Map of Cairns, Australia

Cairns is a city in Queensland, Australia, with a population of about 153,075. It lies at 16.9237°S, 145.7661°E. Cairns is about 2,069 km (1,285 mi) north of Canberra, the capital. The nearest city on our map is Townsville, 283 km to the southeast.

Cairns at a glance

Where is Cairns?

• The 15th largest city in Australia by recorded population.
• The 6th largest city in Queensland on this site.
• Located in the Southern and Eastern hemispheres.
• Daylight ranges from about 11 h 07 min on the shortest day to 13 h 08 min on the longest day (around 21 June and 21 December).

Cities near Cairns

• Townsville — 283 km southeast
• Mackay — 591 km southeast
• Port Moresby — 841 km north, Papua New Guinea
• Rockhampton — 872 km southeast
• Popondetta — 946 km north, Papua New Guinea
• Gladstone — 959 km southeast
• Merauke — 1102 km northwest, Indonesia
• Bundaberg — 1116 km southeast
• Lae — 1142 km north, Papua New Guinea
• Hervey Bay — 1180 km southeast

Largest cities in Queensland

• Brisbane — 2,780,063
• Gold Coast — 640,778
• Sunshine Coast — 398,840
• Logan City — 345,098
• Townsville — 201,313
• Toowoomba — 142,163
• Caloundra — 96,305
• Mackay — 84,333
• Rockhampton — 81,021
• Bundaberg — 73,747

Largest cities in Australia

• Sydney — 5,638,830
• Melbourne — 5,435,590
• Brisbane — 2,780,063
• Perth — 2,384,371
• Adelaide — 1,469,163
• Gold Coast — 640,778
• Newcastle — 508,437
• Sunshine Coast — 398,840
• Canberra — 367,752
• Logan City — 345,098

Map of Australia and all its cities →

Sources: place names, coordinates, populations and time zones from GeoNames (CC BY 4.0, data retrieved October 2026). Population figures are the latest values recorded in GeoNames; depending on the country they refer to the city proper, a municipality or a wider urban area, so they can differ from census or metro-area figures. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.