Cairns

Airplay Hang Gliding

Airplay offers tandem hang gliding flights of durations up to 1 hr and a free outbound shuttle service. Lessons and full instruction are also available to those wishing to learn to fly.

Cairns Aquarium

This is Australia's most spectacular aquarium, displaying 71 exhibits with more than 16,000 colourful marine habitats and 10 ecosystems. The facility holds the country's largest freshwater tank and is home to the world's first tidal motion tank.

Daily 10AM-4PM

Cairns Botanic Gardens

The Cairns Botanic Gardens are about 4 km from the city centre, and a number of bus routes pass by the various entrances. The Gardens are divided into 5 distinct zones, including Formal Gardens, Rainforest Boardwalk and Mangroves Boardwalk.

Daily 7:30AM-5:30PM·Free

Cairns Esplanade Markets

Esplanade Markets have homemade products, rare stones, clothes, all types of art, massage, local music, local rainforest timbers/carvings/wooden chopping boards and you will be buying from the maker/artist of the products. Heaps of budget-priced stuff, but some very refined high art/design/ideas that could easily become a feature piece of a house/garden. Great place to find a special gift. And best of all it has a 'locals feel' about it. Make sure to take a hat and sunscreen as it's an outdoor market. Have fun and meet some locals.

Sat 8AM-4PM·from $0.50

Cairns Museum

The Cairns Museum showcases the Cairns Historical Society’s collection of objects, photographs and archival records. This collection holds the memories of the people, places, events and changing environment of Cairns and Far North Queensland.

Mon-Sat 10AM-4PM·Adult $10, child (under 14) $5, family (2 parents or grandparents + 2 kids) $25, pensioner/senior/concession $8

Cairns Regional Gallery

Located in a heritage building in the city centre, the Cairns Regional Gallery is the region's premier destination for exhibitions featuring historical and contemporary art by leading regional, national and international artists.

Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM, Sat 10AM-5PM, Sun 10AM-2PM·$5

Jungle Tours

Day and extended tours to the World Heritage areas of Cape Tribulation and the Daintree - where the oldest rainforest in the world meets the Great Barrier Reef. Small groups travel with their informative guides on air-conditioned buses. Tours can include Port Douglas, The Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary, cruising on the Daintree River searching for crocodiles and wildlife, swimming in the Mossman Gorge and exploring Cape Tribulation Beach. On extended tours, various levels of accommodation are offered, from backpacker dorms to deluxe resorts, with plenty of options to party and play. Activities vary from reef trips with Rum Runner to horseriding, jungle surfing, and sea kayaking.

La Pizza Trattoria

La Pizza Trattoria has good pizza. It lures most patrons in by letting them wander past the pizza chef kneading the dough as they smell the baking pizzas.

Mon–Thu 6AM–10:30PM, Fri–Sun 6AM–11PM·Medium-sized pizzas: $18–21

Mike Ball Dive Expeditions

Dive sites suited to serious divers. Allows solo diving and rebreather diving if you provide appropriate equipment. Cabins with private bathrooms are available.

3-night trip from $1,480, 4-night trip from $1,678 and 7-night trip from $2,938, rental equipment and courses extra

Night Markets

Cairns Night Markets

The markets are a collection of stalls catering mainly to tourists: you can buy lots of clothes, games, souvenirs, and Australiana.

Every night of the week till late

Northern Experience Eco Tour

Visits the waterfalls, Lake Barrine Cater lake, the Curtain Fig tree, Famous Milla Milla falls, 2-course hot lunch and cheese/yogurt tasting at the Mungalli organic bio-dynamic dairy, the rainforest of the Southern Cairns Highlands, plus the historic Spanish castle ruins and gardens of Paronella Park and Mena Creek falls, near Innisfail, and the Babinda boulders for a swim in clear mountain spring waters. Back to Cairns via Bruce Highway, sugar cane fields and Walsh's Pyramid. Many photo opportunities. Small groups, max 20 passengers.

Orient Express Sushi Train

Sushi Express

A sushi train made up to look like the Kuranda Railway, this place is popular but not wildly busy. The tempura seems to get more attention than the sushi or sashimi.

Plates from $2.50–4.50

Passions of Paradise

A 25-m modern, fast-sailing catamaran travelling daily to Michaelmas Cay, where the company holds a permit allowing passengers access to the beach. This is one of the most important bird nesting sanctuaries on the Great Barrier Reef with over 20,000 sea birds. The cay has white sand, warm shallow water and an abundance of marine life making it perfect for snorkelling, scuba diving, glass bottom boat tours or just relaxing on the beach. The second destination is the Outer Barrier Reef and a mooring at Breaking Patches. There you will find the hard coral gardens that the Outer Reef is famous for. The day includes a hot and cold buffet lunch, all snorkelling equipment and sailing on one of the fastest catamarans travelling to the Great Barrier Reef.

Perrotta's At The Gallery

If you want to escape from several evenings touring the bar and grill places, Perotta's is just off the Esplanade and does more sophisticated Western food. Try the French toast with roast pear for breakfast.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner approximately $25

Pro Dive Cairns

Specialises in 11-dive/3-day 2-night liveaboard trips to the Outer Reef, departing every day except Tuesdays. Their dive sites are suitable for inexperienced divers: most trips will include one or more groups of students doing their checkout dives. The liveaboard trip is $580 for a twin share or double cabin (including all equipment). Pro Dive Cairns also offer several PADI courses which include the liveaboard trip: the basic Open Water course (2 days of classroom and pool work plus the trip), Open Water referral checkout dives, Advanced Open Water and Rescue Diver. The trip is $580 per person, twin share or double and equipment is included. An additional fee applies of $35 per person, including a $15 Government Environmental Management Charge as well as a Port Departure tax and administration costs.

The trip is $560 per person, twin share or double, reef tax and equipment included. Open Water course $725, Open Water referral $630

Rattle 'N Hum

The Rattle 'n Hum is a bar and grill in the midst of one of the busiest parts of The Esplanade. It's quite large and getting a seat is seldom a problem: sit out back once they light torches in the evenings. Competition for the pool table is not formidable so you should be able to get several games in. They do a number of main meals, including wood-fired pizza for around $20. The staff are highly variable in quality, ordering a cocktail can be risky, but they're certainly able to pull a beer.

RnR White Water Rafting

Operating since 1984. The Tully River is Australia's best and most famous 1-day white water rafting experience, with up to 5 hr of rafting over more than 45 grade 4 rapids through World Heritage Rainforest. The Barron River option is a great half-day tour, with up to 2 hr of rafting on grade 3 rapids. For something longer, the North Johnstone 4-day expedition is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Helicopter in, 4 days of grade 5 rapids and camping 3 nights under the stars in riverside rainforest clearings.

Skydive Cairns

Tandem, single jumps, and AFF courses. One of the most beautiful planes flies up to overlooking the reef.

Spirit of Freedom

A 37-m liveaboard boat, covering iconic and remote dive sites. A 3-day trip departs Mondays for Cod Hole and the Ribbon Reefs, a 4-day trip departs Thursdays for the Coral Sea and Osprey Reef, or you can stay on for the full 7 days. A stunning low-level flight to Lizzard Island gets you from Cairns to meet on the Thursday trip, and back from the Monday one. Excellent diving sites for the more advanced diver - you must have your open water before joining the boat.

The Woolshed

The Woolshed Chargrill & Saloon Bar

If you are looking for a place to find all the travellers, go to the Woolshed in downtown Cairns.

Tropic Wings Coach Tours

One of the largest and longest established coach touring companies in Cairns, operating since 1981. Operate full- and half-day tours to Kuranda including Kuranda Scenic Railway, Skyrail, Rainforestation Nature Park and Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Cape Tribulation and the Daintree, Port Douglas, Atherton Tablelands and the 'Outback'. Extended tours are available to Cape Tribulation and the Daintree.

Villa Romana Trattoria

Italian meals with some good seafood options and overworked wait staff. 25% discount if you order before 6:30PM.

Meals are $25-40

Champagne Balloon Flights

Offers a slightly cheaper trip that doesn't include breakfast.

New Horizon Sail and Dive

New Horizon Sail and Dive operates two classic sailing boats, Santa Maria and Coral Sea Dreaming, to the outer Great Barrier Reef. They allow you to experience the reef in a smaller more intimate affair with a maximum of 10 passengers on each trip.

The trip is from $380 per person for a two-day liveaboard and from $540 for a three-day liveaboard, all equipment included.

Waffle On

Breakfast and brunch restaurant. Waffle on is a family-owned restaurant serving sweet and savoury waffles, organic coffee and fresh juices.

Tue-Sun 7:30AM-1PM, closed Mon·$9-15

Yaya's Restaurant

Greek kitchen and bar. You can expect fresh, delicious dishes, prepared in a traditional way.

Sun-Tue Thu 5-9:30PM, Wed 5-10PM, Fri Sat 5-11PM·$11 dips - $40 main dish

Ballooning with Hot Air

Includes a hot breakfast, champagne & transfers.

$200

Tandem Cairns

Offers tandem skydives.

$244 for a dive, $295 for a dive

Tusa Dive Australia

Good small operator.

Two-day dive trips to the Outer Reef for $160 ($190 with equipment hire)