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Listings
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Airlines
Air New Zealand (tel 13 2476); Air Niugini, 4 Shields St (tel 13 1380); Ansett (tel 13 1300); Cape York Air Services, airport (tel 07/4035 9399); Flight West (tel 13 2392); Garuda,
Hilton Hotel
, Wharf St (tel 07/4031 2288); JAL, 15 Lake St (tel 07/4031 2285); Malaysia, 15 Lake St (tel 13 2727); Qantas (tel 13 1313); Singapore, 15 Lake St (tel 07/4031 7538); Transtate (tel 13 1528).
Banks and exchange Banks are scattered throughout the city centre, mostly around the intersection of Shields and Abbott streets and in Cairns Central. Some hostels on the Esplanade also offer bureau de change facilities, though rates are lower than at the banks. Bike and motorbike rentals Bandicoot Bicycle Hire & Tours, 59 Sheridan St (tel 07/4055 0155); Jolly Frog, 147 Sheridan St (tel 07/4031 2379). Books and maps Walkers Bookshop, 96 Lake St (tel 07/4051 2410) for general needs; for second-hand, try the excellent Exchange Book Shop, 78 Grafton St. The Croc Shop, City Place, also produces a good road map of Cape York. Buses Coral Coaches, Transit Centre (tel 07/4031 7577) for routes to Cooktown, the Atherton Tablelands, Normanton, Karumba, Cloncurry and Mount Isa; Greyhound Pioneer, Transit Centre (tel 07/4051 5899); McCafferty's, Transit Centre (tel 07/4051 5899); Premier, Transit Centre (tel 13 3410); White Car Coaches, next to the Underdog , Spence St (tel 07/4051 9533), for the Atherton Tablelands. Camping equipment Adventure Equipment, 133 Grafton St (tel 07/4031 2669), stock and hire out all types of outdoor gear and even kayaks; City Place Disposals, cnr Shields and Grafton streets; Geo Pickers, 108 Mulgrave Rd, cnr Draper St; Wolfies Disposals, 56 McLeod St, for basic equipment and secondhand gear. Car rental All of the following offer discounts on long rentals; on a day-by-day basis, you're looking at around $50-55 for a four-person runaround. A1 Car Rental, 141 Lake St (tel 07/4031 1326); All Day, 151 Lake St (tel 07/4031 3348); Billabong, 132 Sheridan St (tel 07/4051 4299); Britz, 411 Sheridan St (tel 07/4032 2611), for 4WDs, motorhomes and campervans; Cruising, 196 Sheridan St (tel 07/4041 4666); Thrifty, 40 Aplin St and at the airport (tel 07/4051 8099). Cinemas Multi-screens, 108 Grafton St (tel 07/4051 1222), and in Cairns Central. Farmstays Mount Mulligan Station (tel 07/4094 8360). Budget accommodation west of the Tablelands; from $89 for two nights, including courtesy bus from Cairns. Springmount Station (tel 07/4093 4493), concentrates on horse riding, with two-day camp-outs or farmstay accommodation for around $200. Hospital Base Hospital, northern end of the Esplanade (tel 07/4050 6333) or if you have insurance, Calvary Private Hospital (tel 07/4052 5200); 24hr Medical Centre, cnr Grafton and Florence streets (tel 07/4052 1119). Internet access If your accommodation isn't connected, try the travellers' information centres at City Place ($4-5 per hour), or the Tourist Information Centre near Trinity Wharf ($3 per hour). Left luggage At the airport, train and bus stations; also Tropical Paradise Travel, 29 Spence St ($4 a day). NPWS In the Government Offices at 10-12 McLeod St (Mon-Fri 8.30am-4.30pm; tel 07/4052 3096). Not very helpful with practical information, but they have plenty of brochures. Pharmacy Cairns Day and Night Pharmacy and Medical Centre, 29b Shields St (daily 8am-9pm; tel 07/4051 2466). Police 5 Sheridan St (tel 07/4030 7000). Post office 13 Grafton St; and upstairs in Orchid Plaza off the Transit Mall, Lake St. Shopping Tourist-oriented shops are concentrated close to the Esplanade and around City Place and Lake preparing you for what's on offer at the modern air-conditioned shopping complex in the Cairns Central development. Many shops don't open Sat or Sun. Taxis Black and White Cars tel 13 1008. Main cab rank on Lake St, west of City Place. Trains Bunda St, under Cairns Central (tel 13 2232). Trains head south down the coast to Brisbane, up to Kuranda on the Atherton Tablelands, and west to Forsyth in the Gulf. Travel agents For budget travel and tours try Flight Centre, 24 Spence St (tel 07/4052 1077); STA, 9 Shields St (tel 07/4031 4199); Trailfinders, next to Hides Hotel , Shields St (tel 07/4041 1199); Tropical Paradise Travel, 44 Spence St (tel 07/4051 9533). Work You may be able to work a passage on barges going to Cape York; check "General Notices" in the Cairns Post for openings.
Yacht club
4 Esplanade (tel 07/4031 2750). Worth contacting for hitching/crewing north to Cape York and the Torres Strait, south to the Whitsundays and beyond, and even to New Guinea and the Pacific. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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