The essential guide to Australia’s East Coast: travel tips & tricks

Many travelers to Australia's East Coast often flock to Sydney and Melbourne -- the bustling cities of 5 million with amazing dining, shopping, and lots and lots of entertainment. However, aren’t they missing something? If you want to travel a bit differently and see something else, you might want to try Cairns. This is a laid-back city of 150,000 in Tropical North Queensland that offers much for tourists, like luxurious hotels, chic restaurants, trendy bars, and numerous natural wonders, including world heritage sites.

Today, the city continues to embrace its agricultural roots, sourcing the freshest produce from the surrounding countryside to supply its top-notch restaurants and markets. If you decide to visit Cairns, expect a relaxed and charming atmosphere, with mostly low-rise buildings except for a few hotels. The cityscape is dotted with Art Deco structures and surrounded by a 3 km seaside walkway, known as the Cairns Esplanade.

If you want hotels of high quality that rival those of larger cities - you can definitely find them here. There are three properties under the Crystalbrook brand, all opened in the past two years, as well as a Hilton, and the distinctive triangular-shaped Shangri-La by the marina, which features the popular Backyard barbecue restaurant and newly renovated, carpet-free rooms with bright colors. 

So, here are 4 recommendations of the best things you could do in Cairns:

The Great Barrier Reef

Cairns is the entry point to the Great Barrier Reef, one of Australia's natural wonders. Many operators offer trips to different parts of the reef, including outer reef and islands. The constantly regenerating reef is composed of 3000 separate systems, each home to 1500 species of fish.

Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel offers a unique indigenous experience with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crew members sharing indigenous dance, music, and stories and explaining the mythology behind the reef's creation. Snorkeling on Moore and Miln reefs is a magical experience, with crystal-clear water and diverse marine life such as giant cod, green turtles, and reef sharks. Visiting the largest coral reef in the world is a must-do activity in Australia. What’s more, the drive to the reef showcases two UNESCO World Heritage sites and takes you through winding coastal roads, tropical rainforests, and sugar cane fields.

The Skyrail rainforest

The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway is a 7.5-kilometre, serene cable journey through Barron Gorge National Park. Upgrade to the Diamond Class gondolas with glass floors for a bird's-eye view of the forest canopy.

This glass-bottomed ride is a top activity in Cairns. The rainforest is rich in wildlife, with the highest number of ancient songbirds in the world, including the common crooner, brown honeyeater, and satin bowerbird. It is also home to the musky rat kangaroo, found only in northeast Australia's rainforests. Kuranda, once popular among hippies, still retains its free-spirited atmosphere, especially at the Kuranda Rainforest Market, a hillside collection of stalls selling handmade jewelry, Japanese sweets, massage services, and diverse dining options such as falafel, arepas, and nasi goreng.

The Eco-Tourism

The region is a gastronomic delight, with farms and producers that take advantage of the diverse micro-climates, including lowland and upland rainforests, savannahs, and wetlands. Over 40 types of fresh produce are grown here, including coffee, tea, milk, and sugar. Skybury, Australia's oldest coffee plantation, produces 40 tons of coffee annually and its well-balanced, chocolatey beans are highly regarded in specialty coffee circles. The cafe is a great place for a meal, with a coffee or a papaya smoothie (Skybury is also Australia's largest producer of red papayas), and offers views of the plains dotted with eucalypts and radiant flame trees. The Tablelands are also abundant with avocado, lime, lychees, longan, and more, and The Humpy, a grocery store in Tolga, highlights what's in season.

Port Douglas

Port Douglas is a relaxed town that serves as a perfect starting point for exploring the nearby rainforest. The town features the luxurious Sheraton Grande Mirage resort and a bustling street, Macrossan, filled with hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops. On Sunday mornings, the town park hosts a vibrant market selling unique items like jewelry, coconut sculptures, and vinyl record clocks. At the edge of Port Douglas, Wildlife Habitat offers a glimpse into Australia's diverse wildlife through its Wildnight tours, where visitors can learn about local animals like blue skinks, cassowaries, saltwater crocodiles, pythons, and quolls. A highlight of the tour is the feeding of kangaroos, where the friendly marsupials approach visitors in search of food. This heartwarming encounter encapsulates the richness and wonder of this often overlooked part of Australia.