Hervey Bay Car Hire
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Cairns · Queensland

Cairns: reef and rainforest at the top of the coast run

Cairns is where the east coast run turns the corner: reef offshore, rainforest behind the town, and a highway north worth driving for its own sake.

Two World Heritage landscapes sit within a day of each other, with a cool plateau of waterfalls and farmland behind them. That range is why the north end rewards planning rather than passing through.

Where this depot puts you

  • The Great Barrier Reef from Cairns

    Boats leave the Cairns waterfront for the outer reef, from day trips to liveaboards that stay out for nights. The draw is coral and clear water, not a beach. Sea conditions decide everything, so keep a spare day if the reef is the point.

  • The Daintree and Cape Tribulation

    The Captain Cook Highway runs north to Mossman, then the road crosses the Daintree River by ferry into the Cape Tribulation section of the national park. Past the ferry it is narrow, winding and lined with cassowaries, and the creeks rise fast. Two-wheel drive gets through, high clearance helps, caravans are not recommended, and beyond Cape Tribulation the Bloomfield road is unsealed four-wheel drive only.

  • The Atherton Tablelands

    West of Cairns the range climbs to a plateau of dairy farms, crater lakes and waterfalls, cooler and quieter than the coast. It suits an afternoon rather than a day, and in the wet the falls are at their best.

Worth knowing before you book

  • The cyclone season runs from 1 November to 30 April, when creeks rise fast, the ferry can stop for flooding and Noah Beach camping area is closed until Good Friday.
  • The depot is on Sheridan Street in the city centre, so an early start means town traffic before the open road.
  • Crocodile country: obey the warning signs and never swim where they may live, sign or no sign. Mossman Gorge is no swimming spot at all.
  • Stingers are present year-round but more common in the warmer months, so take the stinger suit seriously.

What you can drive

Every depot is stocked from the same national fleet — campervans, 4WD campers and a five-seat car. What is actually available on your dates is confirmed by the search, not assumed from a list.

The full fleet, with specifications · All pickup locations

Cairns is one of the network's pickups — the locations page lists the rest, and Hervey Bay is not among them, so vehicles for the bay come out of Brisbane.

The depot page for Cairns