Yes, there are lots of great activities and tourist attractions for holiday-makers in and around Cairns and Queensland. Cairns is known as the "Adventure capital of Australia" and Queensland is "Australia's No. 1 beach holiday destination", so you should never be short of things to do here.
Cairns is a fun town with plenty of bars, restaurants and cafes to enjoy. Many tourists choose the Kuranda Train and Skyrail tour for a fun day out. The scenic Kuranda railway dates back to the 1800s and takes you through the beautiful Barron Gorge National Park. You can make the journey back via the Skyrail which is a cable car, giving you a very different viewpoint. To learn more about Aboriginal culture and history you should visit Tjapukai Cultural Park, or for nature lovers a tour in the Daintree Rainforest (Australia's largest natural rainforest) is a must. The more adventurous can choose from bungy jumping, sky diving, hot air ballooning and white water rafting.
Looking further afield,
Queensland is a state packed with tourism opportunities. The Atherton Tableland is a mountainous getaway only an hour west of Cairns which features magnificent lush scenery. Brisbane is a lively city with excellent botanic gardens and myriad shopping, dining and sporting options. Queensland has hundreds of great golf courses including the famous Paradise Palms course which is considered one of Australia's best. Other places which feature on the tourist trail include Fraser island, Hervey Bay, the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary and Moreton Island National Park.
If you're visiting the barrier reef, you might like to spend some of your holiday exploring the state of Queensland (where it's located) or the city of Cairns (the main departure port for diving trips to the Great Barrier Reef). For more fun ideas of things to do, visit our
Queensland tourist activities and
Cairns tourist activities pages.
For more ideas about activities and highlights in Australia, visit:
Tourism Australia.