Geographic position of Cairns
Cairns is located in the Southern Hemisphere and the Eastern Hemisphere. Its coordinates are 16.9237° S, 145.7661° E.
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Distance from the Equator:
about 1,884 km (1,171 mi)
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Distance from the North Pole:
about 11,903 km (7,396 mi)
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Distance from the South Pole:
about 8,135 km (5,055 mi)
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Distance from the Prime Meridian:
about 15,524 km (9,646 mi) east
Cairns lies in the tropical latitude zone. This latitude affects daylight length, seasonal variation and how local solar time compares with standard clock time.
Population Ranking of Cairns
With a population of 153,075, Cairns ranks as the 16th most populous city in Australia, out of 309 cities tracked on this site.
Airport in Cairns
Cairns International Airport (CNS / YBCS) is a major international airport serving Cairns directly.
Current local time at the airport is 04:32:41.
Daylight saving time in Cairns
Cairns uses the IANA time zone identifier Australia/Brisbane. The current local offset is UTC+10 / AEST.
Cairns does not observe daylight saving time in 2026. The UTC offset remains stable throughout the year.
Best Time to Call Cairns
Business hours in Cairns (9 AM-5 PM local time) fall at these local times elsewhere:
- New York: 7:00 PM (previous day) - 3:00 AM ( Partial overlap)
- Los Angeles: 4:00 PM (previous day) - 12:00 AM ( Partial overlap)
- London: 12:00 AM - 8:00 AM ( Outside normal hours)
- Dubai: 3:00 AM - 11:00 AM ( Outside normal hours)
- Mumbai: 4:30 AM - 12:30 PM ( Outside normal hours)
- Tokyo: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM ( Convenient)
- Sydney: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM ( Convenient)
Times shown reflect current UTC offsets and may shift by up to an hour around daylight saving transitions.
Time Difference from Cairns
Compare time in Cairns with major cities worldwide.
Time now in other cities in Australia
Frequently Asked Questions
What time zone is Cairns in?
Cairns follows the Australia/Brisbane time zone, the official IANA identifier used by computers and databases worldwide to track local time accurately. Right now, this puts Cairns at UTC+10.
What time is it in Cairns right now?
The current local time in Cairns is 04:32:41 on Wednesday, 02 September 2026. This page updates automatically, so refreshing it will always show the live time.
Does Cairns observe daylight saving time?
No. Cairns is not currently observing daylight saving time, so the clock reflects standard time for this time zone.
How far ahead or behind UTC is Cairns?
Cairns is currently UTC+10, meaning local time is +10 hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
What is the nearest airport to Cairns?
Cairns International Airport (CNS) is the airport serving Cairns. The current local time at the airport is 04:32:41.
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