Hostelworld Guide for CairnsBy Eoin White

For many people, Cairns is the last stop on their journey up the East Coast of Australia. There can be nodoubt that during the day it has a laid back atmosphere, making it seem like the ideal place to slow things

down and take it easy for a few days. But this isn't the case. Cairns may seem a little pedestrian whencompared to the rest of the manic East Coast, but don't let that fool you. Look around and you'll see

streets overflowing with tour operators offering a range of activities to rival any other destination inAustralia. Right on your doorstep you've got skydiving, whitewater rafting, paragliding, hiking,

wakeboarding and, of course, The Great Barrier Reef - the jewel in the crown of this Northern Queenslandbackpacker magnet.

In this Guide...

Useful InformationAfter Dark

Places to EatTop Attractions

Budget TipsWhere to Shop

The Essentials Climate

Getting There

By plane: Cairns International Airport is located 15minutes from the city centre. The airport has twoterminals (domestic and international) which are ashort walk from one another so make sure to doublecheck which terminal you're meant to be at (somedomestic f l ights leave from the internationalterminal). Transfers to and from the city are frequentand numerous.

By train: Queensland Railways serves the maintrain station which is right in the centre of town andconnects Cairns to Brisbane and Townsville.

By bus: Travel to Cairns by bus and you will bedropped off at the pier, right next to the centre oftown. Coaches depart from the exact same placefor those heading on somewhere else.

Getting Around

On foot: Cairns is neatly laid out in a grid fashionand walking anywhere of note in the city centreshouldn't take more than 10 minutes. The nicestplace to walk is along the esplanade which isalways buzzing with life.

By bus: Travelling by bus can be useful if you'revisiting the suburbs or if you can't face walkingaround in the searing heat. Sunbus buses departfrom Market Square.

By taxi: Finding a taxi in the centre of Cairns isnever a problem. If you need to organise a transferto the airport it's best to ask at your hostel as theyusually offer a reasonable price.

Cairns factsName: Sir William Wellington Cairns was thefirst Irish-born governer of Queensland and, assuch, was deemed important enough to have acity named after him.Population: Cairns is home to approximately140,000 people.Founded: Cairns was first formed to act as abase for miners headed for surrounding goldfields but once easier routes were found it wastransformed into an important rail connectionand port for the exporting of local riches such assugar cane, gold and agricultural produce. Itwas eventually turned into a liveable city in 1876when the Esplanade was built.

Despite being surrounded by some of the wettestplaces in Australia, Cairns is an ideal place to visitat any time of the year thanks to its never-endingsupply of all-weather activities. The tropical climatedoes bring its fair share of monsoons, generallybetween December and April, but these usuallycome at the end of brilliantly hot and humid days.Temperatures generally rest between 23C and31C at this time of the year and you'll always needto have suncream and insect repellant at the ready.The drier season falls between November and May,bringing with it cooler weather and more frequent,smaller rain showers.

Good to know...Language - EnglishCurrency - Australian Dollar (AUD)Electricity - 240 volts, 50 cycles; plug: v-shapedflat prongsTelephone Code - +61 (Australia)Emergency Code - 000Time Zone - GMT +10 hoursCentral Post Office - 22 Abbott StreetMain Tourist Office - 51 The Esplanade

Embassies / Consulates

USA: +61 (0)2 9373 9200UK: +61 (0)2 9247 7521Canada: +61 (0)2 6270 4000*South Africa: +61 (0)2 6273 2424*Ireland: +61 (0)2 9231 6999Germany: +61 (0)2 6270 1911*Spain: +61 (0)2 9261 2433Italy: +61 (0)2 9392 7939New Zealand: +61 (0)2 8256 2000France: +61 (0)2 9261 5779*Number is for embassy in Canberra

Hostelworld Guide for Cairns www.hostelworld.com

Cheap Eats After Dark

Bobby's Restaurant, 5 Aplin Street If you happento miss out on breakfast, Bobby's Restaurant is anideal place to fill up on lunch. With six courses anda free drink on offer for the same price as mostsingle dishes, you'll be stuffed to the gills withChinese and Vie tnamese food. Open da i ly7am-10pm.

Hot Wok, Night Markets Food Plaza I f youpossess good structural engineering skills, this isthe place for you. Here you pay per size of plate asopposed to per course. This means you pay theone price for as much food as you can fit on to thep la te . You won ' t leave hungry . Open da i ly5pm-11pm.

All aboard!

Sushi Express, Shop 28 Orchid Plaza, 79Abbott St. As it's a little bit expensive, sushi ismore a treat than a dietary mainstay forbackpackers. Luckily for all sushi lovers 'SushiExpress' does a daily special between 5pm and6pm when everything is reduced in price. You'llhave to be quick to grab a seat and then evenquicker to grab dishes off the super-chargedsushi train. Open daily 11am-9pm.

Siamese Kitchen, Rusty's Markets, Sheridan St.As this is one of Cairns' best kept secrets, while therest of the backpackers gorge on fast food aroundThe Esplanade, those in the know eat at places likeSiamese Kitchen, which is the best place for Thaifood in the city. Try the green curry which comeswith a free side port ion of frui t - i t 's beyonddelicious. Open dailiy 8am-3pm.

Splash Bar & Restaurant, 103 The Esplanade Ifyou're after lunch on The Esplande but find yourselfbaulking at the prices being charged do not fear;there are a handful of places that aren't going tobreak the bank. 'Splash', for example, servesextremely good seafood and its lunch specials arewell worth checking out with the locally caught fishbeing a real winner. Open daily 9am-10pm.

The Woolshed, 24 Shields St. As this is one ofAustralia's most famous backpacker bars, it 'sheaving every night. Between the special drinkspromotions, thumping beats, table-top dancing,on-stage games and performances, you're sure toremember forgetting most things about your nighthere. Open daily 8pm-5am.

P.J. O'Briens, 87 Lake St. Extremely popular withbackpackers during both day for its brilliant mealpromotions and night, 'P.J.'s' is seen as a budgetoption by most people. That doesn't mean theydon't put on a good show though, with prizeshanded out for the best bar dancers and greatspecials on all your favourite drinks. Open daily6pm-3am.

The Green Ant Cantina, 183 Bunda St. Mostlyfrequented by locals rather than backpackers, hereyou'll encounter great food, imported beers, SouthAmerican cocktails, live music at weekends, regularopen mic nights, and quirky and colourful decor.Easily one of the city's best kept secrets. Open daily4pm-late.

Game On

Gilligans, 25 Spence St. Cairns' largest venuereally does have something for everyone. Asprawling dancefloor, huge bar, plenty ofoutdoor space and a host of top DJs. There'seven a pool for a 'dive-in' movie if you fancycooling down after participating in some of thecrazy nightly drinking games. A guaranteedgreat night. Open daily 8pm-5am.

RhinoBar, Cnr of Lake and Spence St. This is abackpacker bar through and through which meanscheap drinks, loud music and good times. It billsitself as the 'best party bar' which means they dotheir utmost to make a night out of every night ofthe week. Due to this, there's something going onevery single night. Open daily 6pm-3am.

Don't Miss Budget Tips

Go white-water rafting Not far from Cairns is theTully River which is known as one of the world'sbest rivers for white-water rafting. On a day tripyou'll face grade 4 rapids, rock diving, a BBQ lunchand a whole lot of water. There are two maincompanies operating tours so pick the one whichsuits you best.

An underwater paradise

Great Barrier Reef The unmissable GreatBarrier Reef is the reason why Cairns is sospecial, and not seeing it while in the area isunthinkable. If you can afford it, go on a three orfour day scuba dive. They can be expensive butyou'll never forget it. If not, try one of the daytours which includes snorkelling, scuba divingand lunch.

Do a skydive The stunning Great Barrier Reef,beautiful rainforests and the rugged East Australiancoastline: these are what you'll be falling towards atover 200kph during your skydive over Cairns. It'sone of the best views in the country and the onlyway to see it is to swallow that fear.

Cape Tribulation Known as the place where 'thereef meets the rainforest', a trip here is a populardaytrip from Cairns and includes nature walks, awildlife cruise, and pristine tropical beaches. You'llalso go for a walk in the Daintree Rainforest - theoldest rainforest in the world.

Wake boarding If you've never tried wakeboardingbefore don't fret - this is the perfect place to learn.One of only four cable ski parks in Australia islocated a mere 15 minutes north of central Cairnsand will have you skimming along the water'ssurface, pulled by overhead cables, in no time.

For tour information visit Carins' tourist office at 51Esplanade.

Chill out at Cairns' lagoon A midday swim toescape the searing heat usually involves a trip toCairns' northern beaches or a boat ride out to thesea. But if you've got the energy for neither, there'salways the city's man-made lagoon. Open all yearround and patrolled by lifeguards, the lagoon is theideal place to waste away an afternoon, mingle withthe locals and plan your assault on all thoseactivities Cairns is famous for.

Buy a 24-hour bus ticket If you're planning a tripto the suburbs or the northern beaches, it's worthyour while purchasing a 24-hour ticket. You can buythem from bus drivers and are valid for a full dayfrom the time they first stamp them.

Those who eat first, win

Eat out before 6pm Get in before the throngsat the restaurants and you'll save - it's that easy.The majority of Cairns' restaurants offerdiscounts on evening meals if you orderbetween 5pm and 6pm. It's a good way to treatyourself while also saving some money in theprocess. Plus, it makes a nice change fromcooking noodles and pasta in a hostel kitchen.

Check out the free art galleries If it's the end ofyour your funds are a little low and you simply can'tafford any more of Cairns' tours and activities, thereare some free art galleries that are perfect for whenyou've got time to kill. Cairns Regional Gallery ishome to the visual arts of North Queensland, whilethe brilliantly named Kick Arts is where you'll find allof the region's major contemporary arts.

Rent a bicycle If you find yourself in a hostel toofar outside of town to walk and are tired of payingfor buses every day then your best option is to renta bicycle. Ask at your hostel 's reception andremember that the longer you rent for, the moreeconomical it gets.

Hostelworld Guide for Cairns www.hostelworld.com

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