Cairns Australia - Holiday destination for 600,000 people each year
All is cool and shadowed under a thick canopy of green as the mist rises from a waterfall to give a brief reprieve from the year-round heat of Cairns, in Far North Queensland.
Cairns is the only place in the world where two World Heritage listed areas live side by side - the Daintree rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef.
It also knows only two seasons, wet and dry. From December to April, a couple of hundred millimetres of rain will fall each day as the monsoons deliver the tropics from the drought that plagues the rest of Australia.
As a result, the best time to visit is May to November, when the weather is dry and marginally - but only marginally - cooler.
As the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns welcomes about 600,000 people each year and, because it is neither possible nor wise to travel into the forest and the sea alone, the locals offer plenty of ways to see their natural wonderlands.
Each morning, a fleet of vessels of all shapes and sizes heads east to Green Island and the reefs beyond, where colourful corals and fish abound.
With names such as Agincourt, Thetford, Hastings and Michaelmas, the cays and reefs are a reminder that the famous English navigator Captain James Cook travelled through the area on the Endeavour in 1770.
For the day-tripper, Green Island, a coral cay created over millions of years, is an easy 45 minute trip in the Reef Rocket, a big, fast and comfortable catamaran in the Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises fleet.
The crew happily share their knowledge during the trip and even the most nervous swimmer is invited to don goggles, flippers and snorkel and make their own close-up and personal tour of the reef. Full instructions are provided to make it easy and safe and it's well worth the effort. Within wading distance of the beach, patrolled by lifeguards, the underwater world provides a spectacular display of fish in rainbow colours and all sizes darting about among fascinating coral structures.
If even the best advices of the Big Cat Reef Cruise team can't make snorkelling appear an exciting prospect, don't despair.
There are plenty of other ways to make sure everyone can see what they came
to see, from a glass-panelled submarine, to a glass bottom boat and an underwater observatory. The truly adventurous can go a step further as there is nothing like the Great Barrier Reef to provide some of the best scuba diving to be found.
Big Cat offers half and full day tours to the reef and Green Island where there's also a resort pool if the briny looks less than appealing. It's an easy paradise to while away the hours and a full day is recommended to fully appreciate the reef experience.
Another day swiftly disappears in the rainforest. While the central Daintree is a long drive north, its southern fringes are between Cairns and its northern beaches and there's no better way to see it than by Skyrail.
Built in 1994, this 7.5 kilometre cableway glides over the top of the rainforest passing 80 different plant species every 100 metres, and providing spectacular views of the coastline as it climbs to the height of the circling white cockatoos.
First stop is Red Peak, a 10 metre square oasis in the centre of protected forest so deep, that it is accessible only by the Skyrail. Guides explain the ecological systems on a stroll around the edge. Next stop is Barron Gorge where three lookout points open out to panoramic views of the surrounding forest-covered hills and the magnificent Barron Falls which, in full flood, become a mini-Niagara.
The Skyrail stops at Kuranda, a picturesque village which won fame in the 1960s when it became a
settlement of flower people. With an abundance of cafes and restaurants an easy walk from the station,
it's a welcome stop before the trip down on the Kuranda Scenic Railway. The line, built at the end of
the 19th century, meanders around the hills, past waterfalls and through 15 tunnels as it makes its
way down to Cairns. Trinity Inlet tours are another interesting diversion and a chance to spot crocodiles in the wild from the safety of the Cairns Habitat Cruises boat. Assurance is given that the crocs are caught once they reach three metres long.
At about this size they are declared 'rogue' and taken off to become breeding stock at the nearby crocodile farm, which is also included in the tour.
Cairns is 1700 kilometres north of the Queensland capital, Brisbane, or just over two hours by air.
Sponsored by:
Baby Boomerang Tours specialises in tours of Australia, designed specifically for Baby Boomers. Their
itineraries capture quintessential Australia and you won't be locked away in small hotel rooms or
herded on to buses on a whistlestop tourist trail.Instead, your small group of just eight guests will travel in style, fly between carefully selected destinations and kick back with a famous local wine or a cold beer on the balcony or poolside at an Aussie "home" booked for your exclusive use.
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