The Cairns Backpacker Guide
Wonder, sun and photographs of a happy Cairns vacation, these are fundamental components for the holiday of a lifetime when you and yours visit Cairns and the Tropical North.
Blessed with a holiday weather pattern most of the year, featuring temperatures in the summer months (October-April) of 29-33°C, and winter (April-October) 25-29°C, Cairns can offer some of the world’s most life-changing natural attractions, the barrier reef, the rainforest and the Australian Outback, and they are all here awaiting your discovery.
The very friendly natives of Tropical North Queensland will display the kind of friendly and non-snotty welcome that has become the standard to aspire to for other tourism hot-spots. Adventure tourism, night life, good eating and shopping multipy the excitement and sexiness of this secret city.
If you have been here recently, welcome home. If you are here for the first time, bask in our tourist offerings and enjoy your stay.
Queensland’s finest non-capital city, Cairns is the international entrance to Far North Queensland. It is an exciting cosmopolitan destination with warm, sunny tropical days tempered by cooling ocean breezes. Enjoy a stroll along the wide Esplanade or satisfy your tastebuds in one of the city’s many multi-cultural, diverse and award-winning eateries.
Cairns gives access to the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforests along with the Australian Outback. Cairns, with its international and domestic airport, is the first stop for most visitors who want to see the authentic Australia.
Laze on the sandy beaches, snorkel on the reef and experience the unique tropical rainforests that date back to when Australia was part of ancient Gondwanaland, thousands of eons ago.
Take a swim in the famous Esplanade lagoon, then cast your eyes across the calm waters of Trinity Inlet and you will see coastal mountains and mangrove areas that have not changed since the site was discovered by Captain James Cook in 1770.
The beautiful Esplanade Lagoon is the perfect place to spend a sultry day basking in the sun and dipping in the lagoon’s cool and seductive shallows. There are many shaded spots to escape from the sun in the heat of the day, as well as barbeque facilities. The boardwalk has unique displays of Cairns’s local history and has many exercise facilities for those keen on getting a bit more active.
Cairns is extremely well suited to travel by foot, or travel by bicycle. Well used routes and dedicated walking paths are popular. A walk through the Cairns Botanical Gardens is not to be missed. It claims 38 hectares of native Aussie gardens which are kept to lush standards, and many plants found here cannot be seen anywhere else in the world. Located among the plants is a coffee shop and restaurant, which is open daily for breakfast and lunch. Entry to the gardens is free.
