Infrastructure & Accessibility
Cairns is easily accessible by road being located on the Bruce Highway the major coastal highway in Queensland and part of the Australian National Highway. The region is also located at the base of the Kuranda Range Road and the Gillies Highway which provide access to the Tablelands and the Gulf of Carpentaria through the Savannah Way.
The road network provides an important freight and transport link to Brisbane and other southern centres, a key medium for the tourist industry and a link for the wider Tropical North Queensland community.
Cairns Seaport is Australia's busiest cruise port with over 200 international and domestic cruise ship visits a year.
Cairns International Airport is Australia's leading regional airport, providing connections to all major domestic locations and a range of international destinations. It also boasts one of the largest general aviation fleets and accompanying support services in the country.
As a rail hub the Cairns region offers passenger services to southern centres via Queensland Rail, a tourist steam train to Kuranda and freight to southern destinations via QR National and Pacific National.
There are numerous major capital projects auspiced by both the public and private sector currently underway in the region.
The Cairns Cultural Precinct a major infrastructure project will provide significant cultural and economic benefits for the region.
Public transport is available across the Cairns region through public and school bus services, taxis and smaller private bus companies.
Although we receive plenty of rain in the Cairns Region (approx 2,000 mm or 78 inches per year), the water supply must be shared equitably between domestic, industrial, commercial and agricultural users while at the same time ensuring there are sufficient water supplies to maintain natural environmental values. Cairns Regional Council, through Cairns Water is responsible for managing the water demand.
The region benefits from a safe secure and reliable electricity supply from a combination of local generation facilities and via transmission and distribution networks connected to other power stations in the State. Energy infrastructure providers have a number of projects planned for the future including the use of renewable energy sources such as the Windy Hill windfarm. Cairns city and some suburbs have acess to reticulated gas supply through Origin Energy.
Broadband is readily available to residents and businesses in the Cairns region with ADSL2 connections in most areas. Mobile phone coverage is good, precise coverage details are available from your preferred service provider.
