Cairns Region
Appreciate the region for its true value and discover its various assets on a round trip through the Cassowary Coast, the Tablelands, Cairns and surrounds, Port Douglas, Mossman, Daintree National Park, Cape Tribulation, and, of course, excursions to the Great Barrier Reef.
Better than any idea of paradise, Cairns, Port Douglas and Palm Cove give you the opportunity to relax and to do heaps of activities in spectacular natural settings, where the lush rainforest meets the gleaming waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
Picture yourself swimming in crystal clear water surrounded by colourful fish, or lazing on a pristine golden beach fringed by bowed palm trees, or flying through the rainforest canopy in a thrilling bungee jump. Far North Queensland is renowned worldwide, and there is no wonder why. It is all available at Cairns, Port Douglas and Palm Cove.
At Cairns, Port Douglas and Palm Cove you can experience everything from the coral reef to the majestic ancient rainforest, from breathtaking waterfalls to beautiful white sandy beaches, and from inspiring Aboriginal culture to the excitement of Cairns nightlife.
Cairns
Cairns is located approximately 1700km north of Queensland’s capital city Brisbane. Located on the east coast of Cape York Peninsula on a coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range. The northern part of the city is located on Trinity Bay and city centre is located on the Trinity inlet. The Mulgrave River and Barron River flow within the city’s boundary but not through the city itself. The city’s foreshore is located on a mud flat Cairns is situated on the Indigenous Australian’s people’s tribal lands of the Irukandji.
Cairns has developed into an international port of cultural diversity. With an annual population growth of more than 3 per cent, the Cairns region now has a population of more than 120 000. Cairns serves as the major commercial centre for Far North Queensland and Cape York Peninsula Regions. It is a base for the regional offices of many government departments.
The Barron Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station is located nearby in Kuranda and provides green power for some of the city’s needs.
The region has an enviable tropical climate, allowing for a range of outdoor activities year round. Winter, the dry season is between May and October and brings low humidity and cool breezes. Summer, between November and April, is predominantly the wet season. Monsoonal activity during the wet season occasionally causes major flooding of the Barron and Mulgrave Rivers, cutting off road and rail access to the city.
Practices in this town
Cardwell
Cardwell lies in the heart of the Great Green Way driving route, and is the gateway to Hinchinbrook Island - the largest Island National Park in Australia. Made up of a diverse range of landscapes, Cardwell is the perfect place to relax or be adventurous.Cardwell's Port Hinchinbrook provides a state of the art Marina, public boat ramp and repairs and maintenance facilities for anglers and boaties. It is widely acknowledged that Cardwell is ranked second to none when it comes to all-weather and all-tide boating and fishing in the north. The public boat ramp is free of charge. With 22 islands off the coast and the spectacular Hinchinbrook channel offering 45 kilometres of fully protected boating and fishing- it's a boaties paradise.
Cardwell lies about an hour's drive south of Mission Beach.
Practices in this town
Cooktown
Cooktown is a small frontier town located in the far north of Tropical North Queensland. About 1300 people live in the town itself, while approximately another 4000 in the region use it as a service region. Cooktown serves as a trade centre for the surrounding regions with industries that include mining, mineral exploration, cattle grazing, fishing and tourism. Cooktown boasts a unique character that is evidenced from its years of geographical isolation and hard-living, but it is its local charm that makes it all the more appealing. Cooktown is four hours drive north of Cairns in Far North Queensland, there are two roads from Cairns, the coast road and the inland road. The coast road (approx 235km) is more scenic route, involves a ferry, river crossing and gravel roads and is best undertaken in a 4wd. The inland road (approx 326km) is now mostly bitumen and can be driven by conventional vehicles.
Cooktown’s superb tropical climate ensures that the weather is also “perfect”. The period April to December where rainfall is at its lowest is enhanced by fresh tropical breezes. With daily sunshine averaging around 7 hours, and a maximum average temperature of around 27°C, assures perfect conditions. The Wet season from January to March provides the best time to see both the rainforest and the outback savannah in all their glory.
Cooktown is Australia’s first non-indigenous settlement, discovered and settled by Captain Cook and his crew in 1770. In the 1870’s Cooktown was established as a port for the Palmer River gold rush.
The Guugu Yimithirr name for the region, Gan.gaarr, means “(place of the) rock crystals, “as quartz crystals, which were used in various Aboriginal ceremonies, are found in the vicinity and used to be traded at least as far south as Mossman.
Cook town is also the terminus of the Bicentennial Heritage Trail, which, at 5330km is the longest trail of its type in the world. The southern end of the Trail is at Healsville, 52km north-east of Melbourne.
Practices in this town
Innisfail
Innisfail has a natural beauty – from the Great Barrier Reef and nearby tropical islands to World Heritage Rainforests. It offers a relaxed lifestyle in area rich in attractions, activities and services. Innisfail is positioned in the heart of the Cassowary Coast and is situated 88km south of Cairns and 260km north of Townsville.The city is one of the wettest in Australia, and produces a large proportion of the state’s sugar. From Innisfail, you can visit Australia’s only tea plantation at Nerada 35km to the west or climb Mount Bartle Frere, the highest mountain in Queensland.
The town of Innisfail has a population of about 8000, and is the centre of the Johnstone shire, which is home to about 19000 people.
The shire grows a number of crops including sugar cane, bananas and tropical produce. The area also produces a large number of seasonal fruits.
Practices in this town
Kuranda
The picturesque mountain retreat of Kuranda is just 25km northwest of Cairns shrouded by pristine rainforest and nestled alongside the mighty Barron River and the boisterous Barron Falls. Kuranda has come a long way from its initial origins as a centre for those choosing an alternative lifestyle in the late 60’s.Kuranda is a pulsating township that exudes a bohemian character. An atmosphere of kinship surfaces then radiates from the picturesque village, a community united by its love of Kuranda and its tranquillity. Kuranda sees a diverse multi-cultural population come together as a bonded community; generous community spirit, where neighbours sincerely care for each other in a measure from a bygone era; a return to an age of grace.
"Dja-bu-guy” is the name of the tribe of aboriginal people who lived in the Kuranda region. The present Kuranda village was “Ngunbay”, or place of platypus. An important camping area, with good fishing and hunting for locals, this all changed with the opening up of the hinterland for gold and tin mining.
Practices in this town
Mossman
Mossman is located 75km from Cairns and 20km from Port Douglas. It is a very typical North Queensland country town. It has a distinctly rural feel with the difference being the lush green background of the surrounding vegetation. Approximately 1800 people live in the Mossman area. Being situated just north Port Douglas and surrounded by the wet tropical rainforest, tremendous mountains and fields of waving sugar cane is Mossman to this day the hub of the Far North's thriving sugar industry. Brimming with old-fashioned country charm and hospitality, Mossman boasts the most accessible and spectacular tropical rainforest and is the gateway to Queensland's beautiful tablelands.
Practices in this town
Port Douglas
Port Douglas is approximately 70km north of Cairns. It has a permanent population of approximately 1300. The town’s population can often quadruple, however, with an influx of tourists during the peak tourism season May – September. The drive to Port Douglas along the picturesque Cook Highway is superb, setting the mood for what you can expect when arriving in this charming seaside town. The road follows the coast for most of the way, occasionally venturing into cane fields with rugged mountain back drops. The road into Port Douglas is lined with hundreds of large palm trees. The famous Sheraton Mirage Resort and golf course create a striking first impression. The actual town of Port Douglas is like a small boutique city located adjacent to the Marina Mirage. Port Douglas has the charm of a sleepy fishing village and sophistication of a world class holiday destination all rolled into one.
One of far north Queensland’s tourism capitals, aptly renown for its easy access to the Great Barrier Reef, sandy golden beaches and its beautiful scenic rainforest. It contains superb vantage points offering magnificent postcard views of the coastline and sea. It was once just an old goldfields port and fishing village and at one stage dreamed of becoming the capital of the north after over 8000 people resided there during the Hodgkinson gold rush. With the railway being based in Cairns and a cyclone hitting the coast in 1911, Port Douglas decline hastened.
In this tropical paradise, you can play golf, shop in world class specialty shops and dine in world class restaurants. The village of Port Douglas has a natural harbour on one side which includes Marina Mirage with its excellent shopping and restaurants and on the other side of the peninsula is the beautiful white sandy Four Mile Beach.
Today Port Douglas is becoming a popular town again with expanding tourism, making it one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations.
Practices in this town
Tully
A sugar town famous for its heavy tropical rainstorms. Located 1557 km north of Brisbane.In an area of beautiful beaches and charming towns, Tully, with its mill and its dour main street, is essentially an inland sugar town. Add to this the town's reputation as the wettest place in Australia and it is easy to understand why the coastal attractions of Mission Beach have captured nearly all the tourist interest in the area. The rainforests and turbulent waterways of the district do offer visitors excellent opportunities for white water rafting and tropical rainforest bushwalking and the town does offer backpacker hostels, hotels, motels and a caravan park. It is also proximate to Mission Beach, for those who want to investigate the coastline.
Tully is one of the main sugar-producing regions of Queensland with more than 22,000 ha of sugar cane extending from the Kennedy Valley in the south to Feluga in the north. The harvest season is usually from June to mid-November each year with approximately 1.8 million tonnes of cane crushed at the Tully Sugar Mill. During this time the mill operates seven days a week, 24 hours a day, and employs close to 220 full-time, and 80 additional seasonal staff.
Another major industry in the district is bananas, with about 5000 ha of land in the area devoted to the crop. It is, in fact, the largest local, and regional, employer, with many seasonal positions filled by young people on working holidays, making it something of a working backpacker destination. About 8.5 million cartons of bananas, with a wholesale valuie of $200 million are exported out of the district each year.