Depot Fly-in
Cairns, between the reef and the rainforest
Cairns is the one depot on this list where the two reasons people come are both within an hour of the counter: the reef offshore, and the oldest rainforest on the continent behind it. The depot is on Sheridan Street, which is the road out of town to the north, and that is not a coincidence.
How you get here
This depot is not on the road to Exmouth. It is where a trip starts or ends in its own part of the country, and the drive between the two is measured in days rather than hours. This site does not publish a distance it cannot verify: check a road-distance tool for the route you intend to take, and treat the cape as a separate trip.
The depot on Sheridan Street
The Cairns depot is at 75 Sheridan Street, on the corner of Sheridan and Aplin Streets, in Cairns City. Office hours are 09:00 to 15:00 Monday to Friday, and 09:00 to 11:00 on Saturday. The office is closed on Sunday.
This is the most walkable depot on the list. Sheridan Street runs along the edge of the city centre, the Esplanade is fifteen minutes away on foot, and the airport is ten minutes by car in the other direction. The wet season is the part to plan around, and campervan hire Cairns sets out the Sheridan Street hours and what is kept there.
The depot lists after-hours collection and return as available. Confirm the arrangement when you book, and remember that a late arrival in the wet season is a different proposition from a late arrival in the dry.
What this depot is for
This is a collection and return point for trips that start in Far North Queensland. The short trips are the reef, the rainforest and the tablelands, and all three are day trips rather than journeys.
The long trip is the one this site is about, and it is the longest start of any depot here: Cairns to the North West Cape means the whole western side of Cape York if you take the top, or the inland route through Charters Towers and Mount Isa if you do not. Both are weeks rather than days. The top route is the one that changes the answer, because past Cape Tribulation, campervan hire locations at the other end is the category and the call is made in Cairns rather than at the creek crossing.
Five things within a day
The Esplanade and the lagoon. A free saltwater pool on the waterfront, built because the mudflats at low tide are not a swimming beach. The boardwalk along the front is the town's living room in the late afternoon.
Kuranda. The scenic railway climbs from Cairns to Kuranda through the Barron Gorge, and the Skyrail cable car comes back over the rainforest canopy. Doing one up and the other down is the standard version, and both need booking in peak season.
Green Island and Fitzroy Island. Both are reef islands reached by fast ferry from the Cairns marina, and both are day trips rather than stays. Green Island is the coral cay with the reef walk; Fitzroy is the continental island with the walking trails.
The Daintree and Cape Tribulation. North of the Daintree River ferry, the road runs through rainforest to the beach at Cape Tribulation, where the reef comes close to the shore. The river crossing is by cable ferry, and the road north of the river is sealed to Cape Tribulation.
The Atherton Tablelands. The waterfall circuit west of Cairns runs through Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls, and the road up the range from Gordonvale is a series of switchbacks. It is the coolest country within a day of the coast.
Where the seal ends
The road north of Cape Tribulation is the Bloomfield Track, and it is where this coast changes character. It is unsealed, steep in places, and crosses creeks that rise quickly after rain. The Bloomfield Track and the tracks beyond it towards Cooktown are four-wheel-drive country. It is also the last easy country before the trip turns west, and 4WD hire for the Bloomfield Track shows what is at the other end of that run.
That is the decision point. A two-wheel-drive campervan reaches the Daintree, Cape Tribulation and the tablelands without difficulty. It does not belong on the Bloomfield Track.
Two checks belong here. The first is the wet season: the coast north of Cairns can close at the Daintree River ferry and at the creeks on the Bloomfield Track between December and April. The second is the marine stingers, because the coastal waters here carry box jellyfish and Irukandji in the warmer months, and the swimming enclosures exist for that reason.
Explore from here
- The Esplanade and the lagoon
Free saltwater pool on the waterfront, above the mudflats.
- Kuranda
Scenic railway up through the Barron Gorge, Skyrail back over the canopy.
- Green Island and Fitzroy Island
Reef islands by fast ferry from the marina, as day trips.
- The Daintree and Cape Tribulation
Rainforest road north of the river ferry, where the reef meets the shore.
- The Atherton Tablelands
The waterfall circuit through Millaa Millaa, Zillie and Ellinjaa Falls.
Questions people ask before booking
Do you need a four-wheel drive for the Daintree?
No. The road to Cape Tribulation is sealed, and the Daintree River is crossed by cable ferry. The four-wheel-drive requirement starts north of Cape Tribulation on the Bloomfield Track.
When is the wet season in Cairns?
Roughly December to April. The Daintree ferry and the Bloomfield Track can close after heavy rain, and the tablelands roads flood at the causeways.
Can you swim at the beach in Cairns?
The Esplanade lagoon is the swimming option in town. The beaches north and south carry stinger warnings in the warmer months, and patrolled enclosures are the safe choice.
How long does the drive from Cairns to Exmouth take?
It is a crossing of the top of the country rather than a coastal drive, and it is measured in weeks. Check the route and the road conditions before planning stages.