There are 5 ways to get from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena by plane, train, bus, or car
Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2Rio's travel planner.
Fly
best- Fly from Cairns (CNS) to Mackay (MKY)plane CNS - MKY
4h 44m$260–550Train
cheapest- Take the train from Cairns Central Station to Mackaytrain Spirit of Queensland
11h 14m$100–2,674Bus
- Take the bus from Cairns to Mackaybus Au050 / ...
12h 5m$110–190Drive 732.9 km
- Drive from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arenacar 732.9 km
8h 46m$131–190Bus via Sarina
- Take the bus from Cairns Central Station to Sarinabus Pm19
14h 22m$100–150
Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena by bus and foot
Questions & Answers
The cheapest way to get from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena is to bus via Sarina which costs $100 - $150 and takes 14h 22m.
The fastest way to get from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena is to fly which takes 4h 44m and costs $260 - $550.
Yes, there is a direct bus departing from Cairns and arriving at Mackay. Services depart twice daily. The journey takes approximately 11h 55m.
No, there is no direct train from Cairns station to Great Barrier Reef Arena. However, there are services departing from Cairns Central Station and arriving at Mackay via . The journey, including transfers, takes approximately 11h 14m.
The distance between Cairns and Great Barrier Reef Arena is 609 km. The road distance is 732.9 km.
The best way to get from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena without a car is to train which takes 11h 14m and costs $100 - $2,700.
It takes approximately 4h 44m to get from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena, including transfers.
Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena bus services, operated by FlixBus Australia, depart from Cairns station.
Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena train services, operated by Queensland Rail Travel, depart from Cairns Central Station.
The best way to get from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena is to fly which takes 4h 44m and costs $260 - $550. Alternatively, you can train, which costs $100 - $2,700 and takes 11h 14m, you could also bus, which costs $110 - $190 and takes 12h 5m.
What companies run services between Cairns, QLD, Australia and Great Barrier Reef Arena, QLD, Australia?
Qantas and Virgin Australia fly from Cairns (CNS) to Mackay (MKY) every 4 hours. Alternatively, Queensland Rail Travel operates a train from Cairns Central Station to Mackay 4 times a week. Tickets cost $80–2,652 and the journey takes 11h 9m.
- Website
- qantas.com
Flights from Cairns to Mackay via Townsville
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 45m
- When
- Tuesday
- Estimated price
- $400–650
Flights from Cairns to Mackay via Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 5h 33m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $400–650
- Website
- virginaustralia.com
Flights from Cairns to Mackay via Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 4h 57m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $260–400
- Phone
- 1800 872 467
- Website
- queenslandrailtravel.com.au
Train from Cairns Central Station to Mackay
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 9m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $80–2,652
- Book at
- https://queenslandrailtravel-booking.opendestinations.com/BookingSite/rail/search
- Website
- https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/
- Schedules at
- https://www.queenslandrailtravel.com.au/Pages/Timetable.aspx
- BQuick
- $80–120
- AChoice
- $130–170
- Gold Class
- $2,118
- Heritage Class
- $2,652
- Website
- https://www.flixbus.com.au/
Bus from Cairns to Mackay
- Ave. Duration
- 11h 55m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $110–190
- Schedules at
- flixbus.com.au
- Phone
- 13 34 10
- [email protected]
- Website
- premierms.com.au
Bus from Cairns Central Station to Sarina
- Ave. Duration
- 12h 35m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $100–150
- Website
- https://premierms.com.au/
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Read the travel guideMore Questions & Answers
Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena bus services, operated by FlixBus Australia, arrive at Mackay station.
Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena train services, operated by Queensland Rail Travel, arrive at Mackay station.
Yes, the driving distance between Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena is 733 km. It takes approximately 8h 46m to drive from Cairns to Great Barrier Reef Arena.
There are 100+ hotels available in Great Barrier Reef Arena.