Sights in Cairns
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Cairns Foreshore Promenade
The undisputed highlight of the Cairns Foreshore Promenade is the 4800-sq-m saltwater swimming lagoon, a feat in landscape architecture bringing the beach-cum-swimming experience to the heart of the city. Fitness enthusiasts blade, cycle or just walk the 3km Esplanade Walking Trail, and travellers meander lazily up and down the Esplanade, popping into restaurants and shops until the wee hours.
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Tjapukai Cultural Park
Allow at least three hours at this Indigenous-owned cultural extravaganza, incorporating the Creation Theatre, which tells the story of creation using giant holograms and actors, a dance theatre and a gallery, as well as boomerang- and spear-throwing demonstrations and turtle-spotting during a canoe ride on the lake. A fireside corroboree is the centrepiece of the Tjapukai by Night dinner-and-show deal.
The park is about 15km north of the city centre, just off the Captain Cook Hwy near the Skyrail terminal; transfers are available for an extra charge.
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Flecker Botanic Gardens
These beautiful tropical gardens are an explosion of greenery and rainforest plants. Sections include an area for bush-tucker plants and the Gondwanan Evolutionary Trail, which traces the 415-million-year heritage of tropical plants. Free guided walks depart Tuesday and Thursday at 10am and 1pm from the information centre. There's an excellent cafe here.
Opposite the gardens the Rainforest Boardwalk leads to Saltwater Creek and Centenary Lakes. Uphill from the gardens, Mt Whitfield Conservation Park has two walking tracks through rainforest, climbing to viewpoints over the city; follow the Red Arrow circuit (1.3km, one hour) or the more demanding Blue Arrow circuit…
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Crystal Cascades
About 20km from Cairns, the Crystal Cascades are a series of beautiful waterfalls and pools. You will need a friendly local or a cab to get you there but it is worth the effort. The area is accessed by a 1.2km pathway (suitable for wheelchairs) and is a great spot for a dip, particularly in the summer months when the stingers make the beaches unsafe.
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Mt Whitfield
Opposite the gardens the Rainforest Boardwalk leads to Saltwater Creek and Centenary Lakes. For more serious walkers, the trails throughout Mt Whitfield Conservation Park have several lookouts offering views of Cairns and Trinity Inlet, and there is a terrific mangrove boardwalk on Airport Ave, 200m before the airport.
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Mt Whitfield Conservation Park
Near the botanical gardens is the entrance to the Mt Whitfield Conservation Park, the last remnant of Cairns rainforest and once home to a small cassowary population. The Red Arrow Trail (one hour) and the Blue Arrow Trail (3.5 hours) both offer good views over the city and coast.
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Centre of Contemporary Arts
CoCA houses the KickArts galleries of local contemporary visual art, as well as the Jute Theatre and the End Credits Film Club.
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Cairns Regional Gallery
In a colonnaded 1936 heritage building, Cairns' acclaimed regional gallery hosts exhibitions reflecting the consciousness of the tropical north region, with an emphasis on local and Indigenous works.
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Tanks Arts Centre
Three gigantic WWII fuel-storage tanks have been transformed into studios, galleries showcasing local artists' work and an inspired performing-arts venue, plus a lively market day.
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Cairns Museum
This history museum has exhibits on the construction of the Cairns–Kuranda railway, the contents of a Chinese temple and displays on the Palmer River and Hodgkinson River goldfields.
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Reef Teach
Before heading out to the reef, take your knowledge to greater depths at this excellent and informative centre, where marine experts explain how to identify specific types of coral and fish and how to treat the reef with respect.
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Crystal Cascades & Lake Morris
About 20km from Cairns, the Crystal Cascades are a series of beautiful waterfalls and (croc-free) pools. The area is accessed by a 1.2km (30-minute) pathway. Crystal Cascades is linked to Lake Morris (the city's reservoir) by a steep rainforest walking trail (allow three hours return). It starts near the picnic area at Crystal Cascades and climbs steadily uphill, coming out on Lake Morris Rd, about 300m from Copperlode Dam (turn right).
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Cairns Foreshore & Lagoon
In the absence of a beach, sunbathers flock around Cairns' shallow but spectacular saltwater swimming lagoon on the city's reclaimed foreshore. The artificial 4800-sq-metre lagoon is patrolled by lifeguards and illuminated at night.
Northwest from the lagoon, the boardwalk promenade, stretching for almost 3km, has picnic areas, free barbecues and playgrounds lining the foreshore.
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