How To Go On A Family Holiday In Cairns

 Cairns, Queensland's picturesque north is home to the Great Barrier Reef, Australian outback and tropical rainforests. The city's beaches are stunning and arguably some of the cleanest in the entire continent. How about a family holiday full of fascinating tales from the bush, rendezvous with sea creatures, enthralling adventure and above all memorable moments?

The Great Barrier Reef trips

The Great Barrier Reef is over 2000km long, and as big as Japan, stretching along Queensland's coastline. Cairns and Port Douglas allow visitors to access the Great Barrier Reef under an hour to explore the scintillating world of sea creatures. You'll be spoilt for choice for tour options from day trips, fishing tours, superyacht trips to helicopter flights. Day trips usually mean leaving around 8 am and coming back around 5 30pm. A day trip would afford plenty of time for snorkelling and scuba diving. Your kids can look for Nemo and Dory; greet sea turtles, wave at reef sharks and spot whales as they pass by on their annual migration. Remember to choose a tour option depending on the ages of your kids and mobility. A number of Brisbane hotels organize Great Barrier Reef tours for their guests. The Oaks Cairns Hotels for example organize Green Island Day trips.

Workfortravel, Keeper Reef, Great Barrier Reef, CC BY-SA 4.0

SkyRail and Kuranda Scenic Railway trip

Take the SkyRail to discover the enthralling charm of a visit to the Kuranda Village. The SkyRail traverses across 7.5knm of rainforest to reach the Kuranda village up in a mountain. Along the way, you can pause at the Red Peak Terminal to catch a captivating view through the canopy. You could go on a free ranger-guided stroll. Your next stop would be the Barron Falls Terminal, where the falls cascade down mightily during the wet season. If you are worried about taking your toddler along, quit worrying. The gondolas allow strollers and wheelchairs for the differently-abled. And the walks at both terminals are stroller friendly. Once you reach Kuranda, take your time to visit art galleries and handicraft shops. You could buy some Australian gemstones and grab lunch at a local café. If you have time to spare, explore the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary or go for a Kuranda Riverboat tour.

Visit Cape Tribulation and Daintree National Park

At Cape Tribulation, you'll find rainforest mountain ranges sweeping down to miles of sandy beaches. You could go for a pre-booked (for COVID safety) tour of David Fleay's wildlife park to discover Queensland's natural habitat, a captivating mélange of rainforests and bushland. You'll be able to look at Bridled nail tail wallabies, who were thought to be extinct for nearly 30 years. The park offers challenging and easy walks, camping grounds and plenty of other activities such as snorkelling, mountain bike riding and even horseback riding. The kids would enjoy Walkabout Creek talks, where you can catch animal feeding sessions and know what it is like to be a park ranger. If you love turtles, don't miss out on the Mon Repos Turtle Encounters tour to watch turtles sneak up onto the beach to lay eggs in the light of the moon.

Discover local sights, sounds and flavours along the esplanade

The 3km boardwalk winds along the mangrove-lined esplanade, scattered with picnic tables and barbeque spots. You can whip up a kangaroo steak and enjoy a sundowner. Come the weekend, the Rusty Market takes up centre stage, displaying fruit, vegetables and many-hued flowers. The market stays open all day long on Friday and from 6 am to 2 pm during the weekend. There is plenty of food to go around and you can mingle with the locals to get to know the true flavour of Cairns in all its glory.