Cairns · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
Cairns exists for the reef and the backpackers who work on it — cheap beds, expensive boats.
Sleep on the Esplanade
Hostels run the length of the Esplanade and the blocks behind it, walking distance to the lagoon, the night markets and the reef wharf.
What a day costs
Dorms A$25–45, food A$25–40, buses A$5–10 — but a reef day trip adds A$150–250. Base days run A$60–100, roughly $40–65.
Getting around cheap
Sunbus covers the city and northern beaches on cheap zone fares, and shared shuttles reach Cape Tribulation and Port Douglas for a fraction of a tour.
Free by day
The saltwater Esplanade Lagoon, the mudflat boardwalk at low tide with its wading birds, and the rainforest boardwalk in the Botanic Gardens.
Lagoon lawn and night markets
The lagoon grass at sunset and the bars along Shields Street are where crews assemble for dive courses, Whitsundays trips and farm work up north.