Places to visit in and around Cairns

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abreojos

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Location
Monterey, CA
# of dives
We are visiting Cairns for a live aboard trip in late September. Recommendations for things to do and places to visit in the weeks before and after our diving? Are there places to see native animals in their habitat (vs. a zoo environment)? Thanks!
 
Kuranda Skyrail, Mossman Gorge, Cape Tribulation...Kuranda doesn't require a car, as it's close to Cairns and there's shuttle buses or taxi's. Mossman or Cape Trib you'll need a car. Absolutely stunning if you can make it up there though :)
 
Hot air balloon ride up on the Atherton Tablelands - lots of wildlife below. Also an aviation museum up there. The drive up and back is worth doing.
 
We are headed to Cooktown - Mossman Gorge, and Cape Tribulation are on the way - looks like a beautiful area!

---------- Post added May 3rd, 2015 at 05:10 PM ----------

Was thinking of Tablelands too - have never been in a hot air balloon! Great idea - thanks!
 
Funny story - had been in Australia for a week - stayed in Palm Cove - had a car - poking around all over from Cairns to Port Douglas. No kangaroos, thought for sure we would see some, but not one. Took a balloon ride and the instant the pilot hit the burners and we started to rise there were kangaroos everywhere running away from the sound, had to be 20 within 100 yards, and once we were airborne they were everywhere. I suspect something like deer here, cute, but a pest.
 
A little bit, yeah. Kangaroos and wallabies are considered a pest by many in the agriculture industry in Australia. Roo shooting is a sport here for some. They're cute, sure, but if you're driving outside of the city between sunset and sunrise, make sure you've got a Landcruiser with a bullbar, otherwise the roo is probably going to win the fight. So many accidents. I wrote off a brand new company vehicle hitting a 1.5m (5 ft) tall roo out bush because I was coming back from fieldwork a bit later than usual one night.
 
A little bit, yeah. Kangaroos and wallabies are considered a pest by many in the agriculture industry in Australia. Roo shooting is a sport here for some. They're cute, sure, but if you're driving outside of the city between sunset and sunrise, make sure you've got a Landcruiser with a bullbar, otherwise the roo is probably going to win the fight. So many accidents. I wrote off a brand new company vehicle hitting a 1.5m (5 ft) tall roo out bush because I was coming back from fieldwork a bit later than usual one night.

Same with deer here. I live out of the city on a rural road and driving home at night is a crapshoot. Have yet to hit one, but have come close enough to count the whiskers on its chin as it ran across the road in front of me. Stupid creatures. Not as heavy as a roo so here the car usually wins, but the damage is usually severe.
 
WetPup pretty much covered it. You can get packages which include the Kuranda Railway from Cairns to Kuranda, and then you get the Skyrail cable car down.
There is also Tjapukai Aboriginal Centre next to Skyrail and its brilliant. They do day and night sessions - dinner theatre, throwing boomerangs, cultural dance and shows, etc. Won heaps of awards and very good variety of things. (Few details here.)

The Tablelands is a good visit and 60km from cairns. So if yo udid the baloon rides there at dawn stay and do some of the cofee plantations, wineries of go see the historic villages like Yungaburra. Near Yungaburra are the volcaninc lakes like Eacham (can swin here etc), Barine and Tinaroo. The Curtain Fig tree is a short drive from here and is often teeming with fireflies at night.

White water rafting here too :)

Lots more, just do a Google search and see Trip Adsvisor.
 
We will be headed as far north as Cooktown. We are going to the cultural center for sure! Thanks so much everyone!
 

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