What to see in Cairns on holidays?

**Stav** · 15-10-2006, 11:21 AM

Guys ..I need some ideas as I will be in Cairns tommorow night with the family on holidays.What is nice to go see with the family?

*rayman* · 15-10-2006, 11:27 AM

take your swimmers and go try out the cable skiing park....

or go on the cable car up the side of the range...

Port douglas is nice, worth the short drive up there.

Martyvan · 15-10-2006, 11:50 AM

Could go snorkling on the inner reef...... We went on an older style sailboat... slower & Cheaper , but a really nice day out....

There is always the Kuranda scenic railway, and/or the skyrail.

Port douglas is great... but expensive.
A Visit to the Daintree is also worth it..

**Stav** · 15-10-2006, 12:29 PM

Will do.One of my customers mentioned that there is a drive through the rainforrest to a place /lookout where you can see miles and miles of ocean and sand.Does anyone know the name?

rayjjj · 15-10-2006, 12:38 PM

That would probably be the Kuranda range between Cairns and Kuranda. You can go to Kuranda by sky rail (gondola), historic train, or by car (car and sky rail will give you the views you talk of).

The nicest beach is Palm Cove. Cairns doesn't have a beach as such in town, they are all a short drive north of town. Cairns does have a waterfront (the esplanade). On the esplanade there is a free public swimming area that is pretty amazing.

For a beer I can recommend Gilligans with their deck and waterfall into the pool, not to mention the backpackers!

The drive north to Port Douglas is very nice. Kind of like our own, "great ocean road". You can combine this drive with a visit to our northern beaches.

It all depends on how long you have in town.

Any other info you want feel free to PM me.

Ray

**Stav** · 15-10-2006, 01:09 PM

Thanks mate..I will be there for 7 nights as of Monday so I will hire a car when I get there.

protd · 15-10-2006, 01:20 PM

if you can get on a outer barrier reef trip for a day you wont regret it my wife's sister works for great adventures and we got out for next to nothing we get out there about 4 times a year and we're still not sick of it good lunch few beers on the sun deck it's an awesome day.. cable ski is good if your into it, also try get up to cape trib to pk resort you'll have a ball there its not that bad of a drive and you'll get to see the cairns to port Douglas rd which can be quite spectacular at times, we often take our ski boat up the coast line from cairns to port plenty of things to see around the place just hope the weather is good for you its been raining for the last 2 days on and off and still a bit over cast

WOLF · 15-10-2006, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjjj

That would probably be the Kuranda range between Cairns and Kuranda. You can go to Kuranda by sky rail (gondola), historic train, or by car (car and sky rail will give you the views you talk of).

The nicest beach is Palm Cove. Cairns doesn't have a beach as such in town, they are all a short drive north of town. Cairns does have a waterfront (the esplanade). On the esplanade there is a free public swimming area that is pretty amazing.

For a beer I can recommend Gilligans with their deck and waterfall into the pool, not to mention the backpackers!

The drive north to Port Douglas is very nice. Kind of like our own, "great ocean road". You can combine this drive with a visit to our northern beaches.

It all depends on how long you have in town.

Any other info you want feel free to PM me.

Ray

Gilligans brings back some good memories from a couple years ago...what a killer set up! After a long days diving, nothing like lounging on a couch sinking **** and playing video games on that giant screen....gotta get back there soon!

**Stav** · 15-10-2006, 02:48 PM

ive booked to go to Kuranda and Green island should be good

1hotEL · 15-10-2006, 07:08 PM

Green Island is great. Hope none of your family gets sea sick, the trip over is usually rough, just use the provided spew bags. Apart from that it should be awesome.

Walkinshaw · 15-10-2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjjj

On the esplanade there is a free public swimming area that is pretty amazing.

Who the hell pays to swim on ANY beach.

DanXR6T · 15-10-2006, 08:06 PM

Yeah mate, Palm Cove for beaches.. other beaches are crap, like Trinity, etc because they are all gravelly and coarse sand.

For nightlife... Gilligans (no football shirts, etc - I hate those bouncers... grr..), Shinanigans, Mad Cow.

You have kids? Croc Park (not sure where it is - Port Douglas?)

Site-seeing - Kuranda Range (the drive is awesome!! It's basically 500m straight up lol. Barron River Gorge.

For something different I'd suggest a day cruise onto the Tablelands - Lake Tinaroo (huge dam), Lake Eachem (natural lake formed in a volcano crater) - through Mareeba, Atherton, Malanda, Milla Milla, down the Palmerston Range (lots of waterfalls, etc) Innisfail then back to Cairns.

Lots to do really.

Dan..

HLC · 15-10-2006, 08:49 PM

just go and chill out Stav!

green island is fantastic. there is also an aboriginal like tourist thing, thats cool, and the cable car thing as well that was good!

protd · 15-10-2006, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkinshaw

Who the hell pays to swim on ANY beach.

brave man to swim in our beachs we got them big lizards around our beachs

kinggee · 15-10-2006, 09:16 PM

If you go through Innisfail, go and see Paronella Park ( www.paronellapark.com.au ) if you get the chance. I lived in Innisfail from 1987 - 2001 and only visited last year. Now I regret not going earlier and I will be going back again when I am on holidays at Christmas, mostly to see it after the cyclone with the rainforest thinned out a bit.

Can send you some pics if you want, can't get them to upload.

knighto42 · 15-10-2006, 09:35 PM

I did the Hartley's Crocodile thing up there - very cool, well worth a look. http://www.crocodileadventures.com/intro.htm

Plus there's a Hackett's Bungy up there - can't go to Cairns and not bungy!

rayjjj · 15-10-2006, 10:09 PM

Who the hell pays to swim on ANY beach?

We have crocs like PROTD said, and box jellyfish, both can kill you. The free swimming area is a man made lagoon, where the tourist like to hang out, some backpackers let their boobs "hangout" there too :-D

As you are hiring a car watchout for our police speed cameras, usually a white or brown landcruiser parked on the side of the road. If you look closley, there is a power point attachment on the rear of the cruiser, possibly to recharge. The sides of the truck say police and the "speed camera in use" sign will be tucked behind a tree.

The tablelands drive is a nice day out, take your togs and swim under the waterfalls up there, freeze your bits off. And to really freeze your bits off, drive 15min north of Port Douglas, to Mossman George, a natural river flowing from the mountains. I always take my tourist friends there, it is in the middle of the rainforest, just really nice.

Ray

**Falcon Coupe** · 15-10-2006, 10:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Walkinshaw

Who the hell pays to swim on ANY beach.

It's not a beach, it's the biggest swimming pool i have ever seen, complete with lifeguards and change rooms, all for free, no fences just walk from the footpath into water.

rayjjj · 15-10-2006, 10:46 PM

Thanks Falcon Coupe, kinda hard to describe, the pic explains it better
Ray

**Stav** · 16-10-2006, 06:47 AM

Nice work guys I knew I could depend on you to give me some good tips.Thanks..

S3SR · 16-10-2006, 07:59 AM

port douglas, kuranda markets/range, cairns markets, cairns strand, tjapukai - an aboriginal show which is pretty cool, they have an auto tech a have rice half go fast shop.
oh only if i was there id show you some cool sites

good luck in cairns i hate it

rayjjj · 16-10-2006, 10:11 AM

Falcon SR - Jealousy is a curse inflicted on those who live in Townsville but wished they lived in Cairns!

Only joking FalconSR, I am jealous you guys have a drag strip.

lol

Ray

S3SR · 16-10-2006, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rayjjj

Falcon SR - Jealousy is a curse inflicted on those who live in Townsville but wished they lived in Cairns!

Only joking FalconSR, I am jealous you guys have a drag strip.

lol

Ray

i lived in innisfail born and bred and spent half of my year 12 in cairns.
and innisfail has a drag strip too only 1/8 mile though.
i dont like cairns nor townsville.

useless if you want take the gillies highway to cairns or on the way back you might get a few good photo shots, also up in tinaroo theres a few nice places there....big dam as well might be dry though.

DanXR6T · 16-10-2006, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FALCONSR

also up in tinaroo theres a few nice places there....big dam as well might be dry though.

Nope, it's 90% full.

Dan..

protd · 16-10-2006, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FALCONSR

i lived in innisfail born and bred and spent half of my year 12 in cairns.
and innisfail has a drag strip too only 1/8 mile though.
i dont like cairns nor townsville.

useless if you want take the gillies highway to cairns or on the way back you might get a few good photo shots, also up in tinaroo theres a few nice places there....big dam as well might be dry though.

i would'nt say innisfail has a dragstrip, it's a airport they let you run on once a yr, this year its not on at all.. how long ago where you in innisfail, i went to high school there, now that town's a hole..

S3SR · 16-10-2006, 08:20 PM

Dan thanks for that im gonna finally go for a ski for the first time now. xmas holidays

protd I was there last year year 12 it'd be damn funny if i knew you
yeah lol at airstrip

innisfail aint that bad, when you live in tville.

protd · 16-10-2006, 08:40 PM

you wont know me mate i have not been in high school for 15 years left in yr 10.. but i lived there until 6 or so trs ago..

cedric · 16-10-2006, 11:07 PM

if your kean on your fishing grab some light rods and small lures and get a map that shows the local fresh water rivers (russel and mulgrave i think. been a long time) the roads cross them in heaps of spots and they are grate walking, swimming and fishing creeks your kids will have a ball, and no snappagators up high in the fresh

SunDrifter · 17-10-2006, 01:18 PM

The Mareeba Zoo re-opened recently too, would probably be worth a look.

I've got to get up there and check it out soon too.

DanXR6T · 17-10-2006, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FALCONSR

Dan thanks for that im gonna finally go for a ski for the first time now. xmas holidays

Any time of the year check out the SunWater website, and it will tell you the level of the dam.

http://www.sunwater.com.au/water_store.htm

Today it is 90% full.

Dan.