Food Scene
Casual dinning
We love this place and go here more than any other eatery in town, the service is always fast and the prices are great.
11 locals recommend
Pho Viet Vietnamese Noodle Bar
78 Abbott StWe love this place and go here more than any other eatery in town, the service is always fast and the prices are great.
Right on the waterfront and underneath the Hilton Hotel. We come here in summer, it is usually quiet and a good spot to enjoy a beer or wine while watching the sun go down. Although recently has become quite expensive.
46 locals recommend
Mondo on the Waterfront
34 EsplanadeRight on the waterfront and underneath the Hilton Hotel. We come here in summer, it is usually quiet and a good spot to enjoy a beer or wine while watching the sun go down. Although recently has become quite expensive.
Pacifico is very close to the apartment, opposite Cairns Central on Bunda Street. It's always been popular with the locals.
Bunda Street
Bunda StreetPacifico is very close to the apartment, opposite Cairns Central on Bunda Street. It's always been popular with the locals.
Parks & Nature
Set back about 2.7km from the apartment, it's lovely and cool in summer and great to relax with nature.
235 locals recommend
Cairns Botanic Gardens
78-96 Collins AveSet back about 2.7km from the apartment, it's lovely and cool in summer and great to relax with nature.
You will need a car to get here, but well worth the drive. The water is so clear, there is walking trail around the lake, or jump in for a swim.
100 locals recommend
Lake Eacham
You will need a car to get here, but well worth the drive. The water is so clear, there is walking trail around the lake, or jump in for a swim.
Babinda Boulders is located in 45-minute drive south. You will need a car to get here and well worth the effort. The area has some beautiful swimming holes and stunning scenery.
Please respect the environment and take your rubbish with you.
The Devil's Pool Legend
The Babinda Boulders is not just a beautiful swimming hole, but the area also holds great significance for local Aboriginal people.
According to legend a beautiful girl named Oolana, from the Yidinji people, married a respected elder from her tribe named Waroonoo. Shortly after their union another tribe moved into the area and a handsome young man came into her life. His name was Dyga and the pair soon fell in love. Realising the adulterous crime they were committing, the young lovers escaped their tribes and fled into the valleys. The elders captured them, but Oolana broke free from her captors and threw herself into the still waters of what is now known as Babinda Boulders, calling for Dyga to follow her. As Dyga hit the waters, her anguished cries for her lost lover turned the still waters into a rushing torrent and the land shook with sorrow. Huge boulders were scattered around the creek and the crying Oolana disappeared among them.
Aboriginal legend says her spirit still guards the boulders and that her calls for her lost lover can still be heard.
Ref: https://www.cairnsattractions.com.au/explore/getting-back-to-nature/babinda-boulders-attractions.415.html
69 locals recommend
Babinda Boulders
1 Munro StBabinda Boulders is located in 45-minute drive south. You will need a car to get here and well worth the effort. The area has some beautiful swimming holes and stunning scenery.
Please respect the environment and take your rubbish with you.
The Devil's Pool Legend
The Babinda Boulders is not just a beautiful swimming hole, but the area also holds great significance for local Aboriginal people.
According to legend a beautiful girl named Oolana, from the Yidinji people, married a respected elder from her tribe named Waroonoo. Shortly after their union another tribe moved into the area and a handsome young man came into her life. His name was Dyga and the pair soon fell in love. Realising the adulterous crime they were committing, the young lovers escaped their tribes and fled into the valleys. The elders captured them, but Oolana broke free from her captors and threw herself into the still waters of what is now known as Babinda Boulders, calling for Dyga to follow her. As Dyga hit the waters, her anguished cries for her lost lover turned the still waters into a rushing torrent and the land shook with sorrow. Huge boulders were scattered around the creek and the crying Oolana disappeared among them.
Aboriginal legend says her spirit still guards the boulders and that her calls for her lost lover can still be heard.
Ref: https://www.cairnsattractions.com.au/explore/getting-back-to-nature/babinda-boulders-attractions.415.html
The island is a 45 minute boat ride from the Cairns Marina. On the island you can take a number of walks depending on your level of fitness. The summit walk takes a few hours and takes you up one side of the island to the old lighthouse and down another side. The island is really quite scenic, on the side of the island facing Cairns it has a rain forest, and on the other side its very dry. The island has places to rent snorkelling and other water sports equipment as well as a bar and eatery. Tickets need to be purchased prior to travel.
149 locals recommend
Fitzroy Island
The island is a 45 minute boat ride from the Cairns Marina. On the island you can take a number of walks depending on your level of fitness. The summit walk takes a few hours and takes you up one side of the island to the old lighthouse and down another side. The island is really quite scenic, on the side of the island facing Cairns it has a rain forest, and on the other side its very dry. The island has places to rent snorkelling and other water sports equipment as well as a bar and eatery. Tickets need to be purchased prior to travel.
Arts & Culture
Learn a little about Cains, the museum is in the CBD and a great place to get a feel for the history of the area, especially on a hot and wet day.
48 locals recommend
Cairns Museum
105 Lake StLearn a little about Cains, the museum is in the CBD and a great place to get a feel for the history of the area, especially on a hot and wet day.
Shopping
Cairns Central is the largest shopping complex in the city. It also contains a supermarket and liquor store and is a 15-minute walk from the apartment.
83 locals recommend
Cairns Central Shopping Centre (Spence St) station
Cairns Central is the largest shopping complex in the city. It also contains a supermarket and liquor store and is a 15-minute walk from the apartment.
A smaller shopping centre with a supermarket and liquor store, this shopping mall houses the factory outlet where prices for clothing is much cheaper than the main stores in town.
56 locals recommend
DFO Cairns
274 Mulgrave RoadA smaller shopping centre with a supermarket and liquor store, this shopping mall houses the factory outlet where prices for clothing is much cheaper than the main stores in town.
Sightseeing
Crystal Cascades is a 20-minute drive from the apartment. The cascades are one of the freshwater collection points for the town water. From the car park there is a walk up a well-established path and there are a number of locations along the way for swimming. At the end of the path are a freshwater swimming hole and waterfall. The water is really refreshing and cool.
Crystal Cascades
Redlynch Intake RoadBeautiful swimming holes.
Traveler advice
Getting around
Taxi or Uber is the most economical way to get around.
Taxi or Uber are cheap and fast ways to get to the centre of town when it's too hot to walk. If you are going to the beaches then you can catch a bus from Cairns Central, the train also leaves from here.
What to pack
Protect yourself against the sun
Cairns is tropical so bring a hat and pack your bathers. Even in winter, it is unlikely you will need warm clothes so pack light.
Customs and culture
Smoking
If you smoke please be respectful of others and don't smoke around others and dispose of your used cigarette in a rubish bin. If you throw rubbish on the ground it gets washed out to the ocean.