What to do in Cairns

[itsanita]

We will be in Cairns for about 4 days.  One day is devoted to the GBR.  Another is taking the train to Kuranda and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Any other suggestions?  Any places to eat that are off the beaten track?  

Thanks 

[SinbadThePorter]

There is also Cape Tribulation, north of Port Douglas.

 

Fitzroy Island, south of Cairns is also nice.

[itsanita]

We would need a car to get to either of those areas.  And our other 2 days are pretty busy.   Anything in Cairns itself?   

[SinbadThePorter]

4 minutes ago, itsanita said:

We would need a car to get to either of those areas.  And our other 2 days are pretty busy.   Anything in Cairns itself?   

 

I don't think you can drive to Fitzroy Island, it's a ferry from Cairns.

 

Cape Tribulation is a bus day tour from Cairns.

 

As for Cairns itself, there is an aquarium in town. Outside of town there is Hartley's Crocodile Adventures. You can get a shuttle bus there. For dining you could try any of the restaurants along the Palm Cove Esplanade. You can get there by bus or taxi.

[yarramar]

7 hours ago, itsanita said:

We will be in Cairns for about 4 days.  One day is devoted to the GBR.  Another is taking the train to Kuranda and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.

Any other suggestions?  Any places to eat that are off the beaten track?  

Thanks 

The Tanks Art Centre and Botanical Gardens

The Cairns Esplanade and Waterfront is the best place for dining, as above you could go to Palm Cove but a daytime trip would be nicer and have lunch then.

[possum52]

We found the Cairns Museum interesting. You can easily spend a couple of hours looking at and reading about the exhibits. The museum is in the middle of the city, easy walking. I also recommend a food tour to the Atherton Tableland. We did one through Brett's Outback Tours which we thoroughly enjoyed, It was a long day but well worth it. 

 

As for dining, try the Cairns RSL for a typical Australian pub style dinner. There are plenty of restaurants along the Esplanade and around the port area. 

Edited October 4, 2023 by possum52

[leck57]

A great place to visit. I support the Atherton Tablelands option mentioned above and I would look at a tour that takes you to Mossman Gorge and Port Douglas (or Mossman and Daintree area). We stayed in Cairns last year and did this tour. Also as mentioned above, plenty of good restaurants along the Esplanade or along the waterfront. Dundees Waterfront or Prawn Star for seafood.

[possum52]

10 hours ago, leck57 said:

A great place to visit. I support the Atherton Tablelands option mentioned above and I would look at a tour that takes you to Mossman Gorge and Port Douglas (or Mossman and Daintree area). We stayed in Cairns last year and did this tour. Also as mentioned above, plenty of good restaurants along the Esplanade or along the waterfront. Dundees Waterfront or Prawn Star for seafood.

We had lunch at Prawn Star, very enjoyable and a different experience. 

[MMDown Under]

For those who love Gardens, Cairns botanic gardens are a tropical paradise with a notable tropical plant collection.

cairns,qld,gov.au

[yarramar]

2 hours ago, MMDown Under said:

For those who love Gardens, Cairns botanic gardens are a tropical paradise with a notable tropical plant collection.

cairns,qld,gov.au

And if you like tropical fruit, it's a great place for a free lunch or snack.

[Jaaaney]

Cairns Aquarium is the best aquarium I have been to in Australia, better than Sydney and Melbournes.  It was enjoyed by us adults, as well as small grandchildren. It is in Cairns town area which is a few easily walkable blocks.  Plenty of places to eat on the esplanade, particularly at lunch time, as lots of them have lunch specials.  

[Love-to-ride]

We'll be in Cairns July of 2024 and would like to do a beach day, any beaches near the cruise port? 

Will it be warm enough for a beach day?

[yarramar]

You tender into Yorkey’s Knob. There is a beach just south of the port. 

[loveapug]

Hello, I'm piggybacking on this topic. We will be traveling to the Cairns area post-cruise in April for 4 full days. I had originally thought to travel to Port Douglas for a few days for the GBR and Daintree, and return to Cairns for the railway, gardens, and local sights. We were not going to rent a car and so would need to figure in transfers from the Cairns airport to PD and back again. I'd read that Port Douglas was a cute small town, with good access to the GBR and closer to Daintree.

If I read the current status correctly, the coast road to Port Douglas is now closed, as is the Kuranda railway.  I'm wondering if it makes sense to take GBR and Daintree tours out of Cairns to minimize transferring back and forth and finding lodging in both locations. If it helps to provide information, we will follow up the trip to Cairns with additional travel to Uluru and Sydney. Your feedback is welcome, as are any recommendations for lodging in Cairns.

[possum52]

45 minutes ago, loveapug said:

Hello, I'm piggybacking on this topic. We will be traveling to the Cairns area post-cruise in April for 4 full days. I had originally thought to travel to Port Douglas for a few days for the GBR and Daintree, and return to Cairns for the railway, gardens, and local sights. We were not going to rent a car and so would need to figure in transfers from the Cairns airport to PD and back again. I'd read that Port Douglas was a cute small town, with good access to the GBR and closer to Daintree.

If I read the current status correctly, the coast road to Port Douglas is now closed, as is the Kuranda railway.  I'm wondering if it makes sense to take GBR and Daintree tours out of Cairns to minimize transferring back and forth and finding lodging in both locations. If it helps to provide information, we will follow up the trip to Cairns with additional travel to Uluru and Sydney. Your feedback is welcome, as are any recommendations for lodging in Cairns.

The road to Port Douglas which is currently closed is how you would get to the Daintree. I believe you can go inland which is a 3+ hour trip. At this time the road is expected to open by the end of this month and Kuranda Railway is due to open around the 12th February. In saying that there is always the possibility of more damage if another cyclone hits the region. There is one possibly forming in the Coral Sea at the moment but it is not known where and when it will make landfall. 

[loveapug]

20 hours ago, possum52 said:

The road to Port Douglas which is currently closed is how you would get to the Daintree. I believe you can go inland which is a 3+ hour trip. At this time the road is expected to open by the end of this month and Kuranda Railway is due to open around the 12th February. In saying that there is always the possibility of more damage if another cyclone hits the region. There is one possibly forming in the Coral Sea at the moment but it is not known where and when it will make landfall. 

Thank you for this information and certainly hope the region does not experience another cyclone.

[triplem67]

On 1/17/2024 at 3:34 PM, possum52 said:

The road to Port Douglas which is currently closed is how you would get to the Daintree. I believe you can go inland which is a 3+ hour trip. At this time the road is expected to open by the end of this month and Kuranda Railway is due to open around the 12th February. In saying that there is always the possibility of more damage if another cyclone hits the region. There is one possibly forming in the Coral Sea at the moment but it is not known where and when it will make landfall. 

We got the news over the weekend Leigh @possum52  Kuranda Scenic Railway is now out until 1st May at this stage.  😔  

Skyrail is running and available up and back.  All of the private bookings on my Edge Cruise for 29th February or 1st March are getting the official emails now.  

I also chatted to my private transport company today.  Port Douglas road has reopened today... but now they have no water.  😑

Please let this new cyclone stay south of Cairns and Port Douglas.  These poor people need a break.  🤞🤞

[possum52]

2 hours ago, triplem67 said:

We got the news over the weekend Leigh @possum52  Kuranda Scenic Railway is now out until 1st May at this stage.  😔  

Skyrail is running and available up and back.  All of the private bookings on my Edge Cruise for 29th February or 1st March are getting the official emails now.  

I also chatted to my private transport company today.  Port Douglas road has reopened today... but now they have no water.  😑

Please let this new cyclone stay south of Cairns and Port Douglas.  These poor people need a break.  🤞🤞

I am not surprised that this has happened. It is still very much the wet season in that area, so it has continued to rain heavily at times. Enjoy Skyrail. 

[critterchick]

And in a bit of good news, the train has commenced weekend-only service. The full daily schedule will resume on March 2.  We are visiting in April so fingers crossed that everything goes according to plan!

[Kristelle]

We are planning to go there in late September (not on a cruise)

 

Hope it is back to normal for you in April.

[milolii]

Kurada Railway:  We are in Cairns now as part of a DYI land trip.  I had committed to reporting back on the status of the railway.  There was another slide last night and  the railway is closed again.  We’ve been here two days and  the rain is very heavy with localized flooding.  We took the Skyrail up and bus back down through a private tour company.  Very enjoyable day.  Parts of the road also have heavy damage. Parts were washed away leaving one lane.  

 

 

 

[Kristelle]

Thanks for the update. 

We will be staying in Cairns early October and planning to do a day trip to Kuranda.

Whilst sky cable one way, train the other,  would obviously be the best, if we do one way by bus that would be OK.

 

But another 7 months till then.

[milolii]

On 3/10/2024 at 10:53 AM, Kristelle said:

Thanks for the update. 

We will be staying in Cairns early October and planning to do a day trip to Kuranda.

Whilst sky cable one way, train the other,  would obviously be the best, if we do one way by bus that would be OK.

 

But another 7 months till then.

Hope it works out for you.