Food Scene
$ Cheap and tasty Indonesian restaurant with tables and chairs outdoors.
17 locals recommend
Bagus Cafe
149 Esplanade$ Cheap and tasty Indonesian restaurant with tables and chairs outdoors.
$$ Great quality food with indoor and outdoor seating.
39 locals recommend
Bayleaf Balinese Restaurant
Lake Street$$ Great quality food with indoor and outdoor seating.
$ Korean food for lunch or dinner. Most dishes are $10 (hence the restaurant name).
11 locals recommend
Happy 4 10
82 Sheridan St$ Korean food for lunch or dinner. Most dishes are $10 (hence the restaurant name).
Malanda Dairy Centre
8 James St$$ The best country style lunch you will ever have.
$ High tea, coffee, chocolate and chocolate!! Very hidden place in Atherton, hard to find. https://www.facebook.com/petalsandpinecones/
Petals and Pinecones (P&P)
46 Herberton Rd$ High tea, coffee, chocolate and chocolate!! Very hidden place in Atherton, hard to find. https://www.facebook.com/petalsandpinecones/
$$ Lunch at the Coffee Plantation, tours, in a great location.
6 locals recommend
Skybury Cafe & Roastery
136 Ivicevic Rd$$ Lunch at the Coffee Plantation, tours, in a great location.
Domino's Pizza Manunda
1 Jensen Street$ Very cheap $5 pizza for pickup
Mondo on the Waterfront
34 Esplanade$$ Reasonable food in a great location on the pier.
$ Great cheap pizza place right on the beach at the 5 star resort. Friday night.
http://cairnslifestyle.com/item/kewarra-beach-resort-pizza-night-things-to-do-in-cairns/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Beach-Shack-Kewarra-Beach-Resort-168739503141506/
28 locals recommend
Kewarra Beach
Kewarra St$ Great cheap pizza place right on the beach at the 5 star resort. Friday night.
http://cairnslifestyle.com/item/kewarra-beach-resort-pizza-night-things-to-do-in-cairns/
https://www.facebook.com/The-Beach-Shack-Kewarra-Beach-Resort-168739503141506/
Davina's Takeaway
225 Kamerunga Rd$ The best fish and chips in Cairns.
FREE! - Very interesting fresh produce open air market where you will see tropical fruit and veges. Fri-Sun.
225 locals recommend
Rusty's Market
89 Grafton StFREE! - Very interesting fresh produce open air market where you will see tropical fruit and veges. Fri-Sun.
Sizzling Meals - Mossman
8 Mill St$ Great Indian food
$ Very popular beach front restaurant. Eat upstairs on the varandah for a great view of the beach.
63 locals recommend
Trinity Beach Tavern
Vasey Esplanade$ Very popular beach front restaurant. Eat upstairs on the varandah for a great view of the beach.
$ The local take away. 10 minutes walk. Fish and chips, burgers, etc. They even do mushy peas for the poms who are missing the local tucker!
Shed Cafe & Grill
$ The local take away. 10 minutes walk. Fish and chips, burgers, etc. They even do mushy peas for the poms who are missing the local tucker!
Entertainment & Activities
Butterfly Sanctuary
8 Rob Veivers DrCairns Railway Station
Bunda StreetHartley's Crocodile Adventures
Captain Cook HighwayAustralian fauna - and of course Crocodiles!
Mt. Uncle Distillery
1819 Chewko RdWorking distillery
Cairns Esplanade Lagoon
54 EsplanadeFREE! Great swimming place.
FREE! Top place for an evening walk or have dinner using the free BBQs provided along the foreshore.
281 locals recommend
Cairns Esplanade Lagoon
54 EsplanadeFREE! Top place for an evening walk or have dinner using the free BBQs provided along the foreshore.
Lake Eacham
FREE! - Top swimming place for locals
Parks & Nature
Mareeba
Beautiful private campsites. Book on web site. Sites 3 and 6 are the best.
FREE! Easy walk through the rainforest. Suggest the Blue and Green trails also.
103 locals recommend
Red Arrow Circuit Lookout
46-62 Collins AveFREE! Easy walk through the rainforest. Suggest the Blue and Green trails also.
Paronella Park
1671 Innisfail Japoon RdBeautiful location and history.
Camp Bramston Beach Campground
96 Evans RdGreat camp sites on the beach.
Feed the little rock wallabys or stay overnight in a great camp spot.
14 locals recommend
Granite Gorge Nature Park
332 Paglietta RdFeed the little rock wallabys or stay overnight in a great camp spot.
Possum Valley Rainforest Cottages
A hidden gem. Stay a few nights in the most amazing location.
Josephine Falls
LOT 1 Josephine Falls WalkFREE! - Beautiful walk and swimming spot.
FREE! - Lovely beach to walk along. Safe swimming year round with stinger nets. Ritzy restaurants and hotels along the beach.
153 locals recommend
Palm Cove
FREE! - Lovely beach to walk along. Safe swimming year round with stinger nets. Ritzy restaurants and hotels along the beach.
FREE! - Nice peaceful place to wander around in the Botanical Gardens precinct.
8 locals recommend
Cairns Chinese Friendship Garden
Greenslopes StreetFREE! - Nice peaceful place to wander around in the Botanical Gardens precinct.
FREE! - Locals swimming and picnic place at the Brinsmead-Kameranga intersection. Get the best fish and chips in Cairns from Davina's in Freshwater.
Freshwater Creek
FREE! - Locals swimming and picnic place at the Brinsmead-Kameranga intersection. Get the best fish and chips in Cairns from Davina's in Freshwater.
FREE! Beautiful swimming place. Very popular. Need own transport.
184 locals recommend
Crystal Cascades
Redlynch Intake RoadFREE! Beautiful swimming place. Very popular. Need own transport.
Cairns Botanic Gardens
78-96 Collins AveFREE!
FREE! - Short walk to a locals secret. A beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. Highly recommended in the summer.
16 locals recommend
Barron Gorge
FREE! - Short walk to a locals secret. A beautiful waterfall and swimming hole. Highly recommended in the summer.
Babinda Boulders
1 Munro StFREE! - Crystal clear swimming hole in the rainforest.
Mount Hypipamee National Park
FREE! - Very interesting volcanic crater.
Easy full or half day tour on the boat. Beautiful beaches for snorkeling and great hike up to the lookout.
149 locals recommend
Fitzroy Island
Easy full or half day tour on the boat. Beautiful beaches for snorkeling and great hike up to the lookout.
Still very popular despite the huge number of tourists visiting every day. Best for people who want to visit and walk around a small coral cay, but not so interested in swimming.
109 locals recommend
Green Island Resort
Still very popular despite the huge number of tourists visiting every day. Best for people who want to visit and walk around a small coral cay, but not so interested in swimming.
Frankland Islands
Day cruise to the inner reef.
https://www.franklandislands.com.au/
Platypus Park
Herberton RoadFREE! - Platypus viewing
http://www.trc.qld.gov.au/locations/platypus-park-atherton/
The Park and its natural surroundings are a place of interest for families and groups wanting to participate in activities such as platypus tours, fishing, camping and dining at the Smokehouse Cafe.
Australian Platypus Park @ Tarzali Lakes
912 Malanda Millaa Millaa RdThe Park and its natural surroundings are a place of interest for families and groups wanting to participate in activities such as platypus tours, fishing, camping and dining at the Smokehouse Cafe.
Sightseeing
Yungaburra
FREE! - Beautiful historic town with a great pub.
Nerada Tea Rooms
933 Glen Allyn RdFREE! - See a working tea plantation.
FREE! - The famous waterfall circuit. Probably the most perfect tropical waterfall you will ever see.
8 locals recommend
Millaa Millaa
FREE! - The famous waterfall circuit. Probably the most perfect tropical waterfall you will ever see.
Innisfail
FREE! - Interesting town if you like Art Deco.
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
6 Skyrail DrCable car to Kuranda
FREE! - Nice drive through the rainforest to the main water supply and dam for Cairns. Good place for a picnic.
6 locals recommend
Lake Morris
FREE! - Nice drive through the rainforest to the main water supply and dam for Cairns. Good place for a picnic.
Barron Falls
Coondoo StreetFREE! - Worth a look if you are in Kuranda.
FREE! - Perfect tropical beach lined with palm trees. Safe swimming year round with nets.
29 locals recommend
Ellis Beach
Captain Cook HwyFREE! - Perfect tropical beach lined with palm trees. Safe swimming year round with nets.
Cathedral Fig Tree
Danbulla RoadFREE! - impressively big tree in the rainforest.
Curtain Fig Tree
FREE! - impressively big tree in the rainforest.
FREE! - Short walking trails to the giant Kauri trees. Lovely tea house for snacks.
29 locals recommend
Lake Barrine
FREE! - Short walking trails to the giant Kauri trees. Lovely tea house for snacks.
Port Douglas
FREE! - Beautiful beach and nice drive.
Babinda Information Centre
1 Munro StFREE! - Great little regional tourist information centre.
Daintree
FREE! - Tiny town on the Daintree River
Mount Mulligan
Camping and incredible mining history in the outback.
FREE! - Outback location with amazing caves. One of the last places where you can do self-guided independent caving.
Chillagoe
FREE! - Outback location with amazing caves. One of the last places where you can do self-guided independent caving.
Drinks & Nightlife
TAB
76 Newcombe StreetGreat old pub.
Atherton Hotel
90 Main StA great old pub with a lot of history
$$ Top place for a drink. View is spectacular. Sometimes have live music. Food is average.
55 locals recommend
Yorkeys Knob Boating Club
29 Buckley St$$ Top place for a drink. View is spectacular. Sometimes have live music. Food is average.
Shopping
Piccones Village On Pease St
159-161 Pease StLocal supermarket, pharmacy, bottle shop
Cairns Central Shopping Centre
21 McLeod StUpmarket shops and cafes
Supermarket and Cheap stores. Can get there by bus.
14 locals recommend
Raintrees Shopping Centre station
Supermarket and Cheap stores. Can get there by bus.
Getting Around
Reef Fleet Terminal
LOT 2 Spence StreetThe terminal for all reef and boat tours.
Cairns Airport
Airport AvenueInternational and Domestic airport. $20-25 by taxi.
Lake Street Taxi Rank
2 Lake StLate night taxi rank.
Cairns City Bus Station Platform 1
110 Lake StMain Cairns city bus interchange