Things to See and Do in Cairns

There are plenty of activities and things to see and do in and around
Cairns. Let our obliging staff at Beachfront Hideaway help you organise
and book your activities as we know what is worthwhile and value for money
from bungy jumping and dinners to fishing and car rentals! Click on the links
below for detailed information about Cairns and some of the fantastic
activities Cairns has to offer.

The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is probably the most well known among the seven natural wonders of the world and is the largest living coral reef on earth; its protection was assured by World Heritage Listing in 1981.

Stretching almost the length of the Queensland coastline, 1240 miles or 2000 kilometres in length , it is the only living "thing" visible on our planet from outer space.One of the most relaxing ways to pass your time is beachcombing the stretches of isolated beaches, who knows what treasures you might pick up.

The beauty of the Great Barrier Reef is yours to experience when you cruise from Cairns to the Outer Reef. Great lunches, bar facilities for dad, semi-submersible coral viewing tours, swimming enclosure for children, scuba diving facilities, Scubadoos,... The Great Barrier reef has it all!!! Then there is Green Island and Fitzroy Island, both with resorts on them, daytours and luxury overnighters!

Skyrail

The world’s longest cableway travels 7.5 kilometres over the rainforest canopy from Cairns (Smithfield) to Kuranda. It offers close contact with the rainforest while operating with little environmental impact. Along the way there are two stops where you may alight the cableway and experience the forest floor from the safety and comfort of boardwalks surrounded by trees, lush palms, ferns, epiphytes and the amazing diversity of plants, animals and birdlife.

At the Barron Falls Station, views of the Barron Falls and Barron Gorge are memories you will keep forever. A visit to the Rainforest Interpretive Centre is a must. The Centre was developed in conjunction with CSIRO, Australia's national science organisation and a world leader in tropical rainforest research. This centre features hi-tech interactive displays and video presentations.

Go North!

Check out the Daintree Wet Tropics. Join one of the many tours from Cairns. The 4WD buses will show you,guide you, cook lunch for you, and tell you all about the history. Great overnight spots too! Why not explore the World Heritage rainforest areas of Cape Tribulation and Daintree or take an extended tour to Cape York Peninsula. Just walk one of the many free walks in the area.

Cairns has a range of children friendly zoos and wildlife parks in the region. Eating with the birds, the roos, billy tea and beer and steak BBQs! Many to choose from. Cuddle a Koala, pat a crocodile, pet a dingo, hand feed tame kangaroos and emus, stroke a snake, scratch a wombat, feed lorikeets, chat to the cockatoos, see swans, pelicans, a multitude of macropods. It's all in the tropical zoos in Far North Queensland!

Kuranda Scenic Train

The charismatic Scenic Railway, with its historic carriages in tow, takes visitors on a spectacular journey through 34 kilometres of picture postcard scenery. The journey takes a leisurely one and half hours to wind through dense tropical rainforest, past majestic waterfalls and high over bottomless ravines. And at journey's end draws into Kuranda, "the village in the rainforest", where the quaint little station is more like a botanical garden.

Wallaman Falls

The falls, on the Cassowary Coast, are Australia’s tallest clear-drop waterfall, with a height of 305 metres.

Around Cairns

Crocodile farms, fishing in the tropics, it is all in the Cairns area! If you don't want to get picked up and dropped off you can rent a car, a limo, a 4WD, older or new car rentals, rock bottom pricing to mainstream companies!

Bicycle rentals and tours! Small groups. leisurely, downhill, or extreme! World heritage rainforests, waterfalls, crater lakes....with fun guide, high quality mountain bike, helmet and tropical lunch! Don't forget the swimmers, sun cream and a towel!

Four wheel motor vehicle tours for anyone over 14 years of age or 4WD experience for the whole family!

Enjoy the thrills only true Hang Glider pilots achieve by gliding on a cable! Safe for the kids, or go tandem with them!

Go Karts! The outdoor circuit is designed to be Australia's most fun and exciting kart track. Night racing, racing tuition, birthday and Christmas parties. For novice to experienced drivers, ranging from eleven to eighty years of age.

Golf and Mini Golf. Take the family for Putt Putt Golf. Dad can practice on the driving range, and the wild teenager can go in the Go-Karts nearby! Maybe have a BBQ afterwards!

Bungy Jump! Do it with the family! Children of 10+ years and 45kg+ can jump. If your child is over 10, but under 45kg. a tandem jump with parent/brother/staff can be arranged! Tandem jumps can be arranged for anyone! But if the bungy is too scary, then try the Jungle Swing or the reverse bungy!

Rafting on one of the rivers? Even when it rains this is a perfect activity for all seasons . Rafting can also be a family event! No, you are not too old for it, and children as young as six years of age can do it!

Parachuting! Children aged 14 and over, with parental consent, can go for a tandem dive!

Horse Riding Adventures, Rainforest tours, spectacular lookouts & Adventure Trails. Suitable for non-riders and children! Trail riding at its best!

Award winning cultural experiences are available in Cairns. Learn about the Rainforest People, the Kuku Yulangi, their customs, their stories, their food and their land!

Ice Skating and Roller Skating in the Tropics - yes, it's all in Cairns! TenPin Bowling can be found in Cairns too!

Shopping!!! Although not your prime purpose of coming here, but most people have a certain need to fill, an urge! Comprehensive Food court, Cinemas, parent rooms and Kiddy Cruisers in the major malls! Most major chain stores and restaurants are here in Cairns!

Catch the Skyrail to Kuranda for a day, and take the train home!

Australia's largest butterfly aviary is just out of Cairns too!

Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park

This is an amazing combination of theatrics, technology and interpretive experiences with local Aboriginal people, featuring traditional culture and customs. Attractions include the Creation Theatre, History Theatre, Aboriginal Dance Theatre and traditional Aboriginal camp.

A natural rainforest amphitheatre has live performances celebrating traditional Tjapukai culture. The Tjapukai camp recreates a traditional encampment where visitors can talk with Tjapukai people, learn about new bush foods and medicines, play a didgeridoo and throw a boomerang and a spear. You'll be amazed by the ancient skills and traditional beliefs, skillfully displayed with tomorrows technology.

Rainforestation Nature Park

Visitors can experience Australian nature and Aboriginal culture in one convenient setting. The 100 hectare (40 acre) tourist attraction, is on the coastal range behind Cairns, amidst World Heritage tropical rainforest, and only five minutes from Kuranda.

Rainforestation's famous 30 seat Army Ducks run amphibious tours through the tropical rainforest, while experienced driver/guides explain the feature of the surrounding forest.

The Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience introduces visitors to several aspects of traditional Aboriginal culture. In their rainforest amphitheatre the Pamagirri Dancers perform an exciting and powerful corroboree of traditional Aboriginal dancers, accompanied by didgeridoo and clapsticks. Programs are available in 13 languages.

On the Dreamtime Walk, the Pamagirri guides teach visitors to throw boomerang, demonstrate spear-throwing and explain the didgeridoo. The Pamagirri Cultural Centre, which resembles a large outback shed, features examples of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island huts and shelters, plus original art and artifacts. In the ever-expanding Koala & Wildlife Park, raised platforms provide great views of the koalas, wombats, crocodiles (including 5 metre Jack the Ripper), snakes, wallabies and kangaroos. Guests can be photographed with a cute young koala.

Daintree National Park

This is a World Heritage-listed area having survived almost unchanged for 110 million years. The Daintree is one of the largest virgin tracts of rainforest in the world and is older than those of the Amazon. It has an abundance of flora and fauna. Various resorts and retreats throughout this area provide excellent filming opportunities.

Production notes: Modified buses, four-wheel drives, even amphibious craft are used to better access and limit harm to the rainforest.

Permit for National Parks issued through the Department of Environment and Heritage. Tel: +61 7 4052 3096. Fax +61 7 4052 3080

Road conditions update available from the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland (RACQ). Tel: +61 7 3361 2406.

Cape York

Cape York contains World Heritage-listed rainforest areas, including Cape Tribulation. There is an abundance of flora and fauna. Wilderness retreats cater for special interests such as bird-watching, sport fishing and bush walking.

The Gulf Savannah

This area is the size of England and typifies the Australian Outback. It includes: Burketown, which is the viewing point for a meteorological phenomenon, the ‘Morning Glory’, a spectacular roll cloud that stretches across the sky; Lawn Hill, with its palm fringed cliffs, emerald water and rainforest; and the Riversleigh Fossil Field, which has been hailed as the fossil find of the century and is World Heritage listed.

Undara

The Undara Lava Tubes are amongst the largest and best preserved lava tubes systems on earth formed, 190,000 years ago when streams of molten lava flowed over the land. The surface of the lava cooled and crusted, but the lava inside continued to flow leaving behind huge hollow pipes. The tubes are part of a national park.

Laura

The most extensive body or Aboriginal rock art in Australia is found on Battlecamp Road where rock shelters have been decorated with paintings by the Kuku Yalanji people.

Port Douglas

Port Douglas is where the rich and famous holiday, including music and movie stars,corporation heads, even presidents (Bill Clinton). The village includes traditional pubs, markets, churches, and court houses. Features of Port Douglas include the palm-fringed Four Mile Beach. It is an access point for the Great Barrier Reef. There is an underwater ‘eco-trail’ at Agincourt Reef. The nearest rainforest is Mossman Gorge, with walking tracks and swimming holes.

Gordonvale

Gordonvale is where The Pyramid stands – a symmetrical mountain that is the world’s tallest free-standing mountain peak (ie, not part of a mountain range). The 992-metre-tall monolith is heavily vegetated.

Paronella Park

Paronella Park, on the Cassowary Coast, is a castle built in a Spanish style in 1929 and is a venue for European-styled events with an Australian tropical setting.

Mission Beach

This beach is 14 kilometres long and is very close to the Great Barrier Reef. Mission Beach is made up of four villages of Bingil Bay, Mission Beach, Wongaling Beach and South Mission Beach.