Cairns Sightseeing

Cairns' main sightseeing attractions are the two UNESCO World Heritage sites to its north and east. The Great Barrier Reef is famous for its colourful coral and varied marine life. It usually takes an hour or so to reach dive sights, and snorkelling, glass-bottomed boats and scuba-diving are the most popular ways to see the underwater action. The Daintree Rainforest is one of the best preserved in the world, and some of the plant species still living here have been around since the time of the dinosaurs.

Tourist attractions such as the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway make the rainforest accessible to everyone, whilst the Flecker Botanic Gardens and Cairns Wildlife Dome bring the plants and animals of the rainforest to the city. The history of human habitation in this unique area has also produced some interesting attractions such as the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park, the Cairns Museum and the Royal Flying Doctor Visitor Centre.

Tourism Tropical North Queensland Gateway Discovery Centre
51 The Esplanade
Tel: (07) 4051 3588.
Website: www.tropicalaustralia.com.au

The centre is open seven days a week.

There are a variety of free tourism magazines in Cairns, including Welcome To Cairns, available at Tourism Tropical North Queensland Gateway Discovery Centre.

There are no combined tourism passes available in Cairns at present, though there are packages to combine daytrips by Skyrail and the Scenic Railway to and from Kuranda.