Don't let the rainy season in the middle of the Australian summer put you off going to Cairns in far north Queensland. Whilst there are cyclones some years, there's a predictable tropical weather pattern of night-time showers and day-time mugginess and heat.
A day on the reef
Also there's a lot more to do in this World Heritage Area than just visiting the Great Barrier Reef although you can't beat doing a day trip to the outer reef. Ocean Freedom hosts a leisurely day of snorkeling and diving where you can see Nimo fish amongst the other colourful swarms of tropical ones. If you like to sun bake there’s plenty of time for that as well.
A ride through tropical rain forests
Inland from Cairns is a favourite horse-riding destination , Blazing Saddles, up on the Atherton Tablelands, where you can also go quad bike riding. This is a leisurely two hours ride with excellent and fun guides who take you safely through rain forests and savanna laden with exotic spiders, billabongs and ant hills. If you're a medium or advanced rider you can canter as well as trot which makes the ride a lot more fun.
Driving north to Port Douglas
The World Heritage areas north of Cairns includes one of the most breath-takingly beautiful coastal drives along the Captain Cook Highway that links Cairns with Port Douglas. This is one drive not too miss as there are few such pristine coastlines in Australia where the road sweeps alongside the beaches; you can stop along the way at Ellis Beach for something to eat and a drink. No matter how often you visit this stretch of coast it just draws you back time and time again.
A Queenslander Hotel
In Cairns, you'll find more than the two extremes of luxury hotels and backpacker accommodation. A favourite for its' Queenslander-inspired architecture, (Queenslanders are the vernacular style of residential weatherboard architecture with lattice work, shutters and typically elevated above the ground) excellent fresh buffet breakfasts and family-run atmosphere is The Hotel Cairns. It’s set back just one block from the Esplanade and a few blocks from the town centre. Across the road from the hotel is KickArts Contemporary Art, Cairns. This is where you'll find fabulous contemporary art and jewelry from local artists, the Torres Strait Islands (where there is quite a different style of work) and other states.
A dessert to come back for
Like many tourist destinations, if you go back a few blocks from the main attractions, you’ll find the best food. The thing that is really quite a find in Cairns is Piccolo Cuccina, an award-winning, family-run Italian restaurant that can compete with the finest of Melbourne’s ones. There’s home-made pasta such as lasagna with mud crab, the finest of fine cut calamari which is hard to beat anywhere and then there’s the crème brulee. Whilst this is often listed as a special, it has been on the menu for some years. Piccolo Cuccina’s version is thick and creamy – you eat it with that wishful thought that if only this mouthful could last forever it’s that good.
From snorkeling with Nimo and his friends, driving along that sweeping coastline, to savouring that last mouthful of crème brulee, there are numerous lasting experiences to be had in the tropical far north of Australia.
Tempe Macgowan - I started writing years ago as I was so passionate about a story that I came across that I wanted to tell everybody about it.
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