Clifton Beach Visitor Information

Cairns Tours - Cairns Beaches

Clifton Beach is one of Cairns Australia Northern Beaches, a central point on a six kilometre cove adjoining Palm Cove and Kewarra Beach.

Clifton Beach is located 22 kilometres north of Cairns and 42 kilometres south of Port Douglas and is a central point for all day tour operators and self drive tours.

With many tour operators available in the far north you won't have any worries visiting some of the most scenic sites in North Queensland from a central location like Clifton Beach.  

For more information on Day Tours contact The Tour Specialists or Ph: 1300 761 612.

Clifton Beach offers a range of holiday accommodation, which is then a short walk along the beach to nearby Palm Cove beach. For more information on Accommodation contact Cairns Holiday Specialists or Ph: 1300 780 806

Clifton Beach Overview

Clifton Beach offers an ideal base for visitors who wish to visit the Great Barrier Reef, tropical rainforest and the Atherton Tablelands. It is just 22 kilometres from Cairns City and 15 minutes’ drive from Cairns International Airport.

Clifton Beach offers an ideal base for visitors who wish to visit the Great Barrier Reef, tropical rainforest and the Atherton Tablelands. It is just 22 kilometres from Cairns City and 15 minutes’ drive from Cairns International Airport.

Clifton Beach, with its beautiful swaying palms, has no high-rise buildings. Marlin and reef fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, coral viewing and white water rafting are all within easy reach. For those who enjoy golf and tennis, Clifton Beach is situated very close to the Paradise Palms golf and tennis complex (regarded as one of the world's best.)

Clifton Beach Dining & Shopping

Supermarkets and restaurants are just a short drive away right in Clifton Beach with the new Clifton Village Shopping centre. Located 2 minutes’ drive from the beach it has a supermarket, post office, cafe & takeaway, and various retail outlets. There is a petrol station and fishing supply shop on the highway.  For any day tours, they will generally pick you up from these shops.

For resort style shopping and a larger selection of dining options you will find Palm Cove just a short 3 minute drive to the north.

Palm Cove also has a fabulous selection of more than 24 restaurants and has become an epicurean paradise. Seven of Australia’s top 200 restaurants as voted by Australian Gourmet Traveller 2006 are in Palm Cove. The skills and catering style of the chefs and restaurants vary from Modern Australian, Thai, Seafood, Italian, Greek, to bistro style, pizzas and takeaway.

Whether it’s a leisurely breakfast, a relaxing long lunch or a night out with friends, Palm Cove offers an exciting and extensive range of venues. It is not hard to find somewhere different, somewhere exotic, somewhere romantic or somewhere quick and easy to dine in Palm Cove.

Palm Cove provides a number of shops where you can indulge and treat yourself to something special. You will find great swimwear, fashion clothing and resort wear for men, ladies and children, souvenirs and gifts. With everything from the top brand names to the more casual, the shops provide for all tastes and budgets.

 Seven minute drive south from Clifton Beach takes you to Smithfield where you will find one of Cairns’ largest shopping centers for all your needs. The original centre first opened in 1986, and has undergone one major extension since then in 1996 to create the northern mall, link way and food court. With major retailers Coles and Woolworths supermarkets, Kmart, the Smithfield Tavern plus over 100 specialty retailers and services on 30,311m2 of retail space, Smithfield Centre is the largest shopping centre north of Cairns city.

James Cook University is also located a short drive to the south of Clifton Beach.

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