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one of the best ways to exploring the Barrier reef
Cairns Esplanade
TO THE TIP: cAPE YORK PENINSULA
The drive to Australia’s northernmost tip is strictly 4WD-only and then only passable outside of the wet season. The 925 km journey from Cairns takes you up the peninsula to Cape York and is arguably one of Australia’s most iconic road trips.
The journey requires careful planning (or a tour) and takes you through cattle stations, old homesteads, Aboriginal communities, the mining town of Weipa and Rinyirru (Lakefield) National Park before finishing at the tip of Cape York. The intriguing Torres Strait Islands lie beyond. To begin your adventure, pick up Ron and Viv Moon’s Cape York –
An Adventurer’s Guide.
The world’s largest coral reef The public swimming system, The Great Barrier reef . lagoon in Cairns.
A roAD TrIP IS THE PErFECT WAY To EXPLorE FNQ. JUMP IN YoUr CAr or 4WD AND BEGIN YoUr JoUrNEY IN BUZZY CAIrNS.
cAIRNS
The Far North’s largest city is also a popular transport hub: domestic and international visitors fly into this laidback provincial city to pick up a car, book tours to the Great Barrier Reef and party hard before heading out to the rest of the region.
Cairns is a great place to bookend your FNQ trip. Take a dip in the stunning man-made foreshore lagoon and soak in some sun. Towel off and wander to the nearby Salt House (Marina Pt, 6/2 Pier Point Rd) for an afternoon pint or a sundowner. This sleek contemporary restaurant-bar serves up great food and killer cocktails in a picturesque setting beside the yacht club.
The arty set should check out the Cairns Regional Gallery (40 Abbott St) and the Centre of Contemporary Arts (96 Abbott St). The former, set in a 1936 heritage building, hosts high quality visiting exhibitions such as Goya’s etchings. The latter plays host to edgy contemporary art and has a superb gift shop
stocking reasonably priced prints, crafts and jewellery produced by Aussies.
For those seeking adventure, dive shops dot the city and you can easily pick up your PADI scuba diving license in a couple of days. In fact, the Great Barrier Reef is probably one of the most scenic places in the world to tickle your diving fancy and makes for good bragging rights. Check out Deep Sea Divers Den (319 Draper St) or Pro-Dive (cnr Shield and Grafton St).
The obvious highlight of a visit to Cairns
is a trip to the stunning Great Barrier Reef. Countless tour operators run a multitude of tours. If you’re pressed for time you can visit the reef on a day tour, which generally includes transport, lunch and snorkelling gear. Each operator has a different stomping ground: you could visit Paradise Reef, Green Island, Lizard Island, Moore Reef... the list goes on. A rule of thumb: the outer reefs take longer to get to but are less damaged and unspoiled.
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