Cairns Tourist Attractions

Cairns is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. The city is home to a number of tourist draws. Cairns tourist attractions pull a significant number of tourists to the city round the year.

Cairns is a city located in Far North Queensland, Australia. The name originated from the name of the erstwhile Governor of Queensland, William Wellington Cairns. At present, Cairns is one of the most developed cities in Australia. Tourism is one of the biggest industries of the city and makes a significant contribution to the economy of Cairns. Tourism industry in Cairns is the biggest revenue generator in the area and its closest competitor is the sugar industry. Since World War II, Cairns has transformed into a major tourism hub.

Tourism plays a key role in the economy of Cairns. As per statistics provided by Tourism Australia, the Cairns area is the 4th most popular tourist draw in the country following Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. In spite of the fact that the city is not rated among the top 10 tourist attractions in Australia for domestic tourism, it draws a considerable number of tourists despite its remoteness from important capital cities. Cairns is quite close to the Wet Tropics of Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Atherton Tableland. All these attractions make it a favorite tourist draw.

Cairns is situated at a distance of around 1,056 miles (1,700 km) from Brisbane and approximately 1,504 miles (2,420 km) from Sydney by road. The city is a famous tourist destination for international travelers due to its pleasant climate and closeness to various tourist attractions. Cairns is also home to various motels, resorts, hotels, and backpacker lodges. You can also take part in exciting sports activities such as white water rafting and golf.

Some of the major Cairns tourist attractions are as follows:

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most popular tourist attractions near Cairns. You can arrive at the Great Barrier Reef in less than one hour by boat. It is the biggest reef structure in the world, consisting of more than 900 islands and 2,900 separate reefs extending for more than 1,600 miles (2,600 km) on a region of around 133,000 sq miles (344,400 square kilometers). The Great Barrier Reef is situated in the Coral Sea, away from the shore of Queensland in northeast Australia.

The most attractive feature of the Great Barrier Reef is that you can see it from outer space. It was chosen as a World Heritage Site in 1981 and rated as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World by CNN. The Great Barrier Reef is the state symbol for Queensland.

A significant portion of the reef is safeguarded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. There are many rare species of plants and animals in the area. The diverse flora and fauna of the area is simply amazing and includes the following:

• Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin
• Dwarf minke whale
• Saltwater crocodiles
• The humpback whale
• The green sea turtle
• Dugongs
• Hawksbill turtle
• Leatherback sea turtle
• Flatback turtle
• Loggerhead sea turtle
• Seagrasses (Halodule and Halophila)
• Olive ridley
• Mangrove forest
• Salt marshes
• Nudibranchs
• Giant clam
• Sharks
• Pipefishes
• Cone snails
• Skates
• Stingray
• Seahorses
• Chimaera
• Roseate tern
• White-bellied sea eagle
• Two-spot red snapper
• Sea snakes
• Coral trouts
• Bryozoans
• Clownfish
• Ascidians
• Soft corals
• Hard corals
• Seaweed or marine algae

The Great Barrier Reef is an ideal location for scuba diving.

Daintree National Park is a popular tourist destination near Cairns. It was opened in 1981.This national park is a portion of the Wet Tropics of Queensland. There are two sections in the park with a developed farmland in the middle, which incorporates the towns of Daintree Village and Mossman. The park is famous for its incomparable biodiversity. It is home to many endangered species of animals and birds. The park got its name from the Daintree River.

The Great Dividing Range is located near the shore in this area. The famous Mossman Gorge is situated at the southern end of the Daintree National Park. This national park is also known for the Greater Daintree Rainforest and the Wompoo Fruit-Dove.

Cape Tribulation is a promontory and area in the northern part of Queensland. It is situated at a distance of 68 miles or 110 km north of Cairns. It is a part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage region and the Daintree National Park. The area is home to a number of backpacker lodges and tourist resorts. You can reach Cape Tribulation through the Daintree River Ferry. You can participate in various interesting activities like kayaking, horse riding, crocodile cruises, guided nightwalks and jungle surfing.

Rainforestation Nature Park is one of the major tourist attractions near Cairns. It is 5 minutes away from Kuranda in North Queensland. Rainforestation Nature Park is located in the middle of World Heritage Rainforest. The area was earlier used as an orange and coffee cultivation area. It was opened in 1976. Rainforestation Nature Park has three sections and they are as follows:

• Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience
• Army Duck Rainforest Tour
• Koala & Wildlife Park

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a beautiful ropeway going over the Barron Gorge National Park, running from the Cairns town of Caravonica to Kuranda in Queensland. Skyrail Rainforest Cableway started operating from August 1995. This cableway offers a number of packages to the visitors, which include the following:

• Rainforestation Nature Park
• Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
• Kuranda Wildlife Experience

• Caravonica Terminal
• Red Peak Station
• Barron Falls Station
• Kuranda Terminal

Traveling on the Skyrail is truly a different experience altogether.

The Wet Tropics of Queensland is also known as World Heritage Rainforest. It comprises around 8,940 km² of humid tropical forests in Australia, which has developed beside the northeastern part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland. The forest area extends from Townsville to Cookstown and it is parallelly located to the Great Barrier Reef. The Wet Tropics of Queensland was included into the list of Australian National Heritage Sites. National parks situated in World Heritage Rainforest are as follows:

• Black Mountain (Kalkajaka) National Park
• Barron Gorge National Park
• Daintree National Park
• Cedar Bay National Park
• Wooroonooran National Park
• Girringun National Park

In addition to these, there are more than 700 protected areas. The region is home to various endangered species of plants.

The Atherton Tableland is a productive flat highland, which is a part of the Great Dividing Range in Queensland. The Barron River is one of its major attractions. The weather of the area is ideal for dairy farming. Given below are the various towns located on Atherton Tableland:

• Herberton
• Atherton
• Kuranda
• Kairi
• Malanda
• Mareeba
• Tinaroo
• Millaa Millaa
• Yungaburra
• Tolga
• Ravenshoe

Places of interest on the Atherton Tableland are as follows:

• Lake Eacham
• Lake Barrine
• Undara Volcanic National Park
• Curtain Fig Tree.
• Mount Hypipamee Crater and Dinner Falls
• Hann Tableland National Park

Paronella Park is a tourist draw, situated in Queensland. It is located 120 km south of Cairns. You can participate in the following activities in this area and enjoy:

• The Darkness Falls Tour
• The Dream Continues Tour
• Self-guided Botanical Walk

Aside from the abovementioned tourist attractions, Cairns houses various shopping centers that draw a significant number of domestic and international tourists. Two of the major shopping centers are Cairns Central Shopping Center and Stockland Cairns. The oldest shopping complex is located in Westcourt.

While your trip to Cairns, you will enjoy scenic flights, crocodile ranches, day trips to Kuranda, and vacationing at tropical fruit vineyards.