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Tropical North Queensland

With direct flights between Auckland and Cairns, TNQ is so accessible and is a great region to holiday. Once you land in Cairns, you can enjoy exploring the city and waterfront as well as enjoy a day trip to the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and Kuranda Railway. Top tip: Do the Skyrail up to Kuranda, but catch the train back down rather than the other way around. The Kuranda township has lots of artisan shops, a butterfly garden and good restaurants. There are several stations along the Cableway to stop off and explore the rainforest.

There are lots of places of interest in the area around Cairns. These include:

  • Crater Lakes National Park (enjoy a Devonshire tea and lake cruise at Lake Barrine TeaHouse)
  • Millaa Millaa have a cheese tasting at the Organic Dairy Factory
  • Visit the Milla Milla Falls
  • Visit heritage-listed Paronella Park – an abandoned castle estate completed by 1935.

Once you have explored the area, head north for Port Douglas. Along the way I recommend:

  • Enjoy a stay in the Mission Beach area. I even experienced a cassowary walking up the drive and into the reception area of the hotel but best not to cross paths with one.
  • Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures where you can get up close (safely) and watch a great show in a small arena – also near Mission Beach.
  • If you prefer to stay in small communities, rather than stay in Port Douglas, Palm Cove just south of there offers good accommodation options along with a lovely beach.

Once in Port Douglas, the range of accommodation options is extensive. This is a delightful settlement with many restaurants and good retail therapy. While there, activities I highly recommend are:

  • Flames of the Forest – this is an evening show focussing on the aboriginal history in the area. The show is enhanced with light and sound special effects, followed by an amazing dinner. Transfers to the show are made from hotels etc.
  • An absolute must is a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. I went with QuickSilver and after diving, snorkelling and a good lunch out at the Reef, I opted to take a helicopter trip back to Port Douglas rather than return by boat. Instead of a 3-hour trip home, the helicopter trip made for stunning views over the Reef, coastline and Daintree area with the added bonus of being a significantly shorter trip.
  • Daintree Rainforest Tour – this often includes a boat trip on one of the river inlets where you can do crocodile spotting – they are very hard to see!! There is also a tea plantation you can visit and do tastings plus purchase their goods. The Daintree is the oldest rain forest in the world.
  • Cape Tribulation Tour – this can be included with a tour of the Daintree and you get a real sense of the isolation of the region.
  • Zinc Restaurant – this restaurant in Port Douglas has the quirky addition of an aquarium in the toilet area that makes a bathroom visit essential. Great food too.