6 Beachfront Mirage
Planes
There are regular flights to Cairns from all major cities in Australia with Qantas (www.qantas.com.au) , Virgin Blue (www.virginblue.com.au) and Jetstar (www.jetstar.com). Cairns also has an international terminal.
Sunlover Helicopters offers airport transfers from Cairns airport to most resorts and islands along the coast (+61 (0) 7 4035 9669; www.sunloverheli.com.au).
Trains
You’d have to be an avid railway fan to attempt this journey by train. The business-class-only service from Cairns to Brisbane will take an eye-popping 24 hours and there is no sleeper service (+61 (0) 1 300 131 722; www.tilttrain.com.au).
Local taxi service
There's a taxi rank on Macrossan Street or you can phone Port Douglas Taxis (+61 (0) 7 4099 5345). Rainforest Limousine Service offers airport transfers to and from Cairns (+61 (0) 7 408 186 687; www.rainforestlimo.com.au).
Directions by road
It’s a one-and-a-half hour drive from Cairns, along one of the most spectacular stretches of Australian coastline. There are plenty of car hire companies at Cairns airport and city, including Hertz (www.hertz.com.au), Avis (www.avis.com.au) and Europcar (www.europcar.com.au).