Contact BLOG About

Cairns

Cairns, in Queensland Australia, is a city on the northeast coast of Australia. It is a popular holiday destination and one of the gateways to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

In 2024 Cairns is open, but Cyclone Jasper closed the highway for a while at the end of 2023. Everything is as normal now, pretty much. You can visit Cairns and the surrounding area easily now.

The rest of this page covers what’s normally available to do in Cairns. Individual posts (for instance Daintree Rainforest from Cairns, Port Douglas from Cairns) have been updated to reflect any closures.

cairns cairns australia cairns queensland
Cairns Australia. Cairns is in Far North Queensland and is a popular holiday destination, one of the gateways to the Great Barrier Reef. Cairns enjoys a tropical climate, making it warm year-round, but very wet in summer!

Cairns

What is there to do in Cairns?

There are many things to see and do in and around Cairns. The short list is below, see our full posts for more details.

  • Visit the Great Barrier Reef or Islands nearby to swim, snorkel or scuba dive.
  • Visit many waterfalls, lakes, and fresh water swimming holes in the region.
  • Tour the Atherton Tablelands, see wineries, dairies, chocolate, coffee and banana farms.
  • Head a little north to Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge, and the Daintree Rainforest.
  • Visit Kuranda, a rainforest village accessible by cable car, road, or steam train.
  • North of Cairns you will find the Northern Beaches.
  • Visit many tourist attractions such as the Cairns Aquarium and Cairns Wakeboarding.
  • Fishing and seafood are popular in this region. Even Marlin fishing in season.
  • Get to see wild or captive saltwater crocodiles.
AustraliaCairns

How To Visit The Daintree Rainforest From Cairns 2024

In January 2024 the Daintree Rainforest, north of the Daintree River, is closed to tourists because of damage caused by ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & Cairns

Best Time To Visit Cairns

The best time to visit Cairns is broadly considered to be Australia’s cooler months, thus avoiding the wet season, tropical ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & CairnsTravel With Kids

Cairns With Kids

Cairns with kids. Our guide to fun things to do in Cairns with kids. In this post, we cover family-friendly ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & Cairns

A Liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns – What’s it Like?

What’s it live to live, sleep, eat, scuba and snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef? We’ve taken 2 liveaboard scuba ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & CairnsTravel With Kids

Learn to Scuba Dive in Cairns

What’s it like to learn to scuba dive? Our post covers the basics of scuba certification in Cairns Australia and ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & Cairns

Things to do in Cairns, Australia

Cairns has numerous great attractions within easy reach of the city and CBD but there are also loads of things ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort DouglasPort Douglas & Cairns

The Stinging Tree, Gympie Gympie, and Other Dangers of Queensland.

Yes, you read that right we have a stinging tree in Queensland. It’s not just a bit “ouch” it’s more ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & Cairns

Is There a Beach in Cairns? Where to Swim or Cool Off.

Cairns, Australia, is one of the stepping off points for snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef, but is there a beach ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & Cairns

Rusty’s Market Cairns

Looking for a foodie treat in Cairns or this area of Far North Queensland? I’ve posted about London’s Borough Market ...
Read More
AustraliaCairnsPort Douglas & Cairns

Paleo Food In Cairns

Healthy, Delicious Paleo Food In Cairns. We’ve just been on a mission to try the new cafe serving paleo food ...
Read More