Cairns: A Snapshot of Australia

Rusty's Market

2005-05-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

Rusty's Market
Originally uploaded by Latitude13.

Rusty's Market is a great place to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

For the Kiddies

2005-05-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

Here's some things for kids to do while in Cairns...

-Springmount Station: Older children: Springmount Station is located west of Cairns on the dry side of the Tablelands. Your ride takes you through the Australian bushland. You will see huge eucalyptus and gum trees, open grasslands, and flowing creeks.

-Wild World Tropical Zoo: All ages: The tropical zoo is a great day out, a wonderful wildlife experience. You can cuddle with a koala and pat a crocodile.

A Tid Bit of History

2005-05-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

I thought you would all like to know a little bit about the history of Cairns...well, Captain James Cook sailed up the North Queensland Coast on his first Voyage of Discovery in June of 1770, aboard his ship the HM Bark Endeavor. Captain Cook was the first known European to visit the site where todays city of Cairns is located.
North Queensland was a rugged area that would prove difficult to explore. Aboriginal tribes lived througout the region having learned to adapt to the environment that white settlers later found so harsh.
Due in no small part to the dense vegetation, cyclones, treacherous reefs, diseases, and dangerous animals such as crocodiles it took longer than 100 years before white settlement took a firm hold in the region.
Well that was a little tid bit of Cairn's history....if you would like to learn more about Cairn's history go to www.cairns-australia.com and if you are ever in Cairns there is museum at the corner of Lake and Shield Street that is well worth visiting if you like to know more about this truly unique place!

Riding the Waves

2005-05-11T16:57:00.000-07:00

11718274_c724a12ea1_t
Originally uploaded by kus10101.

This is just one of the many water activites one can participate in while in Cairns.

Free Fallin

2005-05-11T16:48:00.000-07:00

Tandem master Bob
Originally uploaded by Latitude13.

Our friend Bob just took a leap from 14,000 thousand feet in the air. Wish I could do it again. I can't describe the rush you get when you land and realize what you just did!

The Great Greenway

2005-05-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Great Greenway
Originally uploaded by Latitude13.

The drive from Cairns to Mission Beach is called the Great Greenway. Lots of sugarcane, banana plantations, and who can forget the beautiful rainforest.

Hostels and Hotels

2005-05-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

When I was in Cairns I stayed in a youth hostel, called Castaways Backpackers. It was a really cute place, with a pool, bar and comfortable rooms. Staying in hostels is something that everyone should experience. Its no five star hotel but it is definately a really good time.

Here are the top ten youth hostels in Cairns...
1)The Serpent Backpacker Hostel and Bar
2)Travellers Oasis
3)Castaways Backpackers
4)JJ's Backpackers Hostel
5)Coral Towers Holiday Suites
6)Travellers Castle
7)Leo's Budget Accomodation
8)Caravella 77
9)Cairns Beach House
10)Calypso Backpackers Resort

I know that some people just can't stomach the idea of staying in a hostel so here ten nice hotels to choose from in Cairns...

1)Cairns International Hotel
2)Comfort Inn Club
3)Comfort Inn and Suites
4)Comfort Inn Tropical
5)Quality Inn Rainbow
6)Quality Hotel Sheridan Plaza
7)Quality Hotel Pacific International
8)Matson Resort
9)Cairns Holiday Inn
10)Acacia Court

Short Trips

2005-05-09T18:18:00.000-07:00

Cairns offers over 600 tours a day! Here are some of the them that I gathered together...

-The Great Barrier Reef: Visiting and enjoying the Reef should be at the top of your to-do list while in Cairns. Interesting fact, the movie Open Water, took place in the Great Barrier Reef. Crazy right cause its a true story..but don't worry serious precautions and safety measures are taken now...and from my own experience there's nothing to worry about.
The Reef is 18 million years old, and stretches for 2000 km. This wonder is ample for snorkeling, diving, etc. *During November the coral "spawns," for three days in an "unparalled display of marine fireworks."

-Atherton Tablelands: This cool,green plateau is a popular and pretty train trip away, especially for the Kuranda Craft Market (which is open from Wednesday to Sunday), as well for hikes and balloon rides.

-The Cook Highway: A little to the north, and passed by some gorgeous, deserted coastal areas the highway is where the Barrier Reef closes in on the beach. It is so beautiful!

-Daintree Nation Park in Cape Tribulation: This rainforest area is a couple of hours travel from Cairns. Just a little tip, its the prettiest at a place called Mossman Gorge, and whats great about this magical spot is that is has great marked walking paths.

-Crystal Cascades: A lovely, forested waterfall.

CULTURAL EVENTS

2005-05-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Cairns is full of charisma and culture. The best local art show is shown in monster oil tanks at the Tanks Art Gallery. *Also, a couple of smaller galleries including famous wildlife photographer Peter Lik.
Also in Cairns you can dance with the didgeridoo and enjoy Aboriginal narratives at Tjapukai Park. *Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park is Australia's most awarded attraction and the only Aboriginal experience providing direct benefit to the local Aboriginal people. Tjapukai entertains and enlightens audiences, crossing cultural barriers.
If ever in Cairns I definately recommend familiarizing yourself with its culture by learning about the people and their way of life.

Great Things to do in Cairns

2005-05-05T13:09:00.000-07:00

Cairns obviously has many attractions in addition to nightlife. You can choose from adrenalin activities such as scuba diving, mountain biking, 4WD touring, bungy jumping, sailing, kite surfing, skydiving, white water rafting, kayaking, helifishing, and parasailing.
If facing your fears aren't your thing you may want to try "soft travel," which included the Kuranda Railroad, golfing, fishing, and horseback riding.
If nature is what appeals to you, i recommend visiting the Babinda Boulders, the Crystal Cascades, the Daintree Rainforest, Josephine Falls, Walsh's Pyramid and Flecker Botanical Gardens. You could also explore some of Cairns tropical zoos, like Hartley's Creek Crocodile Farm.
I know sometimes all a girl wants to do is shop! Port Douglas Markets, Rusty's Markets and Yungaburra Market are definately great places to to shop with cheap deals.

More on Nighlife!

2005-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:00

The great thing about Cairns is that after you've snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef, hurtled off a bungy jumping tower, and thrashed you way down a raging river, you still have another Cairns activity that you can't miss...the nightclubs! Honestly, no matter how tired you may be after an eventful day you just can't go to bed yet because the Cairns nightscene is enticing you towards a night of dancing and fun followed by a crushing hangover. Its the perfect way to end a day...and start another.

Cairns is renowned for its nightclubs because firstly they can be uncntrollably wild. Another factor is the rivalry that exists between these clubs. All the nightclubs are within a walking distance of eachother so a nightout can be spent at half a dozen different locations that offer all kinds of different music and atmospheres. The competitiveness between the clubs means we get cheaper deals!

Some of the popular hotspots are: The PlayPen, located on the corner of Lake and Hartley Streets. It has a large dance floor with two bars and pool tables.
Other hotspots include Club 5-9, Tropos, and the famousWoolshed which I have talked about before. The Woolshed is the wildest club in Cairns without a doubt.

P.S. If you love to gamble I recommend going to The Cairns Casino, open seven days a week.

Out and About

2005-04-13T23:59:00.000-07:00

Australia is full of young people who want to have a good time. Around every corner is a pub or club that is filled with everyone from native Aussies to laidback backpackers.
Being out in Cairns was great. Just the atmosphere at night made me want to party till the wee hours of the night. There is definately more than enough nightlife in Cairns to keep people entertained. There are nightclubs, bars, casinos, and dinner cruises to choose from.
One hotspot in particular that I really had a great time at was the Wool Shed Saloon Bar. I walked into a bar full of backpackers and fellow students. They had great music and fun dance competitions. The bar definately had a great vibe.

White Water Rafting

2005-04-13T22:45:00.000-07:00

If ever in Cairns, I recommend doing white water rafting. Not only is white water rafting an exhilrating experience on it owns but imagine doing it in Cairns's tropical paradise. With the beautiful blue water, and breathtaking surroundings how could anyone not enjoy this?

Twelve Thousand Feet High!

2005-04-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

The whole month that I spent in Australia was absolutely incredible. Everyday I experienced something new and exciting and the 5 days i spent in Cairns did nothing less than leave me with unforgetable memories. One of the main reasons I will never forget Cairns is because it was here that I went sky-diving. It was the last day that we were in Cairns and I hadn't been feeling to well. My throat was hurting a lot and I was extremely congested but sky-diving in Cairns was on my must do list. At first, the people who ran the sky-diving program told me that I definately should not jump because my ears could pop and that this would be extremely painful. When they told me this a look of sheer disappointment spread across my face. My luck, I thought to myself. So I sat and watched my friends get trained, leave to jump, and come back with huuugeee smiles across their faces (although they did try to tell me it wasn't that cool). The third group goes to jump and one of the workers at the sky-diving site came up to me and told me that I looked a lot better and that maybe I just seemed really sick before because I had just woken up and had not taken my medicine yet. He gave me a smile and I knew at that moment that I was gonna jump! So....I got trained, suited up and was on my way. We took a bus to an airport that the plane was at and then me and two of my friends proceeded to pile into the small plane and we were off. As the plane began to fly into the sky I didn't know what to feel. I wasn't nervous but I wasn't feeling that brave either. I watched as the beautiful sites of Cairns disappeared before me and thought,"Wow, this is crazy. Never would I have thought that I would be jumping out of plane twelve thousand feet above the ground." I was the last one to jump out of the three and as I watched my friend Meredith get sucked out of the plane I couldn't breath for a second. It all felt so surreal and quick. Next thing I knew I was sitting at the edge of the plane with the instructor on my back and he screamed over the turbulence, "You ready?!,".....I said,"Why not!," and we were off. For the first fifteen seconds it was a straight freefall. It all went so quickly that the next thing I knew the parachute had been pulled and I was sailing in the sky. It was absolutely breathtaking. I looked around and tried to swallow as much as I could because even if I did go skydiving again my life it would never be the same as my first time. As I landed, I was screaming to my friends who had already landed, "Lets do it again!", and I totally would. I would recommend skydiving to anyone who has any inkling or urge to do it. Not only would I recommend it but I would tell them to jump from higher than 12, 000 feet...definately.

Amazing Experiences in Cairns

2005-03-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

While in Australia for study abroad I traveled to some amazing parts of the country. One particular place that leaves me with unforgettable memories is Cairns. It is a beautiful city that caters to tourism while still preserving Australia's natural beauty.