Reef Backpackers Cairns

Location

Reef Backpackers Hostels offers cheap central Cairns accommodation. Being one of Cairns's most central hostel accommodation, we are very close to the major attractions Cairns has to offer.

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Address

140 Grafton Street
Cairns
Queensland 4870
Australia

Phone and Fax

Ph: 07 4041 5255

Fax: 07 4041 6255

Email

Reefbackpackers's Mail

Get in

By plane

Cairns International Airport (IATA: CNS, ICAO: YBCS) is the primary international gateway into the region and is also served by many domestic flights. Cairns airport has two terminals; a domestic terminal and an international terminal, both within walking distance from each other.

The international airlines serving Cairns are

• Jetstar from Tokyo-Narita, Osaka-Kansai (effective April 2010), and Singapore; codeshares with their parent carrier, Qantas .
• Air Niugini flying from Port Moresby.
• Air New Zealand flying from Auckland.
• Cathay Pacific from Hong Kong 4 times a week.
• Airlines PNG flying from Port Moresby, Tabuil and Mt Hagen.
• Continental Airlines flying from Guam.
• Airfast Indonesia flying from Timika.
• Korean Air flying from Incheon.

The domestic airlines serving Cairns are:

• Qantas flying from Horn Island, Weipa, Gove/Nhulunbuy, Alice Springs, Yulara (Uluru), Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane.
• Virgin Blue flying from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
• Jetstar flying from Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Darwin, Perth, the Gold Coast, and Brisbane.
• SkyTrans flying from regional Queensland including Townsville and Mount Isa.

The hourly-or-so Airport Shuttle bus into town costs $7, while a taxi will do the same trip directly to your destination for around $15.

By train

Cairns Station is right in the city centre, easily within walking distance of the waterfront and most hotels.

Queensland Railways Tilt train and The Sunlander services connect Cairns to Brisbane (via Townsville and Rockhampton), taking 32 hours for the full journey. Even though the Tilt Train reaches speeds of 160km/h between Townsville and Brisbane, the diesel Tilt Train running between Brisbane and Cairns runs at a maximum of 80km/h between Townsville and Cairns due to the poor alignment of the line. Although a trip between Townsville and Cairns takes 4 hours by car, it can take over 7 hours by train.

The Kuranda Scenic Railway , also operated by Queensland Rail , runs from Cairns to Kuranda, stopping over the majestic Barron Gorge to allow passengers to leave the train and enjoy the beautiful view over the water.

The Savannahlander also travels from Cairns to Kuranda but then continues on to the outback town of Forsayth.

By car

The 1700-km Bruce Highway running south along the coast connects Cairns to the state capital of Brisbane. It takes 22 hours to drive without stopping, and you should allow at least 2-3 days of solid driving, or longer for a more relaxed pace of drive up the coast. There are regular towns along the coast which make good stopping off and sightseeing points.