Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Tips Croc Alert!
Dangerous crocodiles inhabit
Cairns waterways. Do not swim
in, or stand on the bank of, any
river or stream.
The 45-hour Sydney–Cairns trip costs A$285 (US$186), the 28 1 ⁄2-hour trip
from Brisbane is A$192 (US$125), and from Darwin, the journey takes about
41 hours and costs A$402 (US$261).
By Car From Brisbane and all major towns in the south, you’ll enter Cairns
on the Bruce Highway. To reach the northern beaches or Port Douglas from
Cairns, take Sheridan Street in the city center, which becomes the Captain Cook
Highway.
VISITOR INFORMATION Tourism Tropical North Queensland is
located at 51 The Esplanade, Cairns, QLD 4870 (& 07/4051 3588; fax 07/
4051 0127; www.tropicalaustralia.com.au). Its Visitor Information Centre has
information on Cairns and its environs as well as on Mission Beach, Port Douglas
and the Daintree rainforest, Cape York, and Outback Queensland. It’s open
daily from 8:30am to 5:30pm, closed Christmas and New Year’s Day and after
1pm on public holidays.
CITY LAYOUT A major redevelopment of the Cairns Esplanade, completed
in 2003, has transformed the face of the city. The focal point is a 4,000 sq.-m
(40,000 sq.-ft.) saltwater swimming lagoon with a wide sandy beach and surrounding
parkland with public artworks
and picnic areas—making up
for the city center’s lack of a swimming
beach. A timber boardwalk runs 600m
(1800 ft.) along the waterfront, suspended
over the mudflats and providing
a platform for bird-watching. It is
lit for nighttime use. A walkway links
the Esplanade to the new Reef Fleet
Terminal, which is where all the Great Barrier Reef boats leave. Downtown
Cairns is on a grid 5 blocks deep, bounded in the east by the Esplanade on the
water, and in the west by McLeod Street, where the train station and the Cairns
Central shopping mall are located. In between are shops, offices, and restaurants.
Heading 15 minutes north from the city along the Captain Cook Highway,
you come to the northern beaches: Holloway’s Beach, Yorkey’s Knob, Trinity
Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove, and Ellis Beach.
GETTING AROUND By Bus Local Sunbus (& 07/4057 7411) buses
depart City Place at the intersection of Lake and Shields streets. Buy tickets and
passes on board, and try to have correct change. You can hail buses anywhere it’s
convenient for the driver to stop. Buses 2 and 2A travel to Trinity Beach; 1 and
1X (weekend express) travel to Palm Cove. The “N” route runs along the highway
from the city to Palm Cove all night until dawn on Friday and Saturday
nights, stopping at all beaches in between. Most other buses run from early
morning until almost midnight.
By Car Avis (& 07/4051 5911), Budget (& 07/4051 9222), Hertz (& 07/
4051 6399), and Thrifty (& 07/4051 8099) all have office in Cairns city and
at the airport. One long-established local outfit, Sugarland Car Rentals, has
reasonable rates and offices in Cairns (& 07/4052 1300) and Palm Cove (& 07/
4059 1087). Britz Australia (& 1800/33 1454 in Australia), Budget Campervan
Rentals (& 07/4032 2065), and Maui Rentals (& 07/4032 2065, or
1300/363 800 in Australia) rent motorhomes. Britz and most major rental-car
companies rent 4WDs.
By Taxi Call Black & White Taxis at & 13 10 08.