Cairns is located in Queensland and is a lush and beautiful natural place to visit. Recently a lot of money has been spent on the city to bring it more up to date and enhance its status as a top international holiday destination. Before you go ensure you organize somewhere to stay as you don’t want to be wasting any valuable holiday time looking for accommodation when you should be soaking up the beauty of the area.

With the World Heritage Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, a heritage listed site, practically within walking distance, Cairns has a thriving economy and it’s no surprise it’s the countries most popular holiday destination.

If you have come to Australia to dive then the Great Barrier Reef is where you should be. It has the worlds largest coral reef that literally teems with aquatic life, there are more than 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays in the reef, and hundreds of pretty tropical islands with white sand beaches. Did you know that the Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world and the only living thing on earth visible from space? The marine park is 3000km long and the reef itself is between 15km and 150km off shore and up to 65 Km wide in parts. In its wonderful coral gardens you can see coral sponges, molluscs, rays, dolphins, tropical fish, also sea turtles and giant clams over 120 years old.

North of Cairns is the experience of a lifetime, the tropical rainforest, Daintree National Park. The area began to form about 400 million years ago when Australia was still under the sea, and due to the surrounding mountains the landscape here has hardly changed which has meant that many of the plants and animals haven’t changed since the ice age. Daintree is the biggest rainforest in Australia spread over more than 1,200 sq km and is home to over 3,000 species of plants and 315 mammal species.

Also found in the rainforest is the understorey tree (Noahdendron nicholassi), discovered in 1981 and a rare find, and the Idiospermum australiense, one of a kind and found nowhere else in the world. The Park is home to a number of rare animals including Bennett’s tree kangaroo and the spotted-tailed quoll. Amongst the rare bird species living here is the buff-breasted paradise-kingfisher, pied imperial-pigeon, orange-footed scrubfowl and the Cassowaries, the second-largest flightless bird in Australia.

A ‘must-see’ in the actual city centre of Cairns is the Esplanade waterfront where locals and visitors like to take a leisurely walk. It is the main hub of the city and its attributes are award-winning attractions, watch out for the Esplanade Lagoon, Muddy’s Playground and the Esplanade Skate Park. For those who like nature the boardwalk extents along the waterfront and the mudflats feature an abundance of Cairns wildlife. At the Esplanade you’ll also find some of the tastiest food and this is a great place to dine whilst overlooking the waterfront.

Many people say that winter, June to August, in the Cairns region is the best time of year to visit as the sky is clear with cool breezes, and it’s the perfect weather for scuba-diving on the Great Barrier Reef. However, just about any time of the year is good really. The climate is hot and humid during the summer months; rainy season generally occurs between January and March and is prone to thunderstorms and tropical cyclones. The temperature is fairly consistent, ranging from 23-31C in mid-summer and 18-28C in mid-winter.

Cairns and the surrounding regions are teeming with quality accommodation, everything from backpacker resorts and B&Bs to stylish 5 star hotels, luxury resorts and million dollar apartments for rent. Even though, it is advised you book accommodation in advance before you arrive as, particularly during the summer months, it can get very busy. Look for accommodation in Cairns online where you can take your time browsing through the choices and then book easily and safely.