Explore Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef
Subscribe to our newsletter and we'll share our special offers, destination stories and competitions to help you experience more of Australia & New Zealand.
Cairns
The tropical city of Cairns is located 1,700 kilometres north of Brisbane in Far North Queensland. Situated on a coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range, you’ll find plenty to see and do in and around Cairns with several natural wonders at its doorstep.
Undoubtedly the most famous natural wonder is the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Easily accessible with a day trip from Cairns, this vibrant colourful reef is the world’s largest single structure made by a living organism - so large that it can be seen from space!
A short trip north from Cairns is the largest tropical rainforest in Australia, the Daintree Rainforest. This lush World Heritage Listed rainforest is home to some of the oldest surviving rainforest in the world. Nestled in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest is Cape Tribulation a headland situated at one of the only places where two World Heritage sites, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef meet.
Just a stone’s throw away will find you at the gorgeous seaside village of Port Douglas. A gateway to some of Cairns’ sights, here you can also visit the Wildlife Habitat Park and meet some of Australia’s native wildlife such as the kangaroo, koala and the dangerous but beautiful cassowary.
Further north west you’ll find Kuranda, the ‘Village in the Rainforest’. Located in the heart of World Heritage Listed Barron Gorge National Park; here you can browse the famous local markets, take in the captivating sight of Barron Falls and ride the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Scenic Railway. Go deeper into the tropical rainforest at the award-winning Rainforestation Nature Park and learn to throw a boomerang, play the didgeridoo and cuddle a koala.
-
Great Barrier Reef
No trip to Queensland is complete without a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. This mind-blowing natural wonder is located in the Coral Sea, off the north coast of Australia and is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Once you catch of glimpse of even just a fraction of this magnificent structure, the world’s largest single structure made by a living organism, it’s easy to understand why.
More Information -
Daintree Rainforest
North of Cairns you‘ll find the largest tropical rainforest in Australia, the Daintree Rainforest. Having gone through all climate changes including the ice age, it’s one of the oldest surviving rainforests in the world. While dinosaurs no longer roam this landscape, its closest relatives in the region, the cassowaries and crocodiles still do.
More Information -
Kuranda
Perched on the Atherton Tableland just 25 kilometres north west of Cairns is the picturesque Kuranda Village. Referred to as the ‘Village in the Rainforest’, this mountain retreat is surrounded by tropical rainforest and the World Heritage listed Barron Gorge National Park.
More Information
