Sydney, Australia → Cairns, Australia
1,059 nautical miles · Direction: northwest
The straight-line distance from Sydney to Cairns is 1,961 km (1,219 miles). Cairns lies roughly north-northwest of Sydney; the initial great-circle bearing is 343° (NNW). It is a domestic route within Australia.
Sydney (New South Wales, Australia) sits at 33.8688°S, 151.2093°E; Cairns (Queensland, Australia) is at 16.9186°S, 145.7781°E. The initial great-circle bearing is 343° (NNW); on a great circle the heading changes along the way.
| Mode | Figure | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| ✈️ Flight | ~2h 57min | Estimate: 800 km/h + 30 min taxi. Not a schedule; total trip time is longer. |
| 🚗 Road | ~2,550 km · ~31h 53min | Rough estimate: straight line × 1.3 at 80 km/h. Not live routing. |
Rough road-length estimate for Sydney to Cairns: about 2,550 km. This is an estimate, not a routed drive — the actual road distance depends on the road network, crossings and the route chosen.
The geographic halfway point of the great-circle path between Sydney and Cairns lies at approximately 25.4185°S, 148.3015°E — the position that is an equal 981 km from each city along that path. It is a geometric midpoint, not a halfway point by road.
Depending on the date, Cairns (Australia/Brisbane) is 1 hour behind or on the same time as Sydney (Australia/Sydney), because daylight saving changes on different dates in the two zones or applies in only one of them.
The straight-line distance from Sydney to Cairns is approximately 1,961 km (1,219 miles, 1,059 nautical miles).
Cairns lies roughly north-northwest of Sydney; the initial great-circle bearing is 343° (NNW).
Estimated flight time is about 2h 57min (great-circle distance at 800 km/h plus 30 min for taxi, take-off and landing). It is not an airline schedule; total airport-to-airport trip time is longer.
Rough road-length estimate for Sydney to Cairns: about 2,550 km. This is an estimate, not a routed drive — the actual road distance depends on the road network, crossings and the route chosen.
Depending on the date, Cairns (Australia/Brisbane) is 1 hour behind or on the same time as Sydney (Australia/Sydney), because daylight saving changes on different dates in the two zones or applies in only one of them.
Straight-line distance uses the great-circle (Haversine) method. Flight and road figures, where shown, are estimates rather than schedules or live routing. How SnapDistance calculates distances