CAIRNS, ISLANDS & HIGHLANDS 335 f ee
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r ( p357 ) a B salt- t a re G Palm Cove © Lonely Planet Publications Planet Lonely © Cairns Atherton Tableland Kuranda www.athertontableland.com and cooling off in the Palm Cove Yungaburra foreshore promenade foreshore ( p349 ) ( p361 ) ( p360 ) Cairns www.tropicalaustralia.com.au ( p370 ) Kuranda ( p343 ) ( p339 ) Frankland Islands Yungaburra ( p369 ) and lakes of the lofty ) and lakes of the lofty p369 ( Great Barrier Reef Barrier Great waterfalls Atherton Tableland and visiting the indigenous Djurri Dadagal and visiting the indigenous Djurri Dadagal Art Gallery the secluded lagoon water rants at the Pier Complex in rants at the Pier picturesque picturesque guest of the many fish, turtles and anemo- among the colourfulnes that live corals of the
Donning the shades and people-watching from a café on the Esplanade at Joining the throngs strolling on Cairns’ Making like and camping on a castaway Dining at a swish marina waterfront restau- the Skyrail up to Taking in Going platypus-spotting along the creek Diving, snorkelling and simply being a Exploring and swimming in the idyllic TELEPHONE CODE: 07
HIGHLIGHTS HIGHLIGHTS
With pockets of reef, rainforest, coast and pastoral land, this is like coast and pastoral land, this is a ‘best of’ northern rainforest, With pockets of reef,
The only limitations are your budget and your imagination. limitations are only The snorkel, balloon, golf or take cruise, kayak, a scenic flight. fish, bird-watch, hot-air skydive, ways to experience the region – tour operators are an art form in themselves: you can dive, an art you can dive, – tour operators are form in themselves: ways to experience the region to rivers, waterfalls, volcanic-crater lakes and giant strangled fig trees. And there are so many are And there strangled fig trees. waterfalls, lakes and giant to rivers, volcanic-crater barramundi heaven. Walks in the rainforest? Trails and boardwalks take you through forests Trails and boardwalks take forests you through in the rainforest? Walks barramundi heaven. crocodile or a cuddly koala is likely. Like fishing? The lakes and rivers of the highlands are highlands are of the is likely.crocodile or a cuddly koala lakes Like and rivers fishing? The in exotic wildlife? Animal sanctuaries abound and coming face to face with a saltwater Animal sanctuaries face to face with a saltwater abound and coming in exotic wildlife? Queensland – and it would be criminal not to go exploring beyond the city limits. Interested Interested city limits. be criminal not to go exploring beyond the Queensland – and it would and the absorbing highlands of the Atherton Tableland looming as a backdrop. looming of the Athertonand the absorbing highlands Tableland munities to the north, islands a short national parks to the south, coral-fringed ride offshore boat and get out among the coral of the Great Barrier Reef, but there are idyllic beach com- idyllic are Barrier Reef, but there the coral of the Great boat and get out among can be. Sure, Cairns itself is a booming holiday town and most people are itching to board a itching to are is a booming holiday town and most people itself Cairns Sure, can be. matic far north. But it’s not until you get here that you realise how diverse the experience how diverse matic far north. that you realise But it’s not until you get here region has a heady reputation as Australia’s reef-diving capital and the gateway to the enig- capital and the gateway reef-diving as Australia’s has a heady reputation region Basking in a tropical climate that draws southern travellers north Basking the Cairns that draws southern travellers for the winter, climate in a tropical Highlands Cairns, Islands & & Islands Cairns, Ὀ Ὀ CAIRNS, ISLANDS & HIGHLANDS Hwy from Brisbane, and the starting point Hwy from Brisbane,and the starting travelling the Bruce busservices distance isthe endofCairns thelineforlong- BUS JetstarQantas, and Virgin Blue. citieswithto/from allAustraliancapital There are alsofrequent domesticflights stoppinghere.from Asia and NewZealand withflights isin Cairns, north Queensland The major international airportservicing AIR to Far North Queensland. isthemainlinkfortransport services Cairns 336 Getting There&Away Chillagoe (128km) To Irvinebank(20km); Normanton (548km) Croydon (397km); Lava Tubes(117km); Village (9km);Undara To InnotHotSprings (116km) To Chillagoe (via InlandRd) Burke DevelopmentalRd To Cooktown CAIRNS, ISLANDS&HIGHLANDS (230km) CAIRNS 27
Walkamin
Wetlands Mareeba Rd Developmental Herberton Peninsula Mt Hypipamee Gorge Granite National Park Tumoulin Atherton Mossman (35km);Daintree(71km); 1 52 81 Biboohra 1 Tolga Ravenshoe
Cape Tribulation(97km) To PortDouglas(27km); Mareeba
Millaa Tinaroo Falls Barron
Winery Pride Golden Dairyland River National Park Gallo Davies Creek Wind Farm Windy Hill 1 Barron River
Falls Bilwon Rd 24 1 Kairi
Forest Drive Danbulla Clohesy Tarzali
Yungaburra
Curtain ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ ὈὈὈὈ Ὀ Ὀ River Fig Falls Davies Creek
25 Kennedy Millaa Millaa Tinaroo Lake Wildlife Reserve Malanda Malanda Falls Waterfalls Cairns Safari Danbulla Souita Circuit Falls Forest Hwy Kuranda State Peeramon 25 Ellis Beach
Cathedral Lake Eacham Captain Zillie Falls Fig Falls Ellinjaa Morris Gillies National Park Barron Gorge Cascades Lake Barrine
Gadgarra RedCedar National Park Crater Lakes
Lake Nandroya
Mulgrave Crystal
Cook River Freshwater
Falls Smithfield Mungalli Falls (Palmerston Section) Hwy Hwy 44 Wooroonooran Gordonvale National Park Palm Cove Clifton Beach 52 Trinity Beach Cairns Mt BartleFrere Josephine Falls Wallicher Falls Babinda Boulders Stratford (1657m) Island Double Pyramid Edmonton Yorkeys Knob Walshs Tchupala Falls A1 (922m) Wooroonooran Mt BellendenKer National Park Holloways Beach Machans Beach central area isa miniurbanjungle of tour fromthemarina each Reef day.The Barrier marans andyachts heads outtotheGreat of waning asaflotillaof boats, cata- cruise ing destinationis global andshowslittle sign isbooming.Itspopularityasadiv- Cairns % CAIRNS Sunlander Rail’s onQueensland Brisbane toCairns from aweek There are atleastfourservices TRAIN Tribulation Cape and Cooktown. north toPortDouglas,Mossman, for services North
Airport Cairns International
(1591m) 07 /pop122,700 Hwy Bruce
Mirriwinni
Map (p356) Beaches Northern See Cairns' Johnstone Hole Golden
Community Townsville (277km) River Mulgrave Aboriginal Military Yarrabah Area Ingham (167km); (p476). Beach (67km); A1 Ὀ ὄὄὄ ὄὄ Ὀ Ὀ Ὀ
River Deeral
Babinda To Mission Russell River Russell Grafton Cape 25 Russell Heads National Park Eubenangee Swamp High Island Garradunga National Park (Russell River) Graham Range 0 0 Innisfail Mourilyan Green Island Bramston Beach Fitzroy Island swimming isnotrecommended. lakes intropicalareas; Crocodiles inhabitriversand Point Flying Fish National Park Ella Bay Etty Bay ὄ Frankland lonelyplanet.com Islands C ORAL S EA 10 miles 20 km