Cairns must-do highlights in three days

Explore the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s oldest rainforest and immerse yourself in Indigenous culture with this 72-hour Cairns itinerary.

DAY ONE

Morning
Rise bright and early for a walk along Cairns Esplanade, taking in the sunrise over Trinity Inlet and public artworks along the way, including the striking The Woven Fish sculptures in the man-made Cairns Lagoon, where locals can be seen doing aqua Zumba classes a couple of times a week.

Cool off in the public lagoon on the Esplanade in Cairns.

Arrive at Marlin Marina at the allocated time for your tour – today you are going to the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef! Grab a quick breakfast and a coffee from Blu Marlin Bistro beside the Reef Fleet Terminal, where you check in for your cruise. If you suffer from seasickness, now is the time to take that all-important preventative pill.

There’s an eye watering number of companies offering day trips to the Reef – it’s just a matter of deciding which one is right for you. Cruises usually visit two reefs, determined by the conditions on the day, with a hearty lunch provided on board in between snorkel/dive stops.

On the Great Barrier Reef with eco-friendly operator Passions of Paradise.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Passions of Paradise is regarded as the most eco-friendly operator, winning the Sustainable Tourism Award in the 2023 Banksia National Sustainability Awards. It’s only once you snorkel among the colourful coral, tropical fish and sea turtles and learn about the threats the 2,300-kilometre-long Reef faces, you realise just how important that is. If you want to do your bit to help, book the Eco Tour, in which you use an underwater slate to help a Master Reef Guide or marine biologist record what you see as part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Eye on the Reef Rapid Monitoring survey.

Tuck into fresh seafood at the iconic Prawn Star restaurant, set across three trawlers at the boardwalk.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Seastar Cruises offers the most exclusive experience, taking just 36 passengers, while Sunlover Reef Cruises is a great option for families. The catamaran docks alongside a floating pontoon at Moore Reef, which has an underwater observatory, semi-submersible boat and the only waterslide on the Reef. Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel offers the opportunity to get a different perspective on the Reef, learning about it from the view of both a marine biologist and Indigenous ranger. Time spent travelling to and from the Reef is easily filled with demonstrations of traditional fire lighting and didgeridoo and dance performances. The big advantage of planning your Great Barrier Reef day trip for the first day is if conditions aren’t ideal and the cruise gets postponed you can swap your itinerary around.

Late afternoon and evening
After returning to your hotel to freshen up, it’s time to hit the town! Start with a drink at waterfront venue Salt House, which has live music on weekends and creative cocktails with names like Walkamin Dream (named after a town in the Atherton Tablelands) and Tide’s Out. Then wander along the boardwalk to Prawn Star, where you dine on fresh seafood straight off the trawlers aboard one of four boats permanently moored at Marlin Marina. Afterwards, stroll through Cairns Night Markets, where you can buy everything from Akubra hats and boomerangs to handmade candles and macrame plant hangers. You can even have your feet nibbled at the Fish Foot Spa if you’re so inclined.

DAY TWO

Kick back with sprawling vistas while riding the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Morning
The Great Barrier Reef isn’t the only UNESCO site at Cairns’ doorstep. It’s also an ideal base from which to explore the Wet Tropics Heritage Area. Start your day gliding above the canopy of the world’s oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, keeping an eye out for tree kangaroos in the foliage below. If you’ve hired a car you can drive to Smithfield, which is around 15 minutes’ north of town, where the 7.5-kilometre journey begins. Bus transfers are also available from certain stops in Cairns. Make the experience even more special by upgrading to the Diamond View gondola, which has a glass floor. Get off along the way to join a free ranger tour along the boardwalks at Red Peak, and see the magnificent gorge and thundering waterfall at Din Din (Barron Falls).

Afternoon
After stepping off beside the heritage-listed Kuranda Railway Station, spend the next two- or three- hours exploring Kuranda Village. Grab lunch at Petit Café, which is known for its savoury crepes, bursting with ingredients liked triple-smoked ham, garlic butter mushrooms and smoked salmon cooked in a wood-fired oven. Follow the Cassowary Art Trail to see colourful sculptures of the endangered birds painted by local artists, stock up on lollies at Kuranda Candy Kitchen and peruse the eclectic Original Rainforest Market and Heritage Markets, which are on from Wednesday to Sunday.

Have a browse at the Original Rainforest Markets at Kuranda.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

If you’re in the market for Aboriginal artefacts, leather goods, opals, macadamia nuts or mango ice-cream, you’ve come to the right place. You can also see a real life cassowary among the 300-odd species at Birdworld Kuranda and take a behind-the-scenes tour of the breeding laboratory at The Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, which is the largest free-flight butterfly aviary in Australia. Then hop aboard one of the Victorian-era carriages of the Kuranda Scenic Railway, which has been operating since 1891. Aim for the 3.30pm train and upgrade to Gold Class to snack on local cheese and sparkling wine. Disembark at Cairns Central Railway Station or at Freshwater Railway Station to catch the transfer bus back to Skyrail’s Smithfield Terminal to pick up your hire car.

Evening
It’s time to hit the casino! Whether you’re into gambling or not, The Reef Hotel Casino is home to one of the city’s best restaurants, Tamarind. Begin with sunset drinks on the deck before sitting down at the multi-award-winning noshery, which is a true white linen tablecloth affair. The menu changes with the seasons, but can include dishes like Crystal Bay tiger prawns, Daintree barramundi or paperbark smoked salmon fillet, with multicultural influences like Penang duck curry. Top off the evening with a night cap at the casino’s industrial art deco-inspired lobby bar, BAR36.

DAY THREE

Swim with turtles or enjoy a waterside picnic at Mossman Gorge.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Morning
It’s another early start today for a drive to the Daintree. Join the charismatic Kuku Yalanji guide Juan Walker from Walkabout Cultural Adventures for a truly authentic Indigenous experience at Cooya Beach near Port Douglas. Juan basically loves showing visitors what he did as a kid on this hands-on tour. Try your hand at throwing a spear, collecting pipis, clams and periwinkles and catching mud crab in the mangroves, before returning to his mum’s place across the road to cook them up and eat on the veranda while he explains the many types of boomerangs used to catch different animals and shows you how to play the didgeridoo.

Afternoon
If you’re not already full from all the bush tucker, grab a bite from Mayi Café at The Mossman Gorge Cultural Centre, before joining the guided Ngadiki Dreamtime Walk. The experience begins with a traditional smoking ceremony to cleanse and ward off bad spirits, before following the old hunting and gathering trail past mossy red cedar trees, traditional bark shelters and rocky streams while listening to stories of the Kuku Yalanji people. You’ll also learn how to make bush soap and ochre for body paint, before trying damper and bush tea. Check out the onsite gallery before returning to Cairns.

Walkabout Cultural Adventures: learn spear throwing, collect pipis and catch mud crabs on this unique tour.Credit: Tourism and Events Queensland

Evening
Continue the Indigenous theme with dinner at Ochre Restaurant. Owner and chef Craig Squire is passionate about using native ingredients and has worked closely with the local Indigenous community over the past two decades. Think wattle seed damper, kangaroo satay sticks and pork chop with a pepperberry Vietnamese-style marinade, followed by a dessert of Davidson plum mousse or lemon myrtle and macadamia tart. Finish the evening with a drink at the city’s highest rooftop bar, Rocco, admiring the glittering lights of the city and the colourful Reef Eye ferris wheel in the distance.