It's that time of year again when Cairns fills with international accents, healthy bodies, lycra, and ironman ACTION.
And with our town boasting what is easily one of the most spectacularly scenic bike courses in the WORLD, you can expect there will be some changed traffic conditions this weekend.
Allow plenty of extra time to travel between the Northern Beaches and the city on Sunday; expect to see plenty of cyclists on the roads from 8:30am to 5pm on Sunday.
IMPORTANT you're planning a flight anywhere on Sunday, plan to leave AT LEAST 2 hours ahead of schedule to allow for traffic delays.
SATURDAY
ESPLANADE Between Spence St & Upward St 7:00am - 10:00am Full closure
SUNDAY
This is the big day, with both the full Ironman and the 70.3 evemts running on this day, kicking off with the swim leg at 6:35am in Palm Cove.
From there, competitors will start the bike leg from Palm Cove, to Port Douglas, and return to Cairns, and the run leg will traverse the Cairns Esplanade, Lake Street, and include Spence and Smith street closures.
CLOSURES
Captain Cook Highway
Nth of Veivers Road Palm Cove to Port Douglas
CLOSED 6am - 5.30pm
* For travel to and from Port Douglas allow 5hrs (scenic route through the Tablelands)
Cheviot St (Smithfield) Sidlaw St to Leisure Park Rd
CLOSED 4am - 7:30pm
LIMITED ACCESS
PALM COVE access via Veivers Road and Palm Cove Blvd
ESPLANADE Upward St to Lily St 7:00am - 7:00pm Northbound traffic permitted only
LILY STREET Esplanade to Lake St 7:00am - 7:00pm Westbound traffic permitted only
LAKE STREET Lily St to Airport Ave 7:00am - 7:00pm Northbound traffic permitted only
CAPTAIN COOK HIGHWAY will have two way traffic all day south of Veivers Road Palm Cove to Cairns including the Cairns Airport
FROM PALM COVE TO KEWARRA BEACH the Highway will be split into three lanes, one for north bound traffic, one for south bound, and one for the Ironman cyclists.
SOUTH OF KEWARRA : SOUTH BOUND, ONE LANE for vehicles, ONE for cyclists. NORTH BOUND, two lanes to Cairns as usual.
For more detailed conditions, please see the Ironman website
Stay safe and patient on the roads, and BEST OF LUCK to all competitors and volunteers.