Cairns Sightseeing

The sheer variety of natural landscapes and wildlife make Cairns and the surrounding regions a nature-lover's paradise. While the city itself is rife with activities and facilities for tourists, the outlying national parks provide solace for those who feel a little too 'catered-for' in Cairns city proper. The world's largest living structure, the Great Barrier Reef, is the main attraction here, with travel agents in town marketing an endless variety of diving, snorkelling and island-hoping packages.

Atherton Tableland
The highland plateau west of Cairns is named after John Atherton, who played an important role in opening the region to tin miners. Today, Atherton Tableland is included in the wet tropics UNESCO World Heritage site and features a number of outstanding waterfalls and lakes set amid some of the finest expanses of tropical rainforest in the country. True outdoor enthusiasts could spend numerous days exploring the landmarks and wildlife of Atherton Tableland without growing weary. The most important tourism outpost in the rainforest, Kuranda, is only a 20-minute drive from Cairns.

Cape Tribulation National Park
This national park is hemmed in by the Bloomfield and Daintree rivers and descends from Thorton Peak in the McDowall Ranges to the deserted beaches at the easternmost end of the park. Camping is a popular pursuit in the park, particularly at Noah Head, and there are also a number of lodges, resorts and related facilities located throughout. Heavy rains occasionally make portions of Cape Tribulation inaccessible to all but four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Crystal Cascades
Also known as Wongalee Falls, this waterfall is located a few miles north of Cairns near a town known as Redlynch. Cutting through a gorge, the stream produces a gauntlet of churning rapids as it tumbles through the forest and ultimately bursts into a series of nice cascades. Popular with families, this is an excellent place to plan a picnic. Plenty of signs advertise the dangers of the stinging tree so take note of these dangerous leaves and make sure children give them a wide berth.

Daintree National Park
Over 140,000 acres of national parkland beckon tourists to Daintree, though a great deal of this rainforest and rugged mountain scenery is inaccessible to casual observers. A short hiking trail in the park’s southernmost reaches provides access to a string of picnicking grounds cradled by a picturesque stream. The pristine forests huddling on the banks of the Daintree River managed to avoid much of the mining and deforestation that claimed other parts of Australia's tropics and this area has now been incorporated into the UNESCO-protected wet tropics land. Cruises on the river are nice, and a number of rustic lodges as well as a lavish resort provide accommodation.

Fitzroy Island
This island is accessible from a stretch of coastline situated a few miles east of Cairns. A significant portion of the island is protected parkland, and the beaches make excellent staging grounds for snorkelling expeditions to the outlying reefs. Hiking, diving and kayaking are also popular pursuits on Fitzroy Island. A two-hour hiking trail ascends to the local lighthouse where you'll find some nice panoramic views. Resort-style accommodation on the island caters for overnight guests, though there are just as many day-trippers who leave before sunset.

Green Island
This marvellous coral island is wildly popular with tourists. Located just a few miles off the Cairns coastline, Green Island spans roughly 25 acres and hovers a little more than six feet above the high-tide mark. While you won't find much peace and quiet here, there is plenty of opportunity for swimmers, sunbathers and snorkellers to enjoy themselves. The coral reef radiates from Turtle Island just beneath the water's surface, and one of the best ways to explore is onboard one of many glass-bottomed boats that shuttle tourists through some of the most striking and picturesque areas.

Inner Reef
The sheltered portion of coral lying well inside the outermost wall is the most accessible part of the Great Barrier Reef. For this reason, boatloads of day-trippers clog the waterways as they jockey for space in the shallow waters. If you don't have much time, or you're looking for an opportunity to explore the reef without spending a lot of money, then the inner reef is the best option. Snorkelling and diving are equally viable throughout much of this area. Hastings Reef, Norman Reef and Michaelmas Cay are just a few of the highlights.

Outer Reef
The best environment for serious divers is here in the more remote outer reef. Packages include overnight excursions on boats with sleeping berths as well as single-day excursions. Here visitors find the Coral Sea, an intriguing portion of the outer reef where hoards of marine life like turtles, minke whales and manta rays cruise the sheer coral walls. Bougainville Reef is often overlooked by package divers, but the variety of vibrant fish here is astounding and definitely worth the journey. Cod Hole is home to vast, huddling schools of potato cod that are accustomed to receiving visitors and the edible treats that accompany them. A trip to the outer reef is typically expensive, but worth every cent.

Enjoy the view from the Skyrail. The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is the longest gondola ride in the world. It was originally built as an eco-friendly alternative to laying a highway through the rainforest. The view is outstanding from this perspective, and the ride to Kuranda lasts around 90 minutes.

Glide over the reef and rainforest. With so much do on land and sea, visitors often neglect the view from the air. Ballooning and hand-gliding are two of the best ways to get an airborne perspective on the north tropics landscape. Travel agents in town can organise these adventures.

Light up the barbie. Australia's favourite pastime, the social barbeque, is well catered for in Cairns. Most parks and public places are equipped with public barbecues. A traditional Australian barbeque is a social event where visitors bring their own meat and drinks.

People-watch on the Esplanade. As a tourist, you're sure to spend plenty of time on the Esplanade. This is a great place to plant yourself in a café, grab a cup of coffee and watch the scene unfold.

Take a dip in the lagoon. There is a total of five swimming lagoons near the pier at the southern end of the Esplanade. As seasonal jellyfish make the ocean uninviting for swimmers, these lagoons are an extremely popular place to cool off and take a swim.

Take a trip on the Kurunda scenic railway. This old fashioned steam train plies a hand-laid track through Barron Gorge National Park and passes through 15 tunnels along the way. The phenomenal view alone makes the trip worthwhile, but the train also provides one of the primary avenues to reach Kuranda Rainforest Village.

Walk the UNESCO line. Cape Tribulation is the one place in the world where two UNESCO World Heritage sites actually meet. A dense, lush tract of rainforest snakes down to the coast where it joins the fringes of the Great Barrier Reef. It's possible to see both of these marvels together in one daytrip.