 Cairns, the prime gateway to Tropical North Queensland
is the ideal starting point for travellers wanting to explore the Great Barrier Reef, rainforest, outback and the vast wilderness of Cape York Peninsula.
Despite all these attractions outside Cairns, you’ll be seriously tempted to extend your stay in this sophisticated modern city.
With its tree-lined streets, Cairns boasts great shopping malls, efficient transport, sophisticated hotels, cosmopolitan restaurants, cafes and nightclubs and a lifestyle
that is in keeping with contemporary city living.
For retail therapy you’ll be in seventh heaven. Cairns boasts an excellent range of outlets and shopping centres whether you’re after designer sunglasses, hip
fashion and jewellery, or souvenirs and gifts from crystals to boomerangs. Don’t miss the night markets on Cairns Esplanade
for a shopping treat.
Dining is a high point in Cairns and local eateries offer an eclectic choice of Australian and international cuisine. The highlight of most menus is the region's fresh seafood
and unusual tropical fruits.
As for entertainment there are excellent theatres, galleries, nightclubs and the glass-domed Reef Hotel Casino with four separate gaming areas and a luxury five star hotel.
Another pleasant surprise is how close and accessible everything is in Cairns. The airport is only a few minutes drive from the city centre and visiting cruise liners and
yachts moor at a marina and wharves only a block away from the main centre
Cairns Highlights!!
Hinterland Heaven
 Teetering on the brink of the Macalister Ranges high above the city of Cairns, Kuranda is a floral extravaganza under siege from the surrounding rainforest.
Everything in the town seems to be green, moist and wrapped in scarlet bougainvillea. The trees along the main street are not single items but green federations of trunks,
vines, mosses and staghorn ferns, and they say that if you sit still for too long in Kuranda, you can easily become part of the vegetation.
A number of alternative-lifers have put down roots in this earthly paradise and Kuranda is the centre for a thriving arts and crafts community.
Every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday this colourful brigade comes to town for the market, and even if you don't need a banana leaf flyswatter, a didgeridoo or an
exotic tropical fruit tree, market days are the time to be in Kuranda.
The town is just over 30 kilometres from Cairns along the Kennedy Highway - a curving, swerving, roller-coaster ride before the
road irons itself out and crosses the range - but most visitors arrive by train. Several times a day trains leave the Freshwater Station
north of Cairns for the dramatic climb through tunnels of greenery, past Barron Falls and finally to Kuranda Station, which is swathed in
palms and ferns - and which has had to be disqualified from railway station beauty contests on the grounds of unfair advantage.
Instead of the train ride back to the coast, make the return journey by SkyRail, a cable car that takes you above the rainforest canopy on an unforgettable journey. Be sure
to stop off at one of the stations along the way to explore the rainforest.
Shop Till You Drop
 With its tree-lined streets, Cairns boasts great shopping malls, efficient transport, sophisticated hotels, cosmopolitan restaurants, cafes and nightclubs
and a lifestyle that is in keeping with contemporary city living.
For retail therapy you'll be in seventh heaven. Cairns boasts an excellent range of outlets and shopping centres whether you're after designer sunglasses, hip fashion
and jewelry, or souvenirs and gifts from crystals to boomerangs. Don't miss the night markets on Cairns Esplanade for a real treat.
The shopping centres offer a variety of goods including luxurious brand shops, duty-free stores, boutiques, galleries and craft shops. Walk around the streets of Cairns to
find many souvenirs shops and galleries. Facing the Cairns Harbour, "The Pier Market Place" has a great view over the bay. The "Cairns Central
Shopping Centre", contains large department stores, supermarkets and cinema, is popular with local shoppers. Located along the shores of Trinity Inlet at Esplanade Street,
the Night Market is opened every evening. Aboriginal artworks, handmade accessories by the local artists, t-shirts, opals are stocked. For fresh produce walk through "Rustys
Bazaar". This market is held on Saturday and Sunday every week, is a great place to take in or purchase vegetables, fruit, and everyday clothing.
"Marina Mirage" one and half hours north in Port Douglas, is another luxury shopping experience of the area. In Kuranda, the hilltop town amongst the tropical rainforest,
hosts local markets every day.
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