What a huge effort! Just over 30 days after being completely smashed by over 100 landslides, and having removed over 30,000 tonnes of debris - the Captain Cook Highway has reopened to one lane (in three main sections) and transfers are now moving again. Transfers have been going relatively smoothly on the newly reopened road this weekend Saturday 20 January and Sunday 21 January. However, passengers should expect there will be some delays due to traffic controls and stop / go signage. The one lane and stop/ go traffic controls will also make departures from Port Douglas slightly earlier than our usual 3 hour window. We have been working hard throughout this closure to provide our transfer services and to keep everyone updated with conditions and changed schedules via the Inland Highway via Mareeba.
Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we recommence services on this crucially important road between Cairns Airport and Port Douglas. Your relaxing Port Douglas holiday awaits you.🌴😎 Images source: Image published on Newsport from a submitted picture. Progress is being made on repairs to the Captain Cook Highway between Cairns and Port Douglas.
Local communities, tourists and tourism operators are all looking forward to the highway reopening after the damage from drenching rains that followed Cyclone Jasper in December 2023. Some 30,000 tonnes of mud, rocks and debris have been removed from the highway as work moves towards opening one lane from late January. The reopening is dependent on works progressing. Everyone at CairnsAirportShuttle.net thanks all those involved in this mammoth effort to reopen this important road link. Thank you to all the crews and all the teams working long and hard hours. We'll update here again closer to Australia Day when we (hopefully) know more. Image credit: From the 10 January 2024 media statement by Minister for Transport and Main Roads and Minister for Digital Services The Honourable Bart Mellish Yay! We are now open for bookings between Cairns Airport and Port Douglas.🎅🍀🌞
All services will go via the Inland Highway through Kuranda and Mareeba. All services take approx: 3 hours. We have four shared shuttle services daily from Cairns Airport and Port Douglas. We offer private transfer with every flight. BOOK HERE for Cairns Airport <> Port Douglas December 2023 / January 2024 We are pleased to announce that we have resumed Palm Cove and Cairns City Services from Cairns Airport. We welcome your bookings for these transfers.
We also understand from reporting on Newsport (great work guys for all the reporting and information over the past week) that the inland Highway via Kuranda and Mareeba linking Port Douglas with Cairns is on track to open possibly over the weekend. This trip usually takes 2.5 hours pre-cyclone and so we await more information. However, it will be fantastic to have the connection open for visitors and local communities. We are watching the space closely and hope to be able to offer daily seats in shared shuttle and private transfer services very soon. We will post here when we know more and have new bookings forms ready to allow for the longer trip and modified daily shared shuttle services. Also a big shout out to all the Police, local government workers, and importantly the guys and gals on the machinery who are working extraordinary hours in extraordinary conditions to connect Port Douglas back to Cairns and the outside world. Next update here Friday morning. Image: Local legend ' Bretto' has shared amazing images of the damage to Captain Cook Highway and here is another picture published here on NewsPort yesterday. The video that goes with these pictures shows the scale of the job ahead opening up the Captain Cook Highway which remains out of action for approx: 1 month. Thanks Bretto 👍🌴 Due to the impacts of Cyclone Jasper we have commenced issuing 100% credit vouchers as an option to claim 100% value vs our standard refund less fees option.
We outline below the process to rebook your transfers with your 100% credits. We have found the majority of bookings using our 100% credit travel vouchers simply wish to advise new travel dates, new flight numbers and flight times with the majority of passengers, accommodation, contact details etc remaining the same. Importantly this process maintains your existing booking reference. This process avoids you needing to make a completely new booking and avoids you and us dealing with old and new booking references. This can become confusing when old emails are forwarded and combined with new booking numbers. To rebook new transfers with your 100% credit voucher:
To see more details about refunds less cancel fees or being issued a 100% credit travel voucher see our summary here or see our full T&Cs here at F Cairns and Port Douglas are affected by widespread record breaking floods as a result of severe weather and rainfall over 1000mm since Cyclone Jasper crossed the coast on Wednesday last week. The Captain Cook Highway is now estimated to be completely closed for approx: 4 weeks due to significant landslides and road damage. After initial hopes of reopening in 48 hours - those hopes have been dashed. We do not recommend anyone to make bookings for transfers between Cairns and Port Douglas until after 19 January 2024 at the earliest. We will update here when that changes. All our booking forms have this alert in place. There is also significant damage on the inland highways which remain closed, but if the inland route via Kuranda and Mareeba opens up we will update our services. 👍 Many locals who physically provide the services for tourism have had their homes and business flooded. The closure of the road then has a devasting effect on employment and also the movement of resources into flood affected areas. The Cairns, Port Douglas, Mossman communities and all in between will need time to clean up and regroup before focusing on the delivery of tourism services which is the lifeblood of our region. We look forward to seeing guests to our region back as soon as possible. Refund, credit enquiries or change of date requests please email the details on your booking form and we will reply as soon as able. General enquiries may be delayed as our staff focus on managing existing bookings. Thank you for your understanding. This message will be updated when the situation changes. Thank you Newsport for your excellent coverage and reporting like this which helps us spread the word 👍 Image: Captain Cook Highway is currently impassable due to multiple landslides. Picture: Dean Miller and posted on Newsport - see link above for latest at time of writing this post.
MONDAY 18 DEC 2023 ALERT:
Cairns and Port Douglas are affected by widespread record breaking floods as a result of severe weather and rainfall over 1000mm since Cyclone Jasper crossed the coast on Wednesday last week. Cairns Airport is currently closed. Our office is closed today due to flooding, power outages and inability of staff to move about. Drivers have been cut off by flood waters and are isolated at multiple locations. We currently do not know when the Captain Cook Highway will reopen but from images and video we have seen we would estimate 7-14 days minimum. People flying in to Cairns during this time should check with their airlines, accommodation and all sources of info before arriving in Cairns. The Cairns, Port Douglas, Mossman communities and all in between will need time to clean up and regroup before focusing on the delivery of tourism services which is the lifeblood of our region. We look forward to seeing guests to our region back as soon as possible. Our primary concern this week is the safety and wellbeing of our staff and drivers. We also need time to assess damage to assets and our fleet. Refund, credit enquiries or change of date requests please email the details on your booking form and we will reply as soon as able. General enquiries may be delayed as our staff focus on managing existing bookings. Thank you for your understanding. This message will be updated when the situation changes. Image source: Newsport Facebook from video posted by JDI Earthworks and Machinery Hire Every year we encourage travellers to either stay in Port Douglas until the day after, or go to Cairns the day before. We can provide limited services only during the closure.
Every year the Cairns IRONMAN closes the entire Captain Cook highway from about 5.30am to 5.30pm. In 2024 the Cairns IRONMAN closes the highway on 16 June. If you are flying in or out of Cairns on 16 June 2024 this is particularly important for you, because you cannot easily travel down the Captain Cook Highway between 5:30am and 5:30pm. Our travel options on 16 June 2024 will be:
Port Douglas Gran Fondo (Bike Race) closes the Captain Cook Highway 5:30am to 1:30pm.
Our business advises transfers along the Captain Cook Highway will be 100% blocked during that time.
Port Douglas is a beautiful place to holiday, so beautiful that some people don't want to leave 😎🌴
This is why sometimes we receive requests from our passengers, who spend holiday time to email or text us, asking to leave Port Douglas just 2 hours, or even, 1.5 hours before their flight leaves Cairns. The reasoning seems to be that visitors want to enjoy every last minute, and that because the direct transfer takes 1 hour, almost exactly, from Port Douglas to Cairns Airport, there is no need to leave any earlier. The 1 hour transit time is the time it takes when everyone is on board your shuttle, when the weather is 100% fine, and there is no heavy rain, no traffic delays, no start - stop roadworks, no landslips, no accidents, and no traffic jams around Smithfield. We're using the attached text message alert from Monday 13 March 2023 and this post as a little 'heads up' why we always schedule pick ups from Port Douglas to be 3 hours before a flight departure from Cairns. These TMR alerts can come through at any time day or night. Accidents involving one or two vehicles, blocking one or two lanes on The Captain Cook Highway, is the most common issue. We do hope everyone enjoys their holiday in Port Douglas, and ask that visitors to our region understand both the natural beauty, and also fragility, of the Captain Cook Highway. Let us use our experience of the Captain Cook Highway to transfer you between Port Douglas and Cairns. Our aim is always to have you at Cairns Airport in a relaxed fashion. Time to check your bags, grab a coffee or a snack, and continue relaxing before you head home and book your next holiday to Port Douglas. 🌴😎🍹 |
AuthorPaul and Visnja live in Port Douglas and have owned and operated Cairns Airport Shuttle for 9 years. Archives
January 2024
Categories |