Shipping containers for Cairns

Cairns is tropical in a way the rest of our delivery area is not. There is a distinct wet season, the humidity rarely lets up, cyclones are part of the planning, and a lot of the region is reached by long highway runs or winding range roads. A container is one of the best ways to keep things dry and secure up here, as long as it is placed and looked after with the climate in mind.

Keeping things dry through the wet

The wet season in the Far North generally runs from around December to April, and it brings heavy rain, sustained humidity and mould. Households, renters and businesses use containers to keep furniture, documents, tools and equipment out of the weather. Cargo-worthy and new containers are wind and watertight, so rain does not get in from above, but the humidity inside the box is the bigger challenge.

Moist air trapped inside a sealed container will condense on the steel as it cools overnight, and anything organic, such as timber furniture, leather, fabric or cardboard, can grow mould. Store things clean and dry, lift them off the floor on pallets, leave a gap between the load and the walls, and use moisture absorbers that you replace through the season. Vents help air move. Our maintenance guide goes into more detail.

Cyclone season and placement

An empty or lightly loaded container can be moved by extreme wind, so in a cyclone-prone region placement and tie-down matter. Put the container on firm, level ground, clear of trees that could drop limbs on it, and think about whether it needs to be anchored. For containers staying long-term, especially on exposed sites, an engineered tie-down system is worth considering, and your local council may have requirements for structures in wind regions. Check with Cairns Regional Council or the council for your area before relying on a container as a permanent structure.

Placement on high, firm ground matters in the wet as well. Cargo-worthy and new containers keep rain out from above, but they are not sealed against water rising around them, so avoid low spots and drainage lines.

Marine, tourism and trade

Cairns has a working harbour and a busy marine industry around Portsmith and Trinity Inlet, plus a large tourism sector running reef, rainforest and tablelands trips. Operators use containers for dive gear, spare engines and parts, snorkel sets, kayaks, uniforms and seasonal stock. Trades and builders use them as site lockups, which matter more when a storm can blow through an open site.

Salt air near the water is hard on steel, so a marine-side container needs regular rinsing, greased door gear and quick touch-ups where the paint is chipped.

Beyond the city: tablelands, beaches and cane country

The Cairns region stretches up the coast through the northern beaches to Port Douglas and Mossman, south through the cane country around Gordonvale, Babinda and Innisfail, and west up the range to Kuranda, Mareeba and Atherton. Farms on the Tablelands grow avocados, mangoes, bananas, coffee and more, and they use containers for packing materials, chemicals and machinery parts.

The roads up to the Tablelands, including the Kuranda Range and the Gillies Range, are steep and winding with limits on some vehicle types, and roads can be cut or slowed by flooding during the wet. We plan Far North deliveries around those realities, and we will talk to you honestly about timing rather than promise a date the weather might break.

Sizes that suit the Far North

• 20ft — household dry storage, renovation staging, trade lockups
• 40ft — marine and tourism operators, farm storage where a sidelifter can work
• High cube — workshops and gear rooms with standing room
• Side-opening — dive and tour gear that has to be reached quickly
• Dangerous goods — fuel, outboard oil and farm chemicals

How Far North deliveries are quoted

Cairns is a long way from our South East Queensland base, so freight is a bigger part of the price than it is closer to Brisbane. It is quoted with the container as one delivered figure, and it depends on where a suitable unit is held and on the transport available heading north. We confirm the delivery day with you once the order is placed, and in the wet we keep you updated if roads or weather change the plan.

Around Cairns: places we deliver

Cairns City · Portsmith · Westcourt · Manunda · Edge Hill · Whitfield · Redlynch · Freshwater · Smithfield · Trinity Beach · Palm Cove · Edmonton · Bentley Park · Mount Sheridan · Gordonvale · Kuranda · Mareeba · Atherton · Port Douglas · Innisfail. Not on the list? Ring and ask — it's likely covered.