At a glance
- On-street meters
- $2.40 an hour where the sign says METER; time limits generally 1 to 3 hours, 8.30am to 6pm weekdays and 8.30am to 2pm Saturday
- Biggest council car park
- Hartley Street, 450 spaces including RV bays: $2.40 an hour, capped at $6 a day, paid 8.30am to 5pm weekdays
- Free all the time
- McKenzie Street (65), Smith Street / Fun Ship Playground (60), Palm Cove Jetty (37) and the Tanks Arts Centre car park (50)
- Pay
- ‘Pay by plate’ machines take coins (not 5c) or Visa and Mastercard, minimum fee $1 and no change; the EasyPark app works at four car parks
- Who it’s for
- Anyone driving into Cairns city, the Esplanade or the hospital area and wanting to know what each council car park costs
- What to do now
- Check the sign at the bay and the hours for the car park you choose; weekday fees stop at 5pm in most council car parks, but not in all
- Last checked
- Saturday 7 November 2026, against the council’s off-street car park page (updated 26 October 2026) and on-street parking page (updated 30 October 2026)
- Not yet confirmed
- Fine amounts and how to pay a parking infringement (not on the pages read), and the commercial car parks’ prices (the council does not set them)
Cairns Regional Council charges $2.40 an hour at its on-street meters and in most of its paid car parks, and the biggest of them, Hartley Street, has 450 spaces and a daily cap of $6. Four council car parks are free at all times, and most paid ones are free after 5pm on weekdays and all weekend. Cairns is in Queensland and stays on Brisbane time all year (AEST, UTC+10), so every hour below is local time with no daylight-saving change.
This guide uses the council’s off-street car parks page (last updated 26 October 2026) and its on-street parking page (last updated 30 October 2026), both read on 7 November 2026. All fees are as of November 2026. The council says parking and regulated hours vary by location and asks drivers to check the signs.
What does on-street parking cost in Cairns?
The council says Cairns has a mix of free and paid on-street parking. In the CBD and other high-use areas, parking is generally limited to between 1 and 3 hours. Time limits apply from 8.30am to 6pm on weekdays and from 8.30am to 2pm on Saturdays. Outside those hours, and where no time limit is posted, parking is restricted to 8 hours.
| Sign at the bay | What it means |
|---|---|
| A time with the word “Free” (for example 2P Free) | Free parking |
| A time only (for example 2P) | Free parking |
| A time with the word “Meter” (for example 2P METER) | Paid parking at $2.40 an hour |
Centre median parking is always free, with time limits from 8.30am to 6pm weekdays and 8.30am to 2pm Saturdays and none outside those hours. Kerb-side parking is free with no time limits after 2pm on Saturday, all day Sunday and on public holidays. The rules for disability bays, loading zones, bus zones and taxi zones are still enforced.
How do I pay at a meter or machine?
Council uses ‘pay by plate’ machines. They take Australian coins (except 5c coins) or Visa and Mastercard, with a minimum fee of $1 (they do not give change). ‘Pay by plate’ does not need a ticket, so there is no need to return to your vehicle. For on-street parking, drivers can also pay for the exact parking period in the EasyPark app.
The council lists four off-street car parks where EasyPark can be used: Grafton Street, Hartley Street, Hospital Esplanade (opposite the hospital, within the Esplanade) and Southern Esplanade (Lagoon). The council’s pages say the Lake Street multi-storey and the CPAC car park do not use pay by plate machines, because they are operated by boom gates.
If a machine is not working, the council says you can report the fault 24/7 on 1300 187 603. On the off-street page the council notes that the call is not answered; it sends an SMS with a link to report the fault, and you must click the link. The on-street page says that when you call you get two options, an SMS link to an online form or speaking to a team member, and that you need the machine’s ID number ready.
Which council car parks are in the CBD, and what do they cost?
| Car park | Where | Spaces | Fee | Paid hours | Free hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hartley Street | End of Hartley Street, near the Sheridan Street intersection | 450, including RV parking | $2.40 an hour, capped at $6 a day | 8.30am to 5pm weekdays | After 5pm weekdays, all weekend and public holidays |
| Grafton Street | Grafton Street, between Shield and Aplin streets | 100 | $2.40 an hour, capped at $6.50 a day | 6am to 6pm, 7 days | After 6pm every day and all day public holidays |
| Lake Street (multi-storey) | Lake Street, between Shields and Aplin streets, next to the Lake Street bus terminal | 300 | $1.50 an hour, capped at $10 a day | 8.30am to 6pm weekdays, 8.30am to 2pm Saturday | After 6pm weekdays, after 2pm Saturday, all day Sunday and public holidays |
| CPAC | Corner of Sheridan and Florence Streets, entry from Sheridan and Grafton streets | 132 | $2.40 an hour, capped at $6 a day | 8.30am to 5pm weekdays | After 5pm weekdays, all weekend and public holidays |
Two details are worth noting. The CPAC car park is for the exclusive use of ticket holders during performance times, with no casual use, according to the council. The Lake Street car park has a maximum height of 1.9 metres. Council also offers Lake Street permits at $156 a month for a 5-day (Monday to Friday) permit and $179 a month for a 7-day permit; the Grafton Street reserved bays are fully occupied and the council is not accepting new applications.
The Cairns Performing Arts Centre’s own visiting guide, read on 3 November 2026, still lists older figures for the same car parks: $2 an hour capped at $4 a day at CPAC, and $1.40 an hour at Lake Street. The council’s car park page, updated on 26 October 2026, is the newer source, so this guide uses its numbers.
Where do I park for the Esplanade and the Lagoon?
The Southern Esplanade (Lagoon) car park is next to the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon and is reached from Pier Point Road. It has 290 spaces and costs $2.40 an hour, paid from 6am to 10pm every day, and it is free after 10pm and all day on public holidays. The council adds that this is the open-air car park next to the Lagoon and Fogarty Park, and that the underground car park beneath the Pier Shopping Centre is commercially operated.
| Car park | Where | Spaces | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Esplanade (Lagoon) | Next to the Lagoon, from Pier Point Road | 290 | $2.40 an hour, 6am to 10pm every day |
| Hospital Esplanade | Opposite Cairns Hospital on the Esplanade, between Kerwin and Charles streets | 75 | $2.40 an hour, 8.30am to 5pm weekdays |
| McKenzie Street | Esplanade parkland, near the McKenzie Street intersection | 65 | Always free |
| Smith Street (Fun Ship Playground) | Esplanade parkland, near the Smith Street intersection, next to the Fun Ship Playground | 60 | Always free |
| Skate Park | Esplanade parkland, near the Upward Street and Esplanade intersection | 96 | Always free, with a 3-hour limit from 8.30am to 5pm weekdays and 8.30am to 11.30am Saturday |
The council’s Esplanade facilities page, last updated 9 February 2023, still shows $2.10 an hour and 100 spaces for the Hospital Esplanade car park, and $2.10 an hour for the Lagoon car park. The car park page updated on 26 October 2026 gives $2.40 and 75 spaces, and this guide uses those figures.
The same Esplanade page lists public toilets next to the Lagoon, near the Fun Ship playground, in the McKenzie Street Parkland, near the beach volleyball courts, at Muddy’s playground and at Fogarty Park near the bus bays alongside the Southern Esplanade car park. Showers and changing rooms are next to the Lagoon, and coin-operated lockers are at the Lagoon and near the bus bays. The council’s customer service number for questions and faults is 1300 69 22 47.
Where is the free parking at Palm Cove and Tanks?
The Palm Cove Jetty car park is at the northern end of Williams Esplanade and has 37 spaces, 3 bus spaces and 2 car-and-trailer spaces. It is always free. The Tanks Arts Centre car park is at the eastern end of Collins Avenue, has 50 spaces, and is always free; the council says it services the Tanks Arts Centre, the Botanic Gardens and the Arrow walking trails.
Is there accessible parking, and where can RVs and motorbikes park?
The council recognises all interstate and international accessible parking permits. With a permit you can park for free, for as long as you need, in a designated accessible bay or in any on-street or off-street bay. This free parking is not available at the Lake Street and CPAC car parks, which have boom gates. At those two car parks, payment is required in the designated bays.
At Grafton Street and Hospital Esplanade there are no dedicated disability bays, but a driver can use any normal white-marked bay and display a valid permit. Hartley Street has designated bays, and so do the free car parks.
Hartley Street has RV bays for large recreational vehicles, including motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans and large truck campers that cannot fit in a standard space; standard cars and utes cannot use them, and payment is required. Motorcyclists can park for free in dedicated motorbike bays. In a regular bay they must enter their licence plate at a ‘pay by plate’ meter, and fees apply.
What about private car parks?
The council says there are also commercial car parks, that it is not responsible for them and that it does not set their fees. It lists these: the Cruise Terminal car park (Wharf Street), Cairns Square (Abbott Street), Cairns Convention Centre (Hartley Street), Cairns Central Shopping Centre, Hilton International (Marlin Parade), Koppens car park (Grafton Street, south), The Pier Shopping Centre, Ports North car park (Lake Street, south), Reef Casino (Wharf Street) and Rusty’s Markets car park (Sheridan Street). Their prices are not on the council pages, so this guide does not quote them.
Is public parking free on public holidays?
The council says parking at its car parks is free on public holidays, and on-street kerb-side parking is free on public holidays too.
What is changing soon?
The council announced on 3 November 2026 a new Route 100 bus service between Cairns Airport and the CBD, due to run from Monday 23 November 2026. The council says it will go direct from the airport to Fogarty Park in the CBD, with stops at the Cairns Base Hospital, the private hospital and the Esplanade Lagoon, and that the airport stop will be between the international and domestic terminals. Timetables will be on the Translink website closer to the launch date, so no times or fares are known yet. Fogarty Park is next to the Southern Esplanade car park.
Where do I find the council’s parking maps?
The council publishes two PDF guide maps: an off-street car parks guide map (2026) and an on-street parking guide map, both linked from the council’s parking pages. The on-street map shows time limits, whether fees apply, and the locations of the council car parks.
Sources
- Cairns Regional Council — Off-street car parks (last updated 26 October 2026; read 7 November 2026)
- Cairns Regional Council — On-street parking (last updated 30 October 2026; read 7 November 2026)
- Cairns Regional Council — Esplanade toilets, showers and parking (last updated 9 February 2023; read 7 November 2026)
- Cairns Regional Council — New Cairns airport bus cleared for takeoff (published 3 November 2026)
- Cairns Regional Council — CPAC visiting guide (read 3 November 2026)
Featured image: Esplanade Lagoon, Cairns, January 2025 (photo: Chris Olszewski / CC BY-SA 4.0) (text added). The photos in this guide show Cairns places, not the car parks.
OZ Local Updates is an independent local guide and is not affiliated with Cairns Regional Council or the operators of the commercial car parks. Fees, hours and rules can change; check the signs at the car park and the official pages above.