Things to Do in Cairns

Great Barrier Reef Snorkelling and Diving

The reef off Cairns is reached by fast catamarans that moor at outer platforms or by smaller craft that nose into quieter ribbons and cays. Dropping into that water for the first time, the warmth, the sudden hush, then the absurd Technicolor of staghorn coral and parrotfish, resets your gauge for what nature can pull off. On a calm day visibility stretches past 20 metres and the blue is so saturated it looks Photoshopped.

Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation

North of Cairns the road narrows and the canopy closes overhead. The Daintree is the planet's oldest continuously surviving tropical rainforest, about 180 million years, and it feels every day of it. Humidity wraps around you, the scent of rotting leaves hangs thick, ferns taller than a person choke the understorey, and the soundtrack is a layered drone of insects punctuated by Boyd's forest dragons scratching through leaf litter. At Cape Tribulation the jungle spills straight onto a near-empty beach where crocodile warnings thin the crowd.

Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail

Locals insist you ride the railway up and the Skyrail gondola back, or the reverse, for two entirely different angles on the same coastal range. The 1880s-era train clatters through hand-cut tunnels and past Barron Falls, where mist billows out of the gorge and sticks to your skin. The Skyrail drifts silently above the canopy, and on a clear morning you can pick out Green Island, a pale green disc on a sheet of indigo.

Fitzroy Island

Underrated yet simple to reach, the ferry from Cairns needs 45 minutes and lands you on a continental island wrapped in rainforest with fringing reef a few strides from the sand. Snorkelling at Nudey Beach (clothed, despite the name) rivals some of the pricier outer-reef trips, and sea turtles are almost guaranteed. The summit track is steep, steamy, and pays off with a Coral Sea panorama that justifies the sweat.

Atherton Tablelands Food and Waterfall Circuit

An hour west of Cairns the Tablelands run cooler, greener, and are studded with volcanic crater lakes and waterfalls you can swim beneath. Millaa Millaa Falls is the calendar shot, a white curtain dropping into a perfect round pool. But Josephine Falls, closer to the coast, has natural rock slides that are plain fun. The plateau grows coffee, macadamias, mangoes, and cheese, and farm-gate stalls let you graze your way through the afternoon.

The Esplanade, walking distance to the lagoon, restaurants, and nightlife. This is where most first-timers base themselves and for good reason, with everything from backpacker hostels to mid-range hotels lining the waterfront

Palm Cove, a 25-minute drive north, quieter and more upscale, with a gorgeous Melaleuca-lined beach and boutique resorts that feel a world away from the town centre

Trinity Beach, between Cairns and Palm Cove, a good middle ground with a laid-back residential feel, a long sandy beach, and a handful of solid restaurants within strolling distance

Cairns North, slightly removed from the tourist strip, with more affordable apartment-style accommodation and easy access to the Botanic Gardens and Tanks Arts Centre

Port Douglas, technically an hour north of Cairns. But many visitors base here for the upmarket dining scene, Four Mile Beach, and shorter reef trips to the Agincourt ribbon reefs

Crystal Cascades area, for those wanting to be close to the rainforest rather than the coast; budget-friendly and peaceful, though you'll need a car for everything