Freeport's supply base The north Queensland port of Cairns has been a major supply base for the Freeport mine since 1975, when it took over from Darwin after Cyclone Tracy.  Labour,  construction and engineering goods, alcohol, medicines, and food are regularly  transported  to  Timika from Cairns.
The company spent $90m there in 1994. A cargo ship runs between Amampare and Cairns every 10 days, while two flights per week transport up to 500 passengers per month between Timika and Cairns. The Freeport Company uses an average 4000 hotel/motel rooms per year in Cairns.
In September 1997, the stevedoring company International Purveyors    Inc,    formerly Freeport/Indonesia, sacked 27 Cairns  dock  workers.  The Maritime Union of Australia setup a week long picket to blockade the berthing of a Freeport cargo ship. The MUA picket was supported by the International Transport Workers Union. IPI eventually gave in and the workers were reinstated.