Car & Van Hire - Cairns

Many visitors to Cairns from overseas, as well as numerous Australians, come to the city because it offers convenient access to the Pacific Ocean and the Great Barrier Reef, one of the true marvels of the natural world. Snorkelling is a popular activity for those visitors who aren't SCUBA divers. You can obtain everything you need locally, and there are plenty of tour guides who will take you to the best spots to explore close to the city by boat.

Heading inland, the Kurunda rainforest is another top attraction. It features a popular gondola system known as the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, which allows you to get to know the area without having to trek through kilometres of bushland. Giving visitors a bird's eye view of the jungle canopy, this cable car system helps to minimise human impact on local wildlife while still affording a close-up view.

Head down to the harbourside area if you enjoy seafood. Cairns enjoys a well-deserved reputation for fish and seafood restaurants, and many of the best eateries are within walking distance of the coast. These days, Cairn's foodie reputation goes beyond the delights of seafood, but it is still probably worth ordering something from the latest catch of the day to truly experience what the city has to offer.

The local government in Cairns stages an annual festival. This tends to run in the last week of August and can extend into early September. There is a grand parade, which means some street closures, plus plenty of music and other arts events. One of the highlights of the festival period is a large firework display that takes place on the city's esplanade.

Finally, the Botanical Gardens in Cairns are considered by many Australians to possess one of the best collections of tropical plants in the country. The plant and insect life here is often very different from the sort of things that are on show at botanical gardens elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere's cooler cities. If you want to explore the gardens rapidly, then hire a Segway to help speed you around.

Central Cairns is laid out in a handy grid formation, with most streets adhering to the system. This makes it easy to find your way around and to get back to where you were if you miss a turning, for example. Only a few roads buck this trend, such as Wharf Street, which bends due to the bank of Chinaman Creek. There are a few pedestrianised zones to look out for, but these are generally very easy to spot and shouldn't cause any difficulties.

There are many cycle routes in Cairns, so be sure to look out for cyclists and allow sufficient room to pass them. Another potential hazard in Cairns' suburbs, at least, is the presence of kangaroos and bandicoots, which stray onto highways from time to time. Take care in isolated places where they might be tempted to cross over in front of you.

The authorities in Cairns expect drivers to stick to the blanket 50km/h speed limit. Roads which allow you to drive faster will be marked, and so will streets where there is a tighter restriction. Assume you are only allowed to drive at 50km/h unless you see a sign telling you differently.

There is plenty of parking in Cairns, ideal for visitors who want to stop for a while and explore the city. What's more, nearly every car park and parking bay in the city is well signposted so you won't spend long before you find somewhere suitable to park close to where you want to get out.

Please note that if you come to a stop or give way sign in Cairns, you are expected to give way to traffic approaching from your right, not the left. This is an old rule that doesn't apply unless you see one of the two aforementioned signs.

If you want to drive to central Cairns from the airport, then we'd typically recommend taking National Route 1 since this will usually be the quickest. For journeys south along the famous Queensland coast, Highway A1 is the best option. If you intend on heading north instead, then State Route 81 will be preferable.

Newcomers to Queensland should note that the state is large. A drive from Cairns to the northernmost tip of the state would take about 13 hours by road. Travelling south to the state capital city of Brisbane would mean undertaking an approximately 20-hour journey. That said, there are plenty of motels in either direction on the main Queensland roads to make longer road trips possible with Cairns as your base.