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The Cairns area has historically been inhabited by the indigenous Walubarra Yidinji people. Mapped by James Cook and named Trinity Bay in 1770, it was officially founded in 1876 as an export port for gold and renamed after the then-Governor of... Read more
The Cairns area has historically been inhabited by the indigenous Walubarra Yidinji people. Mapped by James Cook and named Trinity Bay in 1770, it was officially founded in 1876 as an export port for gold and renamed after the then-Governor of Queensland. Commonly mispronounced as cans, the actual pronunciation of Cairns is somewhat closer to kare-nz, with a non-silent "r."
The main industry for the city is tourism, with a focus on the European, Japanese and increasingly Chinese markets. There are a plethora of clubs and coffee shops, all overflowing with international tourists. Cairns is also supported by agricultural businesses which include sugar cane, bananas, coffee, tea, and the world's first tropical fruit wine region.
Peak season in Cairns is during the more comfortable winter months of June–August, especially compared to the hotter and stickier summer months. A particularly busy time occurs in the first two weeks of July during the school holidays.
There is no swimming beach to speak of in central Cairns, although there are many choices just north and south of the city. A large outdoor, lagoon-style pool is in the center of the Cairns City area, which is very popular throughout the year with tourists and locals alike. For a beachside resort holiday, there are several resorts a short drive north of Cairns.
The center of Cairns is small enough to be covered on foot, but a car is needed to see the surrounding attractions if you are not taking a tour. Expect morning and evening congestion in the city center. Numerous car rental agencies are available in the city center. During peak season, make sure to book the car in advance.
Sunbus operates the public bus network and offers eight routes through the city. The terminal of all routes is at the corner of Lake and Shield Street in the center.
Cairns serves as the gateway to the region and is rather short of cultural sights. Besides some historic buildings from the colonial era, the Esplanade and the bars/pubs are the main attraction of Cairns.
Cairns is an adventure sports enthusiast's paradise: every second shop is a tourist information center with signs blaring "dive dive" or "tandem skydiving." Its location close to the ocean, the mountains and the rainforest give travelers lots of choices of activities.
Standby rates are ubiquitous: many of the more expensive activities, including scuba diving and skydiving.
Some Cairns operators run day, and liveaboard scuba diving trips from both Cairns and Port Douglas, and almost all include complimentary day-transfers for their passengers between the two. For seeing the Great Barrier Reef, the smaller dive boats provide the most intimate experience, both for diving and for snorkeling and are excellent for the confident or experienced. The larger operations have more amenities - better food, larger and faster boats, more activities, and often easier access to the water and are great for beginners, but sometimes provide a poorer underwater experience, as the underwater areas that the larger boats visit are heavily used.
If you are sick of the sea, head up in the air for skydiving, hang gliding or hot air ballooning. The Cairns region has some of the best weather for ballooning in the world and so trips go year-round and are rarely canceled. It's also one of the cheapest places to go flying, anywhere. The trips go inland to the Atherton Tablelands and take off at first light at Mareeba, finishing around 10 AM and can connect directly to a Great Barrier Reef tour or drop you in Kuranda. Hang gliders fly off Rex Point Lookout, halfway between Cairns and Port Douglas on the Captain Cook Highway. On weekends, it's common to see multiple gliders soaring the sky above the scenic lookout, and the winter season provides consistent flight conditions.
Rafting in North Queensland has the advantage of departures all year round, tropical water temperatures and ease of access to compliment breath-taking scenery and rapids. The region's white water rafting adventures are suitable for all levels of fitness and enthusiasm. Ride through the planet's oldest continuously growing tropical rainforests on rivers that still run wild.
Many coach tours depart Cairns daily, with a couple of hundred to choose from. There are rainforest tours to Mossman Gorge, the Daintree River, Cape Tribulation, and the Cairns Highlands (Atherton Tablelands), specialized 4WD tours, city sights tours, tours to wildlife parks, outback tours.
As with much of Cairns, you can divide the city into the Esplanade and the places within a block of it, and the rest of the city. The Esplanade is littered with bar and grill places supplying red meat and beer all in the one place and with seafood restaurants. It's relatively difficult to find anything open before 11 AM since they expect the clientele to be sleeping in. The rest of the city has small cafes and milkbars catering to locals. The number of Japanese tourists here makes Japanese food a fairly reliable option, although prices can be steep.
A number of the more expensive restaurants on the Esplanade, particularly towards the north end, offer discounts of 20-30% for early birds: usually, you will need to order by 6:30 PM and pay and leave no later than 7:30 PM to get a discounted meal.
Cairns has pubs and bars to cater to travelers, students, and locals.
Shops selling pearls are fairly widespread in Cairns, with a huge price range. You can find real A-grade pearls from the Torres Strait - not cheap, but at the end more than fair in comparison to the European or US prices for the same quality level.
Cairns is, in general, a safe city with all the annoyances (e.g., pickpockets and touts) that a city full of tourists experiences. The most notable threats are nature and the weather. Cairns is hit by tropical cyclones during the rain season (December until March) that causes damage to the infrastructure and stops public activities.
LOCAL TIME
12:38 am
January 19, 2021
Australia/Brisbane
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People go to the Great Barrier Reef in Cairns, in the extreme north-east of Australia. The reef is located somewhere in the 50 kilometers in the sea, which is about 1.5 hours by high-speed catamaran. The Great Barrier Reef has no coral islands at all so that the main method of studying the reef is... |
There are just two streets in the city of
Cairns
on the east coast of Australia - Main and Esplanade, attracting crowds of tourists each year. Its popularity can be explained by its proximity to the
Great Barrier Reef
. A lot of people aim to visit famous corals, that take... |