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Run away from winter and into the adventure, culture and lifestyle you’ll never want to give up in Australia’s tropical gateway, Cairns.
The modern and picturesque city of Cairns is tucked between two World Heritage-listed natural playgrounds - the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest. One of the most unique and diverse regions in Australia, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef offers visitors an incredibly diverse must-do list of eco-certified touring experiences, local breweries and distilleries, fresh local produce and a relaxed, tropical lifestyle only found in the north!
Whether it’s a gentle run along the 2.5km Cairns Esplanade, a kick start to the day on one of four Red Arrow tracks only 10 minutes from the CBD, or a serious Sunday hike up Queensland’s highest peak, you’ll be spoiled for choice on the hiking and walking trails of the tropical north after testing your mettle in the Cairns Marathon!
What to do
Get wet on the Great Barrier Reef snorkelling or diving the largest coral reef system in the world, luxuriate on a palm-fringed island on golden sands or venture into the lush, green rainforest of the Wet Tropics with an indigenous guide to learn about bush medicines and native foods. Take a bird’s eye view of the world’s oldest living rainforest from a glass gondola, or if adventure is what you're looking for, take a leap Skydiving or Bungee Jumping, float over the Tablelands in a Hot Air Balloon, jump on a jetboat or rocket down the rapids white water rafting!
Experience Australia’s unique wildlife up close and personal. Breakfast with Koalas, hand feed kangaroos, pose with a python or get the adrenalin pumping watching Australia’s very own dinosaur – the crocodile – launch out of the water during a feeding demonstration.
Places to stay
Whether you prefer an international hotel in the city, a beachside resort, a retreat in the rainforest, or a tropical island escape, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef has an accommodation option to suit.
Only a 10-minute drive from Cairns Airport, the city centre boasts over 8,000 accommodation rooms including four and five-star hotels and resorts. Those seeking apartment life will enjoy the diversity of self-contained apartments boasting incredible views of the city, water and mountains. The city also features a range of hostels and motels all within walking distance of the marina, local restaurants, bars and night spots.
Click here for places to stay and scroll down to the ‘Stay’ section.
How to get here
Cairns & Great Barrier Reef welcomes over 2.4 million visitors each year. Cairns Airport is Australia’s northern gateway and only 10 minutes from the CBD, 25 minutes to the relaxed enclave of Palm Cove, and 55 minutes along the stunning, scenic, Great Barrier Reef Drive to the seaside village of Port Douglas.
The world’s warmest welcome is waiting for you – fringed by the reef, enveloped by rainforest and ringed by the red-dirt of the Outback, Cairns & Great Barrier Reef invites you to escape the southern winter, and run north to the tropics in Australia’s Tropical Gateway.
Jump on to the Cairns & Great Barrier Reef Deals page to find your next adventure!