Excursions
Whitsunday Islands © Tourism Queensland
Whitsunday Islands
This group of roughly 160 beautiful tropical islands lies off
the north-eastern coast of Queensland and is today one of the
greatest tourist attractions in Australia, drawing more than
600,000 visitors a year. This aquatic playground lies 95 miles
(150km) north of Mackay and...
see full detailsBowling Green Bay National Park
About a six hours drive south of Cairns lies Bowling Green Bay
National Park. Covering 55,300 hectares, this is the largest
National Park in the region, an area once home to the Wulgurukaba
Aboriginal people who have left their mark in beautiful rock
paintings....
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Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island
Magnetic Island was named by Captain James Cook in 1770 when he
believed that the landmass of the island affected the magnetic
compass on his ship, ‘Endeavour’. More than half of the
island, which is about five miles (8km) from Townsville, is a
National...
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Hartley's Crocodile Adventures
Hartley’s Creek
This working crocodile farm is to be found on the magnificent
coastal drive 25 miles (40km) north of Cairns. 'Hartley's Crocodile
Adventures' is reputedly the best crocodile show in Australia, but
the farm, sited under a lush rainforest canopy, hosts other
wildlife too such...
see full detailsMuseum of Tropical Queensland
This fun museum is interactive and state of the art, designed to
tell stories of the high seas like that of HMS Pandora, the ship
that captured the Bounty mutineers before coming to grief on the
Great Barrier Reef in 1791. The museum...
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Skyrail
Skyrail
The most popular tourist attraction in Cairns is the Skyrail
rainforest cableway, which travels nearly five miles (7.5km) from
the Caravonica Terminal, the gondolas gliding above the canopy of
the rainforest over magnificent waterfalls and gorges, to the
village of Kuranda. En route passengers...
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Kuranda railway
Kuranda Railway
The 100-year-old Kuranda rail line stretches upwards for 21
miles (34km) from Cairns to Kuranda through tropical rainforest,
winds through 15 tunnels and 98 breathtaking curves, and traverses
40 bridges, including one that spans the awesome Barron River
Falls. The scenic trip is a...
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Paronella Park
Paronella Park
Magical Paronella Park was the imaginative brainchild of a young
entrepreneur, Jose Paronella, who built his dream castle on this
site near Mena Creek, about 62 miles (100km) north of Cairns, in
1929. Since then the castle has come to be regarded as...
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Daintree Rainforest
Daintree Rainforest
The oldest tropical rainforest still surviving on earth,
Daintree is a World Heritage listed site containing the highest
number of rare or threatened plant and animal species on the
planet. This unique area covers around 1,200 km of northern
Queensland, and is visited by...
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Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef
One of the great natural wonders of the world, the Great Barrier
Reef is as big as the total combined area of the United Kingdom and
Ireland, and contains more than 1,000 islands, from sandy mounts to
rainforest isles. Divers, snorkellers and nature...
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