Overview
Cairns is the tropical gateway city of Far North Queensland — the launch point for the Great Barrier Reef and the ancient Daintree Rainforest, two World Heritage wonders that meet here. With its waterfront lagoon, reef and island trips, rainforest railways and a laid-back tropical feel, it is one of Australia's great adventure bases.
The outer reef off Cairns — the city is the reef fleet's home port.
Travel
Cairns, on the coast of tropical Far North Queensland, is the gateway to two of Australia's natural wonders — and one of the few places on earth where two UNESCO World Heritage sites sit side by side: the Great Barrier Reef offshore and the ancient Wet Tropics rainforest, including the Daintree, behind the coast. That double draw makes the relaxed, palm-shaded city one of the country's premier holiday and adventure bases. Cairns itself has no surf beach in the centre — instead, the lively Esplanade runs along the waterfront to a popular saltwater swimming lagoon and boardwalk, ringed by restaurants, bars and the night markets, and the marina is the departure point for the boats that are the city's lifeblood. From here, day trips and liveaboards head out to the Great Barrier Reef for some of the best snorkelling and scuba diving in the world — to the close-in coral cays of Green Island and Fitzroy Island, the Low Isles, and the outer reef itself, with its gardens of coral, turtles, rays and tropical fish. Inland, the rainforest beckons: the village of Kuranda is reached by the historic Scenic Railway up through the gorge and the Skyrail cableway gliding over the canopy; the Atherton Tablelands rise to waterfalls, crater lakes and cool-climate produce; and to the north, beyond the upmarket resort town of Port Douglas, lie Mossman Gorge and the Daintree Rainforest at Cape Tribulation, the storied spot “where the rainforest meets the reef”. Wildlife is everywhere, from reef life to crocodiles, cassowaries and tropical birds, and the region has a strong Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural presence. The climate is tropical, with a warm, dry, sunny season from May to October (the best time to visit) and a hot, humid wet season from November to April — when marine stingers (box jellyfish) make stinger nets and suits necessary for ocean swimming near shore. Cairns is the essential base for the tropical north.
Cairns is the world's best-known gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system on the planet and a UNESCO World Heritage area, and getting out onto the water is the headline experience. A fleet of day boats and liveaboards leaves the Marlin Marina each morning for the reef in its many forms: the easy, close-in coral cays of Green Island (with its rainforest and beaches) and Fitzroy Island; the calm Low Isles off Port Douglas; and the spectacular outer reef, an hour or more offshore, where pontoons and dive sites give access to walls and gardens of coral teeming with turtles, reef sharks, giant clams and clouds of tropical fish. Snorkelling, introductory and certified scuba diving, glass-bottom boats and scenic flights over the reef and the heart-shaped Heart Reef all showcase it, and operators cater to everyone from first-timers to serious divers. Because the reef is precious and under pressure, choose high-eco-standard operators, and remember that conditions and visibility vary with the season. A reef day is, for most visitors, the single reason to come to Cairns — and it rarely disappoints.
Frequently asked questions
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