Yorkeys Knob Visitor Information

Yorkeys Knob is the most central beach of Cairns Northern Beaches located right in between Cairns and Palm Cove. Yorkeys Knob is a great beach for adventure enthusiasts and active travellers who want to escape the tourist-dense hotspots associated with many other beaches around Cairns.

Yorkeys Knob attracts kite-surfers almost every day of the week who surf and jump the waves with the wind. Year round competitions are held right here on Yorkeys Knob beachfront and you can even get kite surfing lessons here.

Cruise ship passengers who dock in Yorkeys Knob love to get a group of passengers together to charter a boat for their private Great Barrier Reef tour experience as Yorkeys Knob is home to one of Cairns largest boat marinas.

Multi Million dollar private charter yachts, professional fishing boats and personal run around vessels are moored at the Yorkeys Knob boat Marina year round.

Yorkeys Knob boat marina also has a great club with a waterfront deck and dining facilities, a gaming room, and children’s playing areas and entertainment on weekends.

Yorkey's Knob Cruise Ship Tours

Yorkey's Knob is one of the Cairns ports that cruise ship companies such as P&O call into for shore time so the passengers on the boat may disembark for the day to enjoy the local Cairns tours and attractions such a Kuranda Tour, a Great Barrier Reef island tour or a helicopter ride or airplane scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest.   

As the cruise ship timings change and vary you need to co-ordinate your Yorkey's Knob shore tours with The Tour Specialists to ensure the correct tours are chosen for the disembarkation and embarkation times required on the Great Barrier Reef cruise ship schedule. 

Read the things you need to know when booking shore tours from Yorkeys Knob.

You may contact our team here to discuss your tour requirements and options and they will co-ordinate all your transfers for you whilst docked at Yorkey's Knob in Cairns on your Great Barrier Reef cruise ship tour.  

When staying in Yorkeys Knob golfers can enjoy a leisurely game at the Half Moon Bay Golf Course which is an 18-hole course located in the heart of Yorkeys Knob. This golf course has magnificent views over to the ocean which runs parallel to the golf course and has some very tricky holes to keep you challenged. Yorkeys Knob golf club also has well priced meals and comfortable club facilities.

Now you may be wondering- what exactly does the name Yorkeys Knob mean? It certainly doesn't emulate the beautiful beaches and clear coral waters that make this beach so aesthetically pleasing.

The "Knob" part of the name is named after a rocky outcrop that extends from the coral coast. This vegetated protrusion gives way to a calm and sandy moon-shaped bay called Half Moon Bay where today, the marina and boat club stand.

The word Yorkey is named after a man who resided on the "Knob" in the 1800's. George Lawson, a Yorkshire man who was a hard-living fisherman was nicknamed "Yorkey". Although pieces of this historical tale are missing it is thought that the name Yorkeys Knob was named after this daring Yorkshire fisherman affectionately called "Yorkey".

Yorkeys Knob is a great beach to spend the day, whether you want to play a game of footy (Australian football), cricket or soccer or perhaps you'd prefer taking a more easy going approach, sun tanning and enjoying a beachside family picnic.

Whilst there are no large resorts in Yorkeys Knob you will find several luxury self-contained holiday apartments that line the beachfront Esplanade as well as holiday homes and bed and breakfast accommodation. These holiday apartments have beautiful gardens with swimming pools, cabanas and barbeque facilities to help you enjoy your stay.

A number of bed and breakfast villa style accommodation houses are situated on the Yorkeys Knob cliff face overlooking the Coral Sea. The most amazing vista to wake up to or enjoy a sunset cocktail with a close friend.

Restaurants, dining options in Yorkeys Knob

Yorkeys Knob has one of the best outdoor patio restaurants in the Cairns area, Yorkeys Knob Boat Club. This lively waterfront eatery provides breakfast, lunch and dinner every day of the week and the clubs menu is extensive providing something for all tastes, including kids.

There are several themed events and nights at the Boat Club including children's nights and Margaretville Sundays and on weekends there is afternoon and nightly live entertainment.

Yorkeys Knob boat club can even provide free transfers to and from your beachside accommodation.

Along the beachfront there are a few take-away shops and restaurants and at the Yorkeys Knob Shopping Centre you will find a good selection of more places to sit down for a meal or order take-away.

Star Apple Restaurant at The Half Moon Bay Golf Course also has great meals and an extensive wine list.

Nightlife in Yorkeys Knob

The best nightlife you will find at Yorkeys Knob is at the Yorkeys Knob Boat Club. On weekends the boat club draws a significant crowd and features live local talent. The boat club also has poker machines for the avid small time gambler and a free pick up and drop of service to your beach resort accommodation.

Alternatively catching the local Sun Bus into Cairns (which runs every hour) or hire a taxi is a good option for great open air nightlife any night of the week.

Shopping in Yorkeys Knob

The shopping in Yorkeys Knob beach is great if you need to get the newspaper or to buy a few groceries. Other than that you may want to head to your nearest major shopping centre at either Smithfield (10 minutes north) or Cairns (10 minutes south).

 Tours, sightseeing, attractions in and around Yorkeys Knob

Other than fishing tours from Yorkeys Knob boat club, there isn't much in the way of day tours in Yorkeys Knob; however most tour companies will pick you up each morning at your Yorkeys Knob beach accommodation.

Tours departing to the Great Barrier Reef leave daily. Take a high speed catamaran to the Outer Barrier Reef to truly see some unique marine-life like fish, stingrays, sharks and sea turtles.

There are also half day voyages to Green Island just off the coast of Cairns where you can snorkel, scuba dive, parasail or see a giant salt water crocodile in captivity. Rainforest tours also depart from Yorkeys Knob daily.

Glide overtops of the rainforest on the Sky Rail aerial cableway or ride through the jungle on Kuranda Scenic Rail. The Daintree Rainforest, north of Port Douglas is home to some of the most primitive wildlife and plant species in the world and the waterfall rainforest circuit on the Atherton Tablelands is something that cannot be missed!

Extreme adventure tours include bungee jumping, jungle surfing, ATV riding, sky-diving, and white water rafting and helicopter scenic tours. There are several wildlife attractions, great for the family like Hartley's Crocodile Park, Rainforestation and the Kuranda Village wildlife parks.

Climate in Yorkeys Knob

Year round you will find lovely weather in Yorkeys Knob beach. Northern winters are generally cooler with temperatures ranging from 15 degree (in the mornings) to about 28 degrees in peak hour sunshine.

A most perfect time to be in Cairns to escape Australia’s cold winters in the southern states. The summer temperatures fluctuate only slightly averaging about 32 degrees.