Questions about Cairns..please advise

[bostonfred]

We will be docking in cairns next month, thinking about checking the town out ourselves, the esplanade looks interesting....how far from ship, what are transportation options...any other suggestions for exploring town on our own in a leisurely manner...thanks !:)

[Tranquility Base]

The Star is scheduled to anchor at Yorkeys Knob; about a 25 minutes drive north of Cairns.

The tender run is about 15-25 minutes depending on whether you are on a ship's tender or one of the large local cats.

 

There will be shuttle buses for the drive into Cairns, and tickets are normally sold on board.

There is a nice little yacht club at Yorkeys marina.

 

Cairns is a nice tourism town to wander around with the attractive swimming lagoon being a focal point.

Plenty of eating and drinking options around.

Edited January 22, 2017 by Tranquility Base

[Grey Nomad]

If docking in Cairns, you are right in the middle of town. Come out of Terminal and turn right and just follow the boardwalk around the water front to the Marina (where you can do trips out to Barrier Reef from) and just continue to walk past all the restaurants and coffee shops. You will come to the Lagoon where you can also have a swim. From there it is a lovely stroll along the Esplanade and once again plenty of eateries and coffee shops. One street back from Esplanade will take you back to the ship in a more direct route. Easy to spend the day just walking around looking and eating.

[bostonfred]

This will help with planning...wish we were docking closer..:)

[Aus Traveller]

This will help with planning...wish we were docking closer..:)

I suggest you check if you are docking or tendering. If the ship is docking, then you will be virtually in the middle of town. If you go ashore by tender, then it will be into Yorkeys Knob that is a fair distance out of town (as previously mentioned).