Things to do in Cairns

[krysalyss]

DH, DS (2) and I are going to Cairns for a week at the start of July. Most of the time I will be in a conference so I am looking for good things that DH and DS can do during the day. What are the 'must-sees' in Cairns? We already have accommodation but looking for things to do that I will regret if we miss them We are on a budget (poor students - ha!) but if something is really worth the expense then I am happy to outlay some money.
Please please advise!!
Kris

[nic]

Kris, I think there is a Butterfly Sanctuary in Cairns... I remember my mum taking a trip up there and seeing photo's of all the butterflies all around her.
Have you looked at the Qld Holidays website? (with the usual dot com dot au on the end) It not only has accommodation information, but also things to see and do in each area/town, plus a list of what events are happening.

[suse]

You can come and visit me

There's heaps of things that I think you'd like - lots of wildlife zoos and stuff like that. If you are going to spend money on one thing - the skyrail and kuranda railway is stunning but super exxy.

I must go to bed now, but I'll pop in tomorrow and give you a list of things that you might like.

And for the days when your DH and DS are just hanging around town, the Esplanade is great for little ones - the lagoon is probably a little cold this time of year, but muddies playground is fantastic, there's different areas for different ages, including a toddler playground, and a couple of water play areas.

[Jaycee]

We were in Cairns last September and it was great!
One "must do" is definitely the Kuranda Sky rail and train like Suse said, it's fantastic and there's the Kuranda markets when you get up there and the butterfly sanctuary is also there which is great, DS was fascinated by them!
The daintree is also a couple of hours up the road which was nice, there's croc cruises which were good too!
Hope you have a great time!

[Rivlas]

Yes, definitely Kuranda. Do the train one way and the sky rail the other.
The walk along the beach area isn't bad either

[berrme]

Do you have transport? You kind of need a car up there as the public transport is terrible.
If you like the beach then winter is the best time for swimming in the ocean in Nth Qld. Is a fair drive north of town though.
The grandparents took DS1 to the Tropical Zoo while we were last in Cairns and he had a great time, I think that is free for little kids too, but it is out near the beaches.
There is a waterslide park out at Edmonton but I think that is only open on school holidays now.

The lagoon probably isn't too cold if you are not a Cairns local... you get pathetic about the cold if you live up there for very long. And muddies playground at the esplanade is fantastic!
I agree with what the other girls have said about Kuranda. Skyrail and the train ride are amazing.

[Jaycee]

The lagoon probably isn't too cold if you are not a Cairns local... you get pathetic about the cold if you live up there for very long. And muddies playground at the esplanade is fantastic!

Yep, definitely, I'm from Adelaide and found it perfect swimming weather in July!

[krysalyss]

Awesome girls! Thanks for all of your comments. We have decided to splash out on the skyrail/railway thing to Kuranda even though it is hideously expensive. Plus I have got a zoo membership so can get into the tropical zoo for free - yay! And I have checked out muddies which looks good plus the botanic gardens. Has anyone been to Paronella Park - we are thinking of going there on the way back. It looks really interesting but am not sure it is worth the admission?
We do have transport as we are driving up from Rocky.
Thanks again guys!

[grub17]

hi kryalyss,
paronella park is like some sort of fairyland, its great for the kids to run around and is fascinating like another world... but it is a good hour from cairns, so would recommend a coach/tour. but it is worth the trip.

mossman gorge has aboriginal tours and you could get a guided tour for your family or drive yourself.

there's always the reef visits and fishing trips for the boys.

green island is only 20mins by baot away as well and is good for walking and snorkelling...

i also recommend kuraanda - butterflies, marekts, skyrail, train etc

palm cove is a beautiful beach and trinity beach is popular with the locals.

also, there is Sugarworld (although it could be closed now)... which is a waterslide park on the south side of cairns (at edmonton).

at mareeba is a zoo, not sure what it' called, it's acutally between kuranda and mareeba nad has the largest lion pride in the southern hemisphere... it's only small but is excellently laid out.

highly recommend the esplande as well.

andn if you are ooking for a great day trip, mke it up to the Atherton Tablelands... go to one of the Crater Lakes (Eacham or Barrine) or tinaroo and take a picnic lunch. it's a lovely drive.

have fun! and don't forget to spend time drinking by the pool! lol

[suse]

A friend of mine got married at Paronella Park and it looked nice in the photos, but beyond that I don't know.

As for free stuff - the Botanical Gardens and Centennial Lake are both lovely spots and quite local (around Edge Hill). There's also Lake Placid (it's really an offshoot of the Barron River) which is nice for picnics and swimming, and Crystal Cascades at Redlynch Valley, which has a nice walk and great swimming holes but are a little difficult and dangerous for littlies to get down to.

And the beaches: Holloways Beach has a really nice foreshore area and small playground - it's my preferred of the 'close' beaches (it's the second beach out from town - only about 10 minutes drive from the centre of town). Both Machan's and Holloways are still more residential so the beaches 'feel' like beaches rather than resorts, Machan's in particular is a really nice community. Trinity Beach is good, although it's got a lot more resort-like in recent years, as has Clifton Beach, and Ellis Beach is lovely if you are heading up the Coral Sea coast road (it is the first beach along the coast road - after Palm Cove). Although Palm Cove is actually a beautiful beach because it is fringed with the most stunning eucalypts, and the bars and restaurants and resorts have all built around, rather than over the top of these gorgeous trees. The jetty at Palm Cove is quite lovely too, and I've been reliably informed (but wouldn't try it myself) that one can walk/wade out to Scout Hat Island at low tide. The coast road up to Mossman is an absolutely stunning drive and worth it just for the drive. If you do go to Mossman or to the Daintree - Mossman Gorge is beautiful, and The Junction cafe in Mossman is fantastic.

And if you think that your DS would like to run around Muddies or a beach for an hour or so with my DS, PM me and I'll send you my contact details.

ETA: if you're thinking of going out to one of the islands - I'd recommend Fitzroy Island over Green Island any day. Fantastic bush walks and the lighthouse, gorgeous beaches and great snorkelling / cayaking, stunning rainforests. The ferry goes out only twice a day (I think) so it's something that you need to plan ahead for. There's a new resort there now - last time I was there there was a little resort and hostel type accommodating, it's gone a bit more upmarket now, but it's still really nice for day trips.

[berrme]

I haven't been to Paronella Park for a number of years but it is very lovely. I don't think there is really anything else like it in Australia.

Centenary lakes is good, there is play equipment for the kids and you can usually spot little turtles from the edge of the lake. Is right across the road from the botanic gardens too.

The first couple of swimming holes at Crystal Cascades have stairs and shallow bits where you can take litte kids. It is very beautiful there.

Mossman gorge is also lovely but not so good for swimming with littlies. If you go up that way there are great markets at Port Douglas, can't remember the days though. There is also the Rainforest Sanctuary at the Port Douglas turn off, mostly birds but really good.

The zoo at Mareeba is the Cairns Safari Park. Haven't been there myself but DH went with his parents and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Beach wise I would say go Palm Cove or Ellis beach. Both are patrolled and actually have blue water. I agree with Suse that Fitzroy Island is better than Green Island. It always was much cheaper to get to aswell, but it has changed hands recently and that may have changed.

[Jaycee]

We went to Paronella Park, I forgot about that one!
It is really beautiful and worth it, the kids can feed the fish and turtles in the lake, there's lovely walking trails, highly recommend it!

[Visitor7]

We got engaged at Paronella Park, it's just gorgeous there.
I can't really say anymore than what the others have already said. Cairns is a beautiful place, and so many wonderful things to do. Whereabouts are you staying? And don't forget to PM and I'll try and catch up

[krysalyss]

Hi guys. Just wanted to thank you all for your input. Got back from Cairns on Sunday. Loved it - what a gorgoeous city. We stayed at a caravan park. I went to the conference at the convention centre (great conference, great venue, great food). Possums pizza is awesome (just a casual takeaway but so yum), went to adelphias greek which was again awesome, went to a really good yum cha but cant remember the name. Went on skyrail and it was definitely worth the money. Went to the butterfly house and paid for the bird zoo at Kuranda but DS was sleep deprived and threw a huge tanty at the kuranda playground - cried so much he vomited.
I didnt get to muddys but DH and DS went 3-4 times I think and loved it. I wanted to go but didnt get there because of the conference. Cairns was by far the nicest place in our travels.

[Jaycee]

Glad you had a great time!

[AliciaK]

we are also thinking of going there next year, so thanks so much for all the ideas.... can't wait