Cairns Travel Forum

I'm looking for a place to stay for one week in June 2009. Does anyone know of any little hidden gems anywhere. Not looking for anything in the centre of the nightlife. Will probably hire a car. Something on or near the coast would be fantastic. Never been to Queensland before, so looking for some help and advice for a first timer. Many thanks , Ted

We intend leaving our car at the lower skyrail station and taking the cable car up the mountain. We shall then return by the railway. I am wondering how one travels from the lower railway station to the skyrail station, in order to get back to our car. It looks like it is not within walking distance. Many thanks.

We are in Cairns for 4 nights next year as part of our RTW trip. Can anyone recommend a hotel reasonable price and quite central. also which boat would be best to see barrier reef. we are not divers but may be able to snorkel. thanks

We are looking at going to Green Island for a day trip and I was wondering if anyone can advise which company is better (and why) - Big Cat or Quicksilver Great Adventure. They both seem to have the same inclusions, etc. Does one have a better boat or location/faciliries on the island?
In addition, can anyone use the resort pool/facilities? Quicksilver Great Adventure advertise - "Use of Island swimming pool exclusive for Great Adventures guests" And Big Cat - "make use of the facilities including resort pool". Any information would be most welcomed.
Thanks.

PS. We are also going out to Marine World on Moore reef with Reef Magic Cruises, will Green Island be a let down after that?

HI, I have been looking over the past few months for a cheap way of traveling to Cairns. It is just myself who is going and I do not have alot of money to spend so least is best. from coffs harbour i can not fly directly there so i would have to catch a bus to Brisbane then fly to cairns. Returning after 10 days will cost me $400+ and thats to exspensive.
Can anyone suggesdt a cheaper way?

Thanks.

Would it be too cold to go snorkeling? What's the average temperature?

Hi!

I am a student from France staying in Sydney for 4 months. I would like to go diving at the Great Barrier Reef. I went to Flight Centre and I would like to know your opinion about this pack, because, I really don't know if it is the good price and the good company to book with!

Flight Sydney-Cairns-Sydney 579$ (for 2)
2 nights at Koala Beach Resort in Cairns 140$
Pro dive live aboard adventure (3 days/2 nights) 1 160$
which makes a total of 1 879$ for 2 persons, for 4 nights.

Thank you very much for your advice!!!

We are arriving in Cairns at $:30 am on a Quantos flight in mid July. What car rental is the cheapest? We are not swimmers or snorklers. Can someone suggest an itinerary for 4 days of sightseeing in the area including the Great Barrior Reef and perhaps some of the Atherton Tableland? Are the roads good? A suggestion of places to stay that are nice and inexpensive? Thanks

hello,

we are (my husband, 4 year old child & myself) travelling to australia on 23rd of may 2008 from India & our journy begains from Crain. i have some questions , please help me

1) which cuuise is better one : sunlover's cruise or Big cat great barrier reef cruise ?
2) Hot Air ballooning is better in Cairn or at Gold Cost ?
3) city sight tour is needed in cairn ?
4) we will be in cairn for 3 days , what are the best things to do ?

thanks
travller

Trave

Hi all,
A group of 8 of us (4 couples) in their forties are travelling to Cairns on 22 August for 8-9 days. We started our little travel group 2 years ago when we all went to Darwin for a wedding. Loving the place we all returned together the following year in time for the Darwin cup (another great time) but we felt we had done Darwin and all voted on our last night through a ballot at Dinner and hence we are off to Cairns (polled 5 out of 8 votes). Needless to say we are all very excited but clueless as to where to stay, what to do, see, tours etc. When in Darwin we stayed in very comfortable but not expensive accoms around 3 stars - no need for cooking facilities as we tend to eat out somewhere close by for breakfast and every other meal depends on where we are at the time. But it's pretty much a holdiay of eating, drinking, sightseeing in great company. Any info at all would be greatly appreciated in particular where to stay. Thanks in advance and hello from York, WA

I am interested in a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef area. I see that two companies seem to offer a platform over a reef, Great Adventures, and Quicksliver. Both look good, so which do I choose? What should be my decision criteria, or which do you recommend and why? Thank you.

I'm planning a visit of a couple of weeks to the Cairns area in late July. The main purpose of the trip is to rest and recuperate after a couple of hectic projects. I plan on doing some swimming, some walking, lots of reading, a bit of shopping, probably a couple of day trips, a snorkelling trip on the reef, and lots of eating. This will be my first holiday on my own and am not very adventurous, not into backpackers but can't afford the best accommodation. Not really into night life, good inexpensive food is much more important. I probably won't hire a rental car so will be reliant on local transport.

Advice would be appreciated on whether I'm better to stay in Cairns itself, the local beaches such as Trinity or Palm, or Port Douglas ?

Hi friends,
I'm not decided as to whether we sh hire a car to go around or just take bus/buy package tours for our trip. I went to the website and found a 4 day tour for AUD$770- that's too steep for us. Is there a cheaper/better alternative to spend our holiday there? Really appreciate some help here. Thks

Is it dangerous to swim in the water/beach at Cape Trib from June-September or is there a danger of beeing eater by the crocks?

Frederik

I was supposed to spend eight days in NQueensland, visiting TI and Bamaga and Cairns. Unfotunately it has been cut short to ONE DAY. arriving on 3rd April from HAV and leaving on 4th to SIN and REP. I want to console myself by having a very nice lunch on 4th. I will be staying at Comfort Suites at Sheridan Street. I may not rent a car for the day..All suggestions will be appreciated. Seafood is preferred over Meat. Thanks.

Hi, I'm going to sound like a dill but I can't find the original question I posted yesterday about what are some nice areas to live within reasonalble proximity to the airport. Anne12 replied with some useful information but I didn't write it down and I can't find that either. Any advice? Anne12, are you out there?

Per another post I mentioned...
I'm thinking I'll hire a 4wd vehicle if I can find one with a winch and snorkel; I think that would give me all the comfort I need given the heavy rainy season. Can anyone point out a place in Cairns that can handle this request? It's tough online with all the brokers and cut&paste web sites.

A mate and I are venturing around the cairns region in a couple of weeks (mid march). Please offer comments on these ideas and questions if you can:

Mon evening arrive in Cairns from Sydney; lodging TBD but considering anything from a hostel in town to a luxury place in port douglas at this stage...
- virgin blue the way to go? quantas?
- we are two single early thirties guys; very flexible on acommodations and $ but prefer meeting new people and convenience over abject luxury. We could take a hostel or resort or anything in between. Any recommendation that would be convenient to the day-trip below and/or a little nightlife/socialising at the same time?

Tue morning out on a day-trip to the reef. Looking at reef magic's 'marine world' tour that could get us out, snorkling, maybe the quick chopper trip, and beginner snorkling.
- how is this outfit?
- is the 'marine world' base they use smack in the middle of the reef and indicative of it or something watered down?
- is a chopper trip worthwhile over the reef?
- are most outfits flexible with the weather? I know we could easily get rained out on our day of choice and could consider swapping that day to the end of our trip if weather dictates. Is mid-march absolutely verboten for thinking of the reef at all?

Tue night back in cairns/portdoug etc.

Wed morning pick up a 4x4 rental - either one of the wicked campers outback campers or something equally ludicrious. Venture out on one of the posted trails I've seen mentioned hitting rainforest/outback forest areas/tours for 2 nights.
- any recommendation for a good place to get a strong 4x4 - maybe a range rover wrapped in jerry cans and spare tyres? Any experience with wicked campers' outback offering?
- I assume we want all the vehicular muscle and flexibility we can muster in mid march - right? Are any/all trails likely to be closed due to weather?
- can anyone recommend a route that would let us see a lot of wildlife and get back to Cairns in 2 days? We are happy to rough it/sleep in camper/change a tire in a mud flat in pouring rain.

Return friday and fly back to sydney.

Hi. Has anyone had any experience with Daintree Air's charter tours? They have a few, ranging from 1 to 11 days. I'm curious to learn what I can about their reputation and the quality of their services. Thanks.

Is there a particular insect repellent to use in Australia to discourage misquitos and sandflies?

My family (2 children aged 8 & 13 and husband and I) are looking at driving from Cairns to Surfers, in a hire car over 2 weeks. Any tips, good places to stay, or one's to avoid would be appreciated. We are not sure whether it's suitable for 2 children. Is the highway mostly inland? What interesting things to do and see available? Weather in June, and so forth. Any body that has done this trip out there??? We are looking at staying in caravan parks and 4star resorts.

Staying in palm cove and planning to use Sunbus to get to Skyrail
What is the nearest bus stop drop off and how far would we have to walk to Skyrail

Dear Fellow Travelers,

We would like your advice for our visit to the Cairns-Port Douglas area. We arrive at the Cairns airport at about 11:00am on April 13. We would like to take a catamaran from Cairns to Port Douglas, stay in Port Douglas four nights, spend April 14 sightseeing in the Daintree National Park, snorkel the Great Barrier Reef on April 15, and on April 16 take an early morning bus to Kurunda, to take the cableway up and the train down. On April 16 we have a flight out of Cairns at 5:00 pm.

Our questions:
1. Is there a midday catamaran trip from Cairns to Port Douglas? How much does it cost?
2. Can you recommend moderate or inexpensive lodging for two in Port Douglas? (We are in our 60’s. We like B&B’s or guesthouses. Our only requirements are “clean and safe.” We don’t require luxury.)
3. Can you recommend a tour company for Daintree?
4. We plan to return from Port Douglas by bus. Will the bus take us to the gondola or train station for Kurunda?
5. After we go up and down from Kurunda, is there transportation available to take us to the airport?

Thanks for any help you can give us.

I am moving to Oz on a work holiday visa in June. I was planning on moving to Brisbane, but should I start in Cairns first?

Hi

I'll be travelling to Cairns in mid-Mar. I would like to know which island has reef walking activity? Also, my friend wishes to go skydiving, RnR rafting and ATV. Where can I find these activities in Cairns?

Thank you.

Hi.

I wish to know if its common to see drunken aborgines during the day and/or night in Cairns CBD. And also if they pose much of a threat to travellers or the public.

The reason why I ask is I have heard stories of people being mugged by them, and this does have a bearing on whether I would go there with some elderly folks who have been victims of indigenous crims already.

Especially for those living in Cairns, what is the safety record of the city compared to other cities you have been to?

Thanx

My wife and I are traveling in mid Feb to this area and wander if Palm Cove would be preferred over Port Douglas or Cairns for a laid back time. Any thoughts about the Sebel Reef House and Spa.
Thanks

hello..
does your hotel have laundry facilities?
thanks-
murphyprn2002@yahoo.com

I will be in Cairns for 5 days in Dec 2007. I love crab and wanted to try to catch some muddies. Is the season open then and can I rent (hire?) a crab pot or two from a bait store? Can you do this without going on a charter?

are there any accommodations near the airport?