need an international license. However if you are from one of the places in the world  who do not print on their drivers licenses that you are able to ride a motorcycle this should be rectified because  unless it is stated on your license you will not be able to hire motorcycles.
There are a lot of hire car companies in Cairns and during the peak season even though there are many there never seems to be enough especially if you would like to do some four-wheel driving. If you know the dates you are arriving as with all tours it is best to book well in advance to make sure you get what you want.

POSTE RESTANTE

The Poste Restante is open between 9 am and 5 pm from Monday to Friday. You can have your mail sent here for collection while you are travelling as well as taking care of all of your other postal needs. A lot of shops and news agencies can also sell you stamps however they may not have stamps for posting international letters, parcels and postcards.

BANKING

All the major Australian Banks have branches here and they are open between 9.30 am and 4.00 pm from Monday to Thursday - 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Fridays. There is also no shortage of ATM's, they can be found everywhere in the Cairns area that accept all types of cards from all banks, anywhere in the world. It would pay to check with your own Bank before coming to Cairns as to which bank here has a reciprocal agreement with them.

NIGHTLIFE

There are many nightclubs and bars in Cairns catering to the local market, backpacker market, and of course the more upmarket market! 
A new 'hang-out' recently opened in June 1999 with a real Irish Pub feel is P.J. O'Brien's. The music isn't so loud that you can't hear what you're saying but when there is a band it's with an Irish feel. There are plenty of tables and chairs, and little nooks and crannies that are perfect for those more 'personal' conversations.. There are also meals available for lunch and dinner and it has a great atmosphere! 
If you're looking for a backpackers nightclub, then without a doubt the Woolshed is the place to be. With dancing on the tables every night of the week and very cheap meals it's a great place to go and meet new people, and perhaps bump into ones that you keep 'bumping' into all the way up the coast of Australia as always seems to happen! 
One of the places that the locals like to go is The Sportsbar. There are different theme nights for most nights of the week with Fridays and Saturdays being the busiest. The have a good mix of bands and D.J.'s as well as a wine bar if you want to sit somewhere quiet for a while to catch your breath.

Then there is Soho, which is located above McDonalds on the Esplanade.  It has the latest music playing but you are best getting there after around 11pm.
If you're looking for a more upmarket venue then the nightclub to go is Velvet Rope located at the Reef Hotel Casino but there is  a strict dress code although nice dress jeans will be allowed. They have dancers perform at certain times during the night and is worth the cover charge just to go in and have a look. 
Alcohol laws in Australia enable people above the age of 18 years to drink. Some venue's in Cairns have a 5am licence. All venue's in Cairns must adhere to a "3am lockout". this means that you cannot enter a premises after 3am.

For Maps of The Great Barrier Reef and also of the Atherton Tablelands see Maps

For links to travel directory sites click here