Local Information: Cairns

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Cairns City is the heart of Tropical North Queensland and is the primary gateway to Northern Australia. Cairns looks a picture, framed by the spectacular twin backdrops of rainforest mountain ranges and the sparkling Coral Sea.

Cairns is a modern, sophisticated city. It is an ideal base to explore the wider Tropical North Queensland region with front door access to World Heritage listed Reef, Rainforest and Outback. An amazing 600 tour options are available each and every day from Cairns.

The Cairns International Airport is located only several minutes drive north of the city centre. The city itself is where much of the accommodation is situated close to international standard restaurants, boutique shopping, modern art galleries and evening entertainment.

First settled in 1876 as the port for inland goldfields, Cairns has matured from a frontier town to a cosmopolitan international gateway. In 1995 it was named Australia's most livable regional centre as its 130,000 city residents will agree.

All the attributes of a world class modern city are to be found in Cairns: International air access, high-standard accommodation facilities, an art gallery, botanic gardens, university, a casino and a convention centre.

Almost a century of architecture is reflected in the city streets - a comfortable blend of traditional Queenslander style and modern designs. Modern buildings grace the cityscape with a mixture of architectural designs including the Reef Hotel Casino, Cairns International Hotel and the Cairns Convention Centre.

Shopping

There are many shopping options available in Cairns. The Pier Marketplace is wonderful starting point for a day of shopping. Situated at the city end of the Esplanade it offers superb specialty shopping and local markets on weekends with local artists.

An exciting night market is open 7 days per week 4.30 to 11.00pm. Situated in the middle of the esplanade the night market is famous for collecting all your souvenirs and meeting all dining needs.

Cairns Central is the place to see where the locals shop and carry out general business. Situated only 2 blocks away from IH cairns campus, the centre holds banks, post office, chemists, supermarkets, a food hall, cafes, movie cinemas and specialty stores. Friday, Saturday and Sunday are fresh produce market days - this is well worth a visit to taste the local fruits and vegetables.

Dining

Visitors are amazed at the variety of restaurants, cafes and eateries available including italian, chinese, thai, indian, mexican, and japanese. There are also many reasonably priced cafes, steakhouses, pizza bars and takeaways.

Australians like to eat outside and the Cairns climate allows for many terraced and pavement restaurants.

Arts And Entertainment

Cairns is the home to many artists. The Cairns Regional Gallery is in a beautiful heritage building offering local exhibitions and traveling exhibitions from world respected international artists.

The Cairns Museum is well worth a visit displaying a large collection of local memorabilia. Cairns Civic Theatre offers many national shows, international ballets, musicals and concerts.

The Reef Festival begins in October for a month of celebrations of the diverse cultural backgrounds of the people who live in Cairns and the environmental diversity of the region. Events and community based promotions include a golf tournament, food festival, concerts and mardi gras style parade.

Attractions

A focal point for the city is the Cairns Esplanade. Almost two kilometres of landscaped parkland and lagoon pools fringes a busy thoroughfare and restaurant strip on one side, and a natural harbour inlet on the other.

Each year, thousands of visitors flock to the Esplanade to relax on the grass, swim in the lagoons, eat at sidewalk cafes, meet new people, walk under the trees, and watch the many bird species which come to feed on the tidal zone.

Nightlife

Music, dancing, partying, and student nights out, there are plenty of options available in Cairns.

Around Cairns

The Great Barrier Reef as long been the main attraction in Cairns, thousands of visitors travel to over 200kms of pristine reef sites. You can choose to snorkel, scuba dive or simply enjoy the view from a glass bottom boat, there is something for everyone.

Cairns is surrounded by lush tropical rainforests, you can travel over the Great Dividing Range and enter the Tablelands area. Kuranda is a village at the top of the range offering excellent shopping and is also the point of return on the Skyrail (world famous rainforest cablecar) or the Kuranda Scenic railway train.

North of Cairns is Port Douglas and the gateway to the Daintree World Heritage listed park, travel 4 wheel drive over the Daintree River (whilst crocodile spotting) and visit Cape Tribulation where the Reef meets the Rainforest.

For more information on Cairns, we suggest visiting www.queensland-holidays.com.au.