Cairns visitor information
Cairns City is a thriving seaside town situated amongst the Great Barrier Reef and the World Heritage Rainforest. It is recognised as one of the safest and most progressively developed Tropical Cities in the world offering guests endless opportunities for activities, accommodation and tours whilst still keeping its North Queensland laid back charm. This exciting City has flourished in the past decade completely regenerating itself from its previous existence as an agriculturally based township to a world class Tourist Mecca and celebrity destination.
Hollywood has found the natural beauty of this destination and has made many well known block buster movies in this region. Past President Bill Clinton cannot say enough about this wonderful place and the easy going laid back lifestyle we as North Queenslanders offer our visitors. As he say’s we treat everyone as family. The Cairns Cities bustling tourist hub rivals any holiday destination in Australia. In fact, Cairns has more visitors than any other region in Queensland (apart from Brisbane) with almost 1 million holiday makers from all parts of the globe attracted to stay and explore the natural beauty and safety that Cairns Tropical North Queensland has to offer.
History…
After visiting and exploring this vibrant City it is hard to imagine a time when it all never existed. The City of Cairns was originally discovered in 1876 by William Wellington Cairns who was the then Governor of Queensland at the time. Cairns City was originally established for miners who were working at the Hodgekinson River goldfields. After an easier track was discovered from Port Douglas, Cairns became an established rail port exporting sugar cane, gold, precious metals and other agricultural based products. It wasn’t until the early 1980’s that Cairns received its face lift with a new International Airport. From an agriculturally based region Cairns City transformed into an exciting tourist hub. Travellers from around the world soon began to discover the unique natural attractions Cairns had to offer such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Green Tropics Rainforest. This spawned an influx of hotel developments, restaurants, shops and tour attractions. As more people caught on to this unspoilt historical gem, more infrastructure and tours began to spread creating the Tropical Mecca that Cairns is today enjoyed by families, couples, business travellers, researchers and groups of all shapes and sizes.
Today Cairns takes advantage of its beautifully natural surroundings while existing in a sustainable manner to protect the fragile resources and eco-systems that make Cairns and the surrounding places so unique to other destinations in Australia and the rest of the World. This compact cosmopolitan City balances development with ecological sensitivity and perfectly blends the conveniences of a world class destination City with the isolation and blasé nature of a tropical retreat.
As more and more people discover this amazing part of Australia they will either pledge to return someday or they will recommend others come to witness the majestic beauty that nature has blessed this region. With stunning Rainforest Mountains and their Volcanic Crater Lakes to the natural swimming holes and the Great Barrier Reef that the astronauts see from as far away as the Moon.
The Bio-diversity here is something that other regions in the world just cannot re-create.
The accommodation and hotel choices in the City of Cairns and surrounding regions are so diverse. Within five square kilometres of Cairns City you will find luxurious five star hotels, intimate boutique resorts, self contained waterfront holiday apartments, family friendly resorts, budget backpackers and guesthouses, bed and breakfasts, caravan parks and campsites. Truly travellers of any budget will find suitable accommodation in the City of Cairns. Listed on cairnsaccommodation.com is a complete comprehensive list of all the different accommodation properties and styles in Cairns City.
With the most up to date information and rates available at the click of a button as well as more in depth intimate and accurate descriptions of each property than you will see on any other Cairns accommodation directory because “we are local we are here” and we know every one of these holiday units and hotels. If you like you can either browse our website and then call us to make a reservation or fill in the on-line booking form for the hotel that you wish to stay at.
Dining Out in Cairns…
The City of Cairns has an abundance of restaurants, cafes, bistros, coffee shops, diners, pizzerias, pubs and take-aways all within five square blocks of the Cairns Central Business District (CBD). No matter what time of the day or night you want to grab a bite, there will be something open to satisfy your craving.
Many of Cairns best restaurants are found on the Boardwalk at the Pier Shopping Centre, along the Waterfront Esplanade or on Shields Street. Several of the five star resorts in Cairns also offer fabulous restaurants. Cairns is a laid back tropical town so generally casual dress if fine in most restaurants; as long as you have shoes and a sleeved shirt you should be ok.
There are many coffee shops and cafes scattered throughout the town where you can grab a quick coffee, sausage role or sandwich. These venues are generally very informal so bikinis and board shorts are accepted on the most part. If you find yourself in the city at 2am and are craving a snack you will be delighted by the collection of pizzerias, kebab shops and other miscellanies eateries that open throughout the night. Along the Esplanade, on Shields Street and on Spence Street you will find these 24 hour food stalls.
Nightlife in Cairns…
Cairns has some of the best nightlife in Australia for any taste any night of the week. The best thing being is that all pubs, clubs and bars are within a five minute walk eliminating expensive taxi rides. Whether you are looking for live music, a hot DJ or dancing on tables to classic tunes you will find it all in Cairns. Friday and Saturday nights you will find a mix of live rock and roll, salsa bars, TOP40, DJs spinning hot house, trance and electro beats, classic oldies, karaoke and almost anything else you enjoy. Sunday nights are popular and many bars offer 2-4-1 drinks between five and seven o’clock. From Monday-Thursday you will surely find something you will enjoy as most bars and nightclubs have a crowd every night of the week. Most nightspots do not charge an entrance fee but on a Friday or Saturday night expect to pay between $5 and $15 cover charge. Dress code on weekends is generally quite strict considering the laid back nature of Cairns. Women, make sure you are wearing nice shoes or high-heals and men must cover their shoulders, wear nice shoes and cannot wear baseball hats or sporting jerseys.
Shopping in Cairns…
Cairns is full of an assortment of different shops and the quality and variety of shopping is getting better by the day. On the main streets of Cairns (Shields St., Grafton St., Lake St., Spence St. and Abbott St.) you will find boutique shops, surf shops, convenience shops, bottle shops, souvenir shops, jewellery, and miscellaneous shops. All the upmarket overseas designers like Louis Vutton, expensive jewellers, opal shops and Duty Free Stores can be found on Abbott Street near the Casino. Grafton Street has several trendy clothing stores and there are several shopping arcades throughout the City with hidden bargains, and assemblages of shops with all types of trinkets and gifts. On Lake Street and Shields Street you will find your cheaper budget shops and souvenir shops and on the Esplanade and Shields Street you will find art galleries, surf shops and several Aboriginal art and artefacts stores.
Cairns Central Shopping Centre is located at the edge of the city on Shields and McLeod Street and has several specialty retailers, convenience stores, department stores such as Myer and Target and groceries stores like Coles and Bilo.
The Pier Shopping Centre, at the other end of town, has several clothing, shoe, and sportswear shops. On the weekends you will find the Esplanade markets set up along the Esplanade promenade featuring locally pro
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