Sign in with Facebook"Cairns & Far North Queensland" Cairns by colin_bramso
Cairns Travel Guide: 863 reviews and 2,188 photos
Cairns is the main jumping off point for the Great Barrier Reef, and many of the other attractions of tropical Far North Queensland.
Many people are surprised to discover that it's a city of only around 100,000 people, but because of it's importance for tourism it has the facilities of a much bigger city.
There are many tour companies operating from Cairns, to the Great Barrier Reef, the Daintree Rainforest, Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas, Kuranda ("The village in the rainforest") among them.
There's plenty of accommodation, ranging from 5 star resorts and hotels, self-catering apartments through to backpacker and camping sites.
If you're looking for beaches you need to go to the string of northern beach villages; Trinity Beach and Palm Cove are the best. They all have accommodation choices, and buses run regularly into Cairns.
I recommend you think about hiring a car, because it's so much easier to get around and see things, including areas not serviced by buses. There are plenty of places without public transport, because this is a huge and sparsely populated area. That's part of its charm of course.
It's unlike the usual image of Australia because this is the wet tropics. It's more like, I think, parts of Asia such as Malaysia or Indonesia. Rainforest, tropical plants and wildlife, lush green-covered mountains. And a monsoon & cyclone season. That's in December-February, our summer, so the best time to visit this part of Australia is winter, June-August.
There's more in Tips and my Travelogue - just click on the tab.
Reviews (12)
Excellent Thai food.
Restaurants
(4)
Run by a Thai family, a friendly, fairly large restaurant with a good menu. They also ask you to advise them of any food... more travel advice
Port Douglas Market
Shopping
(1)
From Cairns, a visit to Port Douglas is a 'must'. Go on Sunday and you'll find a casual market under the palm trees.... more travel advice
Crocodiles!
Warnings and Dangers
(1)
This is wet tropics, so there are crocodiles. They've been protected for many years, so some of them have grown to be... more travel advice
Port Douglas
Favorites
(3)
If you're based in Cairns, a visit to Part Douglas is a 'must'. About an hour's drive north, the drive itself is... more travel advice
colin_bramso's Related Pages
Cairns Travel Guide
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Have you been to Cairns?
Share Your TravelsLatest Activity in Cairns
- Posted in Travel Australia Forum "Re: 3 weeks in Australia"
- updated a Cairns Travelogue "The Far North"
- Uploaded a Photo to "Port Douglas"
- Wrote a Review Excellent Thai food. in Cairns Restaurants
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Comments (9)
enjoyed your page very much
Hello Colin! Cairns looks lovely. Must get there one day. Happy birthday from Finland!
This shop has changed ownership recently, and coffee quality has declined dramatically. Others in the area seem to do it better.
Hi Colin, thanks for the nice words :) I know exactly what you mean when you say you'd rather 'feel' a place than document it. These Cairns pages are interesting, not the Australia I'd expect. Take care and happy travels!
Indeed, Cairns is a great place to visit Colin. The rainforrest and Kuranda are really special. Looking up for my next visit...
Must try and get to cairns some time. Looks great!
yep.if it would not been for the croc's..Cairns would be PARADISE..but hey, we all have to share:-)) fantastic page Colin tks for sharing
You wouldn't believe how much help this is for someone with little or no idea of what is there. Thank you.
A room, a cup of coffee - but which way's Kuranda?