There are 5 ways to get from Palmerston to Cairns 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 Darwin International Airport (DRW) to Cairns (CNS)plane DRW - CNS
6h 34m$360–900Train, bus via Alice Springs
- Take the train from Darwin to Alice Springstrain
- Take the bus from Alice Springs to Adelaidebus
- Take the train from Adelaide to Brisbanetrain
- Take the train from Roma Street to Cairns Central Stationtrain
5d 7h$4,892–22,459Bus, train
- Take the bus from Palmerston to Alice Springsbus
- Take the bus from Alice Springs to Adelaidebus
- Take the train from Adelaide to Brisbanetrain
- Take the bus from Brisbane Coach Terminal to Cairnsbus
5d 7h$2,796–14,467Drive 2,335 km
- Drive from Palmerston to Cairnscar 2,335 km
34h 31m$423–610Train, bus
- Take the train from Darwin to Adelaide Stationtrain
- Take the train from Adelaide to Brisbanetrain
- Take the bus from Brisbane Roma Street to Cairns Central Stationbus
6d 15h$5,842–16,859
Darwin International Airport (DRW) to Cairns (CNS) flights
Comparing Your Travel Options
The cheapest way to get from Palmerston to Cairns is to drive which costs $420 - $650 and takes 34h 31m.
The fastest way to get from Palmerston to Cairns is to fly which takes 6h 34m and costs $360 - $900.
The distance between Palmerston and Cairns is 1705 km. The road distance is 2335 km.
The best way to get from Palmerston to Cairns without a car is to train and bus via Alice Springs which takes 5 days 7h and costs $4,800 - $23,000.
It takes approximately 6h 34m to get from Palmerston to Cairns, including transfers.
Cairns is 30 min ahead of Palmerston. It is currently 2:07 PM in Palmerston and 2:37 PM in Cairns.
Yes, the driving distance between Palmerston to Cairns is 2335 km. It takes approximately 34h 31m to drive from Palmerston to Cairns.
There are 1048+ hotels available in Cairns.
What companies run services between Palmerston, NT, Australia and Cairns, QLD, Australia?
Qantas and Airnorth fly from Darwin International Airport (DRW) to Cairns (CNS) twice daily.
- Website
- qantas.com
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns
- Ave. Duration
- 2h 35m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $340–900
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns via Gove
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $490–850
- Website
- flyairnorth.com
Flights from Darwin International Airport to Cairns via Gove
- Ave. Duration
- 3h 30m
- When
- Every day
- Estimated price
- $490–850
- Phone
- 1800 703 357
- [email protected]
- Website
- journeybeyondrail.com.au
Train from Darwin to Alice Springs
- Ave. Duration
- 23h 10m
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $2,367
- Book at
- Great Southern Rail - The Ghan
- Everyday Gold Single Cabin
- $2,140
- Flexible Gold Single Cabin
- $2,367
Train from Darwin to Adelaide Station
- Ave. Duration
- 2d 23h
- Frequency
- Twice a week
- Estimated price
- $3,463
- Book at
- Great Southern Rail - The Ghan
- Everyday Gold Single Cabin
- $3,126
- Flexible Gold Single Cabin
- $3,463
- Phone
- 1800 703 357
- [email protected]
- Website
- Great Southern
Train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 2d 7h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $2,190–13,000
- Book at
- Great Southern
- Website
- Great Southern
- Gold
- $2,190
- Gold Premium
- $2,990
- Suite
- $8,500–13,000
Train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 2d 7h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $2,190–13,000
- Book at
- Great Southern
- Website
- Great Southern
- Gold
- $2,190
- Gold Premium
- $2,990
- Suite
- $8,500–13,000
Train from Adelaide to Brisbane
- Ave. Duration
- 2d 7h
- Frequency
- Once a week
- Estimated price
- $2,190–13,000
- Book at
- Great Southern
- Website
- Great Southern
- Gold
- $2,190
- Gold Premium
- $2,990
- Suite
- $8,500–13,000
- Phone
- 1800 872 467
- Website
- Queensland Rail Travel
Train from Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
- Ave. Duration
- 25h 20m
- Frequency
- 4 times a week
- Estimated price
- $170–6,171
- Book at
- Queensland Rail Travel
- Website
- Queensland Rail Travel
- Schedules at
- Queensland Rail Travel
- BQuick
- $170–230
- AChoice
- $310–390
- Gold Class
- $4,927
- Heritage Class
- $6,171
- Phone
- 1300 473946
- [email protected]
- Website
- Greyhound Australia
Bus from Alice Springs to Adelaide
- Ave. Duration
- 19h 55m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- $220–550
- Website
- Greyhound Australia
- Schedules at
- Greyhound Australia
- Early Bird
- $220–310
- Flexible
- $270–550
Bus from Palmerston to Alice Springs
- Ave. Duration
- 20h 15m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- $210–550
- Website
- Greyhound Australia
- Schedules at
- Greyhound Australia
- Early Bird
- $210–310
- Flexible
- $260–550
Bus from Alice Springs to Adelaide
- Ave. Duration
- 19h 55m
- Frequency
- 6 times a week
- Estimated price
- $220–550
- Website
- Greyhound Australia
- Schedules at
- Greyhound Australia
- Early Bird
- $220–310
- Flexible
- $270–550
- Website
- FlixBus Australia
Bus from Brisbane Coach Terminal to Cairns
- Ave. Duration
- 28h 40m
- Frequency
- Twice daily
- Estimated price
- $260–400
- Schedules at
- FlixBus Australia
- Phone
- 13 34 10
- [email protected]
- Website
- Premier Motor Service
Bus from Brisbane Roma Street to Cairns Central Station
- Ave. Duration
- 29h 30m
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Estimated price
- $240–350
- Website
- Premier Motor Service
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