Cairns Hotels

You can't wipe the smile off the face of Cairns. The sprawling gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical north attracts thousands of visitors with its rainforest backdrop and great diving.

Wonder the Esplanade and take the Skyforest Rainforest Cableway into the Kuranda rainforest. Voyage back in time to the pioneer days at the Cairns Museum. Swim in the Crystal Cascades, a forest watering hole. Explore indigenous culture at the Tjapukai Cultural Centre or discover the tropics at the Mt Whitfield Conservation Park and Flecker Botanic Gardens.

Cairn's Foreshore Precinct, with the Esplanade as its focus, has been overhauled to become the city's heart and soul. What was once tidal mudflat now boasts an amphitheatre, a sandy swimming lagoon, lawn and public barbecues. There's more – shops, restaurants, a playground, an environmental centre and a departure terminal for cruises to the Great Barrier Reef.

Find department stores and fashion boutiques at Cairns Centre, the city's most central shopping mall. Tourist-centred shops line up along the Esplanade. Stock up on diving equipment, book a diving trip and find out how to get your diving certificate at shops like Pro Dive.

In town, the Flecker Botanic Gardens is a showcase for far north Queenslands' tropical marvels. Be enveloped by lushness at Mt Whitfield Conservation Park, Cairns' only surviving remnant of the rainforest that covered the region before settlement. Outside town, the Kuranda rainforest – accessible by cable car or by historic train – spreads over the hills behind the city.

See dance, drama and comedy at the Cairns Civic Theatre. Music acts usually play at the Cairns Convention Centre, while the Cairns Concert Orchestra is based at the Tanks Arts Centre.

Seafood is the centrepiece of the Cairns plate, fused with fresh local produce and flavours from across the world. Restaurants are concentrated along the Esplanade and in the Central Business District (known as the city). Try bush food at a grill house or head 30km to the north for really fine dining in Port Douglas.

The oldest complaint levelled at Cairns was always its lack of a beach. Now, with the sand swimming lagoon on the Foreshore, you can catch some rays, cool down in the water and take in the buzz of the Esplanade.