21 Amazing Things to Do in Cairns, Australia (Reef & Beyond)

Nestled connected the sunny shores of Queensland’s acold north, Cairns is simply a spot wherever the lush rainforests conscionable the sapphire waters of the Coral Sea, and wherever each time feels similar a TV advert travel to life.

Cairns isn’t conscionable a beauteous look with thenar trees and a aureate sunset; it’s an action-packed playground that’s bursting astatine the seams with adventure, it’s the gateway to the world-famous Great Barrier Reef, it’s a stone’s propulsion from balmy tropical islands, and everything successful between.

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

Whether you’re soaring implicit the rainforest canopy connected a zipline oregon diving into the depths of the ocean, you volition find plentifulness of things to bash successful Cairns.

It’s Australia’s biggest tourer municipality for a reason. Here are immoderate breathtaking things you tin bash there…

1. Swim astatine the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon

Being successful the North of Australia, uncovering swimming spots that are croc-free is not easy. However, Cairns has a amusive solution to that – they person a fantastic enactment of man-made pools by the beach.

It’s a cruel paradox of the Aussie northbound that you get stinking blistery summers, but you can’t aquatics from the beaches, they’re afloat of crocs and stingers – jellyfish that tin earnestly harm you, adjacent termination you.

The main formation successful Cairns is besides much of a mud flat, and not that bully anyway.

The Cairns Lagoon gives you precisely what you request though – crystal wide waters, formation views, and beingness guards. The Cairns Esplanade lagoon is simply a chill spot to laze around, work your book, and conscionable different travelers.

2. Visit Rusty’s Farmer’s Market

Rusty’s Farmers Market

I would beryllium hanging retired astatine Rusty’s Markets every week if I lived successful Cairns.

I deliberation it’s the cheapest farmers’ marketplace I’ve visited successful Australia, and we person been to galore of them. Get determination connected a Sunday astatine astir 2pm conscionable earlier it shuts, there’s slash-down prices galore.

Regular readers of our blog volition cognize you tin ever find america astatine a farmer’s marketplace erstwhile we sojourn a caller city.

Rusty’s Market is simply a staple instauration successful Cairns, and has been operating each play since 1985.

It has implicit 180 stalls selling caller nutrient from surrounding farms, arsenic good arsenic caller bread, artisans, jewellery, coffee, chocolate, and truthful overmuch more. It’s a bully spot to store for unsocial souvenirs.

The marketplace is unfastened Friday and Saturday from 5:00am – 6:00pm, and Sunday 5:00am – 3:00pm, but it gets lively astir 10:00am-11:00am.

3. Get retired connected the Great Barrier Reef

redit: Tourism & Events Qld

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, a existent wonderment of the satellite that is 2,300km long. It’s astir apt the main crushed you’re visiting Cairns, and truthful it should be!

I’m blessed to accidental The Great Barrier Reef is conscionable arsenic magnificent and magical arsenic you’ve heard. I loved our full-day circuit exploring the underwater satellite with the girls. It was specified a chill acquisition for them astatine specified a young age.

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

Visiting the Great Barrier Reef can beryllium expensive, not to notation determination are truthful galore ways to acquisition it, but it’s a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

Budget for the disbursal truthful you don’t consciousness blameworthy oregon stressed erstwhile it comes clip to manus implicit the currency for this unthinkable World Heritage Site.

We’d ever wanted to spell to the Outer Reef, due to the fact that that’s wherever the champion snorkeling and diving is. You mightiness lone sojourn the Reef once, truthful you volition privation to spot it astatine its best!

Tours scope from tiny boats wherever you dive oregon snorkel disconnected the boat, to bigger tours wherever you moor astatine a pontoon and from determination enactment successful galore antithetic activities.

Here are a fewer ways you tin acquisition the Great Barrier Reef truthful you tin determine which acquisition sounds astir breathtaking to you.

The Pontoon Experience

Reef pontoon | Credit: Tourism & Events QLD

Because we person 2 young kids, we decided the pontoon acquisition would beryllium astir practical.

We didn’t fancy being stuck connected a cramped vessel each time with a 2 and six-year-old – it would person been stressful, and gaining entree to the h2o would person been tricky.

We chose the pontoon acquisition astatine Marine World based retired astatine Moore Reef with Reef Magic Tours aft proceeding they were astir apt the champion for families.

The terms was expensive, but it was for a afloat time acquisition and included lunch.

It came with a 90-minute high-speed catamaran thrust retired from Cairns to our pontoon vas moored astatine Marine World.

It was a immense pontoon with 3 floors, but it gave america each country to determination astir without being confined to a boat.

Kalyra snorkeling by herself

Plus the stairs that pb down from the main platform to a submersed snorkel level let you to beryllium down and enactment connected your disguise and fins, making it casual to descent into the water.

We had our ain array and chairs connected the sundeck, usage of freshwater showers and changing rooms and lockers, and a yummy morning/afternoon beverage positive a afloat buffet lunch.

The champion portion was the assurance Kalyra got by snorkeling successful the sheltered coral lagoon. The snorkel country is supervised astatine each times, they had snorkeler remainder stations scattered astir if you needed a interruption successful the water, and we could intelligibly spot the bottommost astatine each times.

“Wally” the large Maori Wrasse – representation by ReefMagicCruises

AND we met “Wally” the large Maori Wrasse!

The all-weather Marine World level caters to each enactment levels and was a large basal for the day.

Scuba Diving the Great Barrier Reef

Craig diving successful the Great Barrier Reef

If you’re going to sojourn the Great Barrier Reef, you’ve gotta bash a dive right?! Craig decided this was a once-in-a-lifetime infinitesimal and enactment his manus up for an introductory dive.

This was his 2nd clip ever diving, his archetypal being 2 years agone disconnected Shelley Beach successful Sydney.

He got a 30-minute dive with an teacher and conscionable 1 different person. Intro dives person nary much than 4 visitors per teacher making it reassuring for immoderate first-timers.

He loved it.

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

His dive reached a maximum of astir 8 metres successful the beauteous coral lagoon, a sheltered country with dense coral reef and a ton of marine life, including immoderate clip swimming with large WALLY!

“It’s different satellite down there, I tin decidedly spot the addiction to diving”, helium beamed.

Glass Bottom Boat and Snorkelling from Green Island

We besides spent the time connected Green Island, located 45 minutes by vessel from Cairns.

Not lone did we snorkel and dive, but we were capable to spot much of the reef connected a solid bottommost vessel and a semi-sub.

We loved our household time retired connected the reef.

Giant purple clam

Green Island is simply a soil land that’s cleanable for a relaxing time snorkeling arsenic a family. Kalyra loved seeing a fewer fish, turtles, and stingrays!

You tin snorkel consecutive disconnected the enactment and we felt the country adjacent the jetty was overmuch amended than snorkeling disconnected the patrolled beach.

There’s besides a bully boardwalk done the wood to the different broadside of the island, and whilst the kiddies played successful the h2o I enjoyed a massage.

The solid bottommost vessel circuit to Green Island is 1 of the much affordable ways to spot the Great Barrier Reef.

4. Visit Kuranda connected the SkyRail and Scenic Railway

The large happening astir Cairns is that determination is nary shortage of quality sites to explore. Most radical travel for the Great Barrier Reef, but enactment for the rainforest.

Riding the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway up to the hinterland municipality of Kuranda and past taking the Kuranda Scenic Railway backmost down is simply a fantastic mode to walk a time and get an all-round presumption of Cairns nature.

The Skyrail was opened successful August 1995, and astatine the clip was the longest gondola cableway successful the world.

The scenic travel takes you past Barron Falls, a beauteous waterfall that’s nestled successful the rainforest.

You besides get a bird’s oculus presumption of immoderate of the champion bedewed tropics landscape, period. From our diamond presumption gondola, we could look down done the level to spot the astonishing plants and flora below.

When you scope Karunda, marque definite to cheque retired the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, particularly if you person kids.

5. Go White Water Rafting connected the Barron River

Looking to get bedewed and adventurous? There are a fewer thrills connected the Barron River successful the Barron Gorge National Park done rapids called The Meat Cleaver, The Suckhole, and the Rooster.

And a rafting travel is ever made that overmuch much peculiar by a brainsick rafting guide, Marty.

Marty was afloat of life, speedy with a gag and a wry smile. His large booming laughter echoed disconnected the steep ravines and towering trees wrapped successful vines amid dense undergrowth.

The Barron River has Grade 2 and 3 rapids, but you tin besides spell whitewater rafting connected the Tully River, which has Grade 3 and 4 rapids.

6. Take a FREE fittingness people astatine the Esplanade

The Esplanade

I truly wanted to partake successful these free workout classes, but it was a small hard arsenic we were staying a spot retired of town.

Every time determination is simply a escaped workout people connected The Esplanade successful Cairns, specified arsenic yoga, pilates and boxing.

There’s besides a beauteous boardwalk you tin tally along, oregon spell for a locomotion to agelong your legs.

7. Enjoy the Cairns Night Markets

I wasn’t blown distant by the Cairns Night Markets, but it’s a bully mode to walk an hr oregon so.

It’s located close connected the waterfront, and features stalls brimming with handcrafted souvenirs, Aboriginal art, and quirky trinkets arsenic good arsenic immoderate freshly cooked thoroughfare food.

There is simply a much relaxed vibe here, and if you’re lucky, sometimes they person a unrecorded show from section musicians.

I’d suggest skipping the marketplace portion and heading consecutive to the massage section.

8. Visit The Atherton Tablelands

Millaa Millaa Falls, Atherton Tablelands

The Atherton Tablelands, a portion astir an hr southwest of Cairns, is simply a captivating portion wherever tropical rainforests conscionable fertile farmland and charming villages.

This plateau, which sits astatine at astir 700 meters supra oversea level, is simply a earthy wonderland known for its breathtaking waterfalls, crater lakes, and affluent biodiversity.

The Tablelands is besides famed for its cultivation produce, from java and beverage plantations to tropical fruits similar avocados, bananas, and pineapples.

If you lone person a time to walk successful the Tablelands, beryllium definite to hike to spot Millaa Millaa Falls, a beauteous waterfall successful a lush, fern-filled gorge, and Lake Barrine, a volcanic crater lake.

Another unsocial mode to acquisition the Tablelands is from the air. Opt for sunrise hot aerial balloon ride to witnesser the divers scenery from a birds-eye position arsenic the prima casts its orangish hues implicit the lands.

We besides loved driving the scenic drive, The Waterfall Circuit, and mountain biking the Atherton Tablelands.

8. Take a roadworthy travel to Mossman Gorge and The Daintree

Daintree National Park

We deliberation you whitethorn request to flight from Cairns and find immoderate relaxing quality connected your trip, and if I’m speechmaking your caput right, past a travel to The Daintree Rainforest would beryllium the eventual choice.

The Daintree Rainforest is the oldest rainforest successful the satellite astatine 350 cardinal years old. Don’t bash it arsenic a time travel – it’s exquisite and you request to get your unbend connected successful the greenish jungle.

You tin enactment astatine Port Douglas oregon wrong The Daintree National Park for a mates of days and explore.

Mossman Gorge

Mossman Gorge

Mossman Gorge is conscionable northbound of Port Douglas and is astatine the gateway to the rainforest. It was my favourite portion of The Daintree Rainforest due to the fact that it has crystalline waters, rugged granite boulders, and lush rainforest surrounding earthy swimming holes.

You tin spell for a guided locomotion led by section Aboriginal guides, oregon kayak oregon paddleboard on the Mossman River.

9. Get Breakfast astatine Lillipad Cafe

An acquaintance recommended we halt astatine Lillipad Cafe for breakfast, which specializes successful caller vegetarian cuisine. As she was a erstwhile cook successful the Cairns area, we followed her advice.

It seems hundreds of different radical indispensable person arsenic good arsenic determination were nary disposable tables.

We managed to jab 1 arsenic we turned to locomotion retired with sadness successful our hearts. The nutrient portions were HUGE and fresh. It tin consciousness a small cramped astatine a array of 4 though.

10. Have a monster-sized meal astatine Cock and Bull Pub

The Cock & Bull is simply a staple instauration successful Cairns, and is known for serving up monster serving sizes since it began successful 1988.

The work was a small ordinary, but the serving size and the sensation of the nutrient made up for it, truthful decidedly worthy stopping successful present for immoderate pub grub.

Go for either the Roast oregon the vegetarian lasagna. So tasty and truthful HUGE!

11. Take a sojourn to Cairns Botanic Gardens

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

A sojourn to the Botanic Gardens is simply a indispensable connected immoderate travel to Cairns. It has 1 of the champion collections of autochthonal Australian plants and fauna successful the country.

As good arsenic this, it’s besides an acquisition time retired for the kids. Every 2 weeks, they tally a Little Taccas arts and crafts store for nether 5s, and they besides person a Little Sprouts store that teaches children astir gardening.

If you’re not visiting with children, you whitethorn bask the walking tours, which volition archer you each astir the unsocial works beingness and animals you spot here.

12. Go ziplining implicit the canopies astatine Cairns Adventure Park

Looking for thing adrenaline-fuelled? Then you’ll emotion a travel to Cairns Adventure Park for immoderate zip-line adventures.

Soar supra a rainforest canopy connected a precocious velocity zip enactment extending for 300 metres (985 ft) down the the city’s astir iconic elevation slope.

The aptly named Flying Leap MegaZip, flies implicit the Daintree and offers views implicit the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and Green Island.

You tin besides spell stone climbing and abseiling successful the park

13. Take a Helicopter Ride implicit the Barrier Reef

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

We mentioned earlier that you can’t spell to Cairns without visiting the Great Barrier Reef, but we cognize that not everyone is simply a instrumentality of swimming, snorkeling oregon diving.

If that’s you, past you mightiness similar a chopper formation to Vlasoff Cay!

You tin soar supra the reef and spot it successful each it’s magnificent glory. There is nary amended mode to acquisition the size of the reef than by seeing it successful the air. It’s just, wow!

14. Relax astatine Four Mile Beach

Four Mile Beach

The bittersweet information astir Cairns is determination is ever beauteous weather, but there’s obscurity to safely swim.

If you privation to sojourn immoderate fantastic Queensland beaches, caput retired a small mode to Four Mile Beach (a four-mile-long beach, duh!) conscionable northbound of Cairns.

It has soft, aureate soil and crystal-clear bluish h2o – it’s similar a tropical land paradise, but connected the mainland.

The formation is good maintained and large for families since the waves are much gentle here.

You’ll find thenar trees lining the formation and there’s ever a gentle, chill breeze.

You tin walk your days relaxing, swimming, oregon sunbathing nether the palms. It’s the cleanable spot to unbend and bask being connected 1 of Australia’s apical beaches. Another formation that’s worthy checking retired is Palm Cove.

15. Try Spear Fishing astatine Cooya Beach

Father and girl moment

If you’re looking for thing unsocial to do, possibly you mightiness bask trying spearfishing astatine Cooya Beach.

The formation is overmuch much similar a mud-plane, and is simply a large spot to hunt for mud crabs arsenic good arsenic effort spear fishing.

We had a large clip trying to drawback immoderate food with our spears. You tin work each astir our acquisition here.

16. Take a time travel to Fitzroy Island

Credit: Tourism & Events Queensland

You wouldn’t judge the tropical quality that you tin find conscionable a abbreviated region from Cairns. You tin scope respective tropical islands each wrong a time travel – it’s incredible!

One of the astir striking tropical islands adjacent Cairns is Fitzroy Island. It’s a tiny land that’s location to little than 50 people, but it’s worthy visiting for Nudey Beach.

And no, it’s not a nudist beach, but a gorgeous powdery achromatic soil formation with entree to the Great Barrier reef.

Sit successful the brushed soil oregon snorkel successful the corals from the shore. A travel to Fitzroy volition not disappoint.

17. Explore the Chillagoe Caves (Queensland Outback)

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

If you privation to spot immoderate fantabulous examples of Aboriginal stone art, you tin bash truthful ar the Chillagoe Caves.

The Chillagoe – Mungana Caves National Park is nestled successful the Outback Queensland and is known for its ineffable caves.

You tin lone sojourn the caves connected a guided-ranger tour, but these tours instrumentality you to spot 3 of the astir unthinkable caves successful the site; Donna, Trezkinn and Royal Arch caves.

Learn astir aboriginal creation and civilization connected these fascinating tours.

18. Take the kids to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures at Wangetti

For a genuinely jaw-dropping experience, caput conscionable 40 minutes northbound to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, wherever you tin get up adjacent and idiosyncratic with Australia’s astir infamous reptile – the saltwater crocodile.

Located astatine Wangetti, this award-winning wildlife parkland opened successful the 1980s and is known for offering elaborate and acquisition talks astir the crocs.

You tin witnesser a croc feeding session, instrumentality a vessel cruise done the mangrove-lined lagoon to spot crocodiles successful their earthy habitat, and adjacent effort your manus astatine holding a babe croc.

To get there, simply instrumentality the Captain Cook Highway northbound from Cairns and travel the signs to Wangetti.

19. Do Australia’s archetypal ever bungy jump

For thrill-seekers, Skypark by AJ Hackett is simply a high-altitude playground known for its heart-racing activities.

The astir celebrated of which is the bungy jump. It began erstwhile AJ Hackett, the antheral down the planetary bungy phenomenon, opened his first-ever Australian bungy tract present successful 1990, making Cairns the birthplace of Australia’s bungy culture.

At Skypark, you tin leap from the 50-meter platform, taking successful jaw-dropping views of the lush Daintree Rainforest arsenic you free-fall.

If you’re not definite astir bungy jumping, there’s besides the Minjin Swing, which launches you astatine speeds of up to 120 km/h implicit the canopies.

20. Skydive implicit the Great Barrier Reef

Sticking with the adrenaline-theme, wherefore not effort entity diving? Skydiving implicit this UNESCO World Heritage Site is simply a memorable mode to spot the reef’s vivid turquoise waters and patchwork of coral islands from above.

Opt for a tandem entity dive, and you’l soar done the wide skies astatine 14,000 feet, wherever you tin look down connected the world’s largest surviving organism stretching retired beneath you. Pretty cool, huh?

21. Be amazed by Paronella Park

You won’t judge that Paronella Park is successful Australia, it looks arsenic though it should beryllium successful Indonesia oregon the acceptable of a Indiana Jones movie.

Set wrong a verdant tropical rainforest, Paronella Park is simply a castle built by the 1930s by Spanish migrant José Paronella, which successful its premier was surrounded by gardens, waterfalls, and a unsocial Spanish-style tower.

Today, the castle is simply a ruin, which has been reclaimed by nature. As you locomotion astir the beauteous site, you tin spot walls draped successful moss, staircases overgrown with ferns, and waterfalls that springiness disconnected a magical quality.

It’s 1 of the astir fairytale similar places I’ve ever seen. Take a picnic and bask this earthy playground.

Where to enactment successful Cairns

Coconut Holiday Park

We stayed successful our camper trailer astatine the Ingenia Holidays Cairns Coconut (Formerly Coconut Holiday Park) astir 6 km southbound of Cairns municipality centre.

The girls loved it, determination were plentifulness of things to support them entertained similar h2o parks, pools, mini-golf, and unfastened aerial movies.

If you request much luxury, The Hilton is centrally-located successful Cairns, or for low-budget travellers, you can’t spell incorrect with the YHA Cairns Central Hostel.

You tin browse much accommodation options successful Cairns successful this interactive map:

Final thoughts

Credit: Tourism & Events Qld

Whether you’re looking for immoderate amusive for each the family, oregon you’re connected a couples play away, you’ll find plentifulness of apical attractions successful Cairns to support you busy.

If you’re ever stuck for choices, you can’t spell incorrect with a sojourn to the nationalist parks. Cairns is each astir nature, truthful beryllium definite to cheque immoderate of this retired portion you’re there.

We anticipation this usher helped you determine connected what to bash successful Cairns and offered immoderate inspiration for readying your itinerary.

More Tropical North Queensland Tips

Are you readying to sojourn different parts of Tropical North Queensland? Then these different guides whitethorn beryllium utile to you.

• Amazing things to bash successful the Atherton Tablelands, Cairns
• Ultimate usher to driving the Savannah Way, Outback Queensland
• Go to Carnarvon Gorgee National Park if you privation to spot kangaroos
• 5 time itinerary for the Sandstone Wilderness
• Quick getaway to Great Keppel Island
• A Thrilling Tour of Whitehaven Beach
• Seeing a antithetic broadside of the Whitsundays with a crocodile safari
• A luxurious Intercontinental Hayman Island Resort
• Things to bash successful Townsville, QLD
• Why you should sojourn Agnes Waters and the Town of 1770
• Stunning and adventurous things to bash successful Queensland
• Why haven’t I heard of Finch Hatton Gorge before
• Things to bash astatine Cape Hillsborough, Mackay – kangaroos connected the beach
• Eungella National Park, champion places to spot platypus successful Australia

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