141 places · Good Food Guide, Gourmet Traveller, Cairns Post and TikTok · no Eater coverage
Tap a route and it gets drawn on the map, stop by stop.
Tap a pin to see photos, rating and how to get there by Translink bus or on foot. Turn on a route to follow the numbered path.
This interactive map of Cairns (Australia) brings together 141 hand-picked places: 51 attractions, 44 restaurants, 25 cafés and 21 shops. It also includes 5 walking routes with their stops in order. For every place you get what it is, a practical tip and how to get there by public transport. It is free, works on your phone and needs no sign-up.
· Curated by the HOLASIM team · How we make the maps
Tap a route to see it drawn on the map, stop by stop.
7 stops · 3.2 km · ~4 h · start at 7am, finish with a beer on the wharf · 7 stops
6 stops · 4.1 km · ~5 h · bus 131 both ways, 50 cents a trip · 6 stops
7 stops · 1 h 45 by train + 1 h 30 by cableway · full day · book both tickets separately · 7 stops
6 stops · 20 km of coast · ~6 h · buses 110 and 111 · jellyfish-free until November · 6 stops
7 stops · 1.6 km · ~6 h · start on a Friday at Rusty's, finish at the marina · 7 stops
Esplanade Lagoon · Cairns City
A 4,800 sqm saltwater lagoon on the seafront, lifeguarded and sand-fringed. This is Cairns' beach, and it is free.
Tip: Open Thursday to Tuesday 6am-9pm; Wednesdays from noon only, because they clean it in the morning.
🚇 Right on the Esplanade, five blocks from Cairns Central. Every Translink bus stops nearby.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapEsplanade Boardwalk · Cairns City
2.5 km of boardwalk over the tidal mudflat, with outdoor gyms, volleyball courts and Coral Sea views.
Tip: Look at the mud at low tide: that is why nobody swims here. It is an estuary, and there are crocodiles.
🚇 Starts at Muddys and runs to the marina. Distance markers every 500 paces for runners.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapMuddys · north Esplanade
The Esplanade's free water playground: jets, slides and fig-tree shade. Kids come out soaked and delighted.
Tip: Bring a towel and a change of clothes: there are no change rooms. The cafe next door lets you use its toilet if you order.
🚇 North end of the Esplanade, about ten blocks from the marina along the boardwalk.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapMarlin Marina · Trinity Inlet
The reef catamarans and marlin boats leave from here. At sunset the pontoons fill up with people and cold beer.
Tip: The reef is not visible from shore: it is one to one and a half hours out by boat. Book the boat, not the beach.
🚇 South end of the Esplanade, a ten-minute walk from the centre. Cairns Central Terminus is nearby.
Featured in: Tropical North Queensland · GBRMPA
Show on mapReef Fleet Terminal · Marlin Parade
The building where almost every reef tour checks in. Glass, air conditioning and 7am nerves.
Tip: On top of the tour price add the Environmental Management Charge: AUD 8 a day, AUD 4 for part-days. Under-fours are exempt.
🚇 On Marlin Parade, beside the marina. Seven blocks on foot from Cairns Central.
Featured in: GBRMPA · Reef Fleet Terminal
Show on mapCairns Museum · School of Arts
Three floors in the 1907 School of Arts: gold, sugar cane, the Pacific war and Yidinji history.
Tip: Start on the top floor and work down: the chronology is built that way and reads far better.
🚇 Corner of Lake and Shields, on City Place. Four blocks from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Cairns Museum · Cairns Historical Society
Show on mapCairns Art Gallery · Abbott St
Tropical art in the 1936 Public Curator building. Strong on painting and printmaking by Aboriginal and Torres Strait artists.
Tip: Free entry and serious air conditioning: the best refuge downtown when the afternoon downpour lands.
🚇 Corner of Abbott and Shields, half a block from the Esplanade. The whole centre is walkable.
Featured in: Cairns Art Gallery · Queensland Art Gallery network
Show on mapMunro Martin Parklands · Cairns City
An open-air amphitheatre with 1,000 lawn seats, tropical gardens and lit fig trees. In the dry season there is a show most weeks.
Tip: Many gigs are free but ticketed: the no-cost tickets go days ahead. Bring a picnic rug.
🚇 Corner of Sheridan and Florence, three blocks' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Tropic Now
Show on mapCairns Performing Arts Centre · Florence St
The city's main hall, opened 2018: pale timber, serious acoustics and a program mixing dance, theatre and tropical music.
Tip: The first-floor terrace opens before curtain and looks over the park: arrive half an hour early and have a drink there.
🚇 9 Florence Street, next to Munro Martin. Three blocks from the Lagoon on foot.
Featured in: CPAC · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapCairns Aquarium · Florence St
Ten Queensland ecosystems under one roof: reef, mangrove, cloud forest and an ocean tank with sharks.
Tip: Short hours: 9.30am to 3.30pm, last entry 2.30pm. Turn up at 2.45pm and you are out of luck.
🚇 5 Florence Street, two blocks from the Esplanade. Walkable from anywhere in the centre.
Featured in: Cairns Aquarium
Show on mapCairns Convention Centre · Sheridan St
The curved-roof venue facing the inlet: trade shows, big concerts and the Cairns Taipans basketball games.
Tip: It is still plain Cairns Convention Centre, with no corporate name attached: ignore articles inventing a new one.
🚇 Sheridan and Wharf, eight blocks from the Lagoon. Cairns railway station is five blocks away.
Featured in: Cairns Convention Centre · NBL
Show on mapCairns railway station · Bunda St
The Kuranda Scenic Railway leaves this platform every morning in its wine-red carriages. It adjoins Cairns Central.
Tip: The Kuranda tourist train is not urban transport and is not on the Translink network: book and pay for it separately.
🚇 Inside the Cairns Central complex on Bunda Street. The Translink bus terminal is right there.
Featured in: Kuranda Scenic Railway · Queensland Rail
Show on mapThe Reef Hotel Casino · Wharf St
The glass-domed building on Wharf Street. Casino and bars below; up top, the dome that used to hold a zoo and now sits dark.
Tip: The Cairns ZOOm & Wildlife Dome that sat in the dome closed in October 2023: do not book tickets for it.
🚇 35-41 Wharf Street, facing the inlet. Six blocks from the Lagoon on foot.
Featured in: cairnszoom.com.au · The Reef Hotel Casino
Show on mapTobruk Memorial Pool · Cairns North
An outdoor 50-lane-length Olympic pool ringed by palms, with a flowrider next door. Entry is cheap.
Tip: If you are here to train properly, these are real lanes: the Lagoon is shallow and always crowded.
🚇 370 Sheridan Street, Cairns North. Bus 130 or 131 along Sheridan, or a 25-minute walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapCazalys Stadium · Westcourt
Home of the Cairns AFL Club, capacity 12,000. Aussie rules and cricket here, and occasionally a genuine AFL fixture.
Tip: It is still Cazalys Stadium, named for the club and not a sponsor. Do not buy anyone's renaming story.
🚇 344 Mulgrave Road, Westcourt. Bus 133 toward Earlville along Mulgrave, about 12 minutes from Cairns Central.
Featured in: AFL Cairns · Cazalys Stadium
Show on mapCairns Botanic Gardens · Edge Hill
One of the southern hemisphere's few wet-tropics botanic gardens, with 4,000 species. Free entry and real shade.
Tip: Come early: at 9am it is still 25C and the birds are busy. By midday the humidity melts you.
🚇 Collins Avenue, Edge Hill. Bus 131 from Cairns Central along Collins Ave, about 15 minutes; Cairns Botanic Gardens stop.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Botanic Gardens
Show on mapFlecker Garden · Botanic Gardens
The heart of the gardens: giant palms, orchids, the conservatory and a boardwalk over the wetland.
Tip: Free guided walks leave the visitor centre on weekday mornings: they show you what you would walk straight past.
🚇 Inside Cairns Botanic Gardens, steps from the visitor centre. Bus 131 along Collins Avenue.
Featured in: Cairns Botanic Gardens
Show on mapAboriginal Plant Use Garden · Edge Hill
The section of the gardens devoted to traditional plant use by Wet Tropics peoples: food, medicine, fibre and poison.
Tip: Read the signs before you order bush tucker in a restaurant: here you meet lilly pilly and finger lime in the flesh.
🚇 Inside Cairns Botanic Gardens, beside the herb garden. Bus 131, Cairns Botanic Gardens stop.
Featured in: Cairns Botanic Gardens · Wet Tropics
Show on mapTanks Arts Centre · Edge Hill
Three World War II fuel tanks turned into galleries and a music venue. The acoustics are strange and gorgeous.
Tip: Tanks Market runs the last Sunday of the month, April to November: if your dates line up, drop everything and come.
🚇 46 Collins Avenue, next to the gardens. Bus 131 from Cairns Central, Cairns Botanic Gardens stop.
Featured in: Tanks Arts Centre · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapCentenary Lakes · Edge Hill
A freshwater lake and a saltwater lake joined by mangrove boardwalks, with a huge nature playground and genuine freshwater crocodiles.
Tip: The crocodile signs are not decoration: stay out of the water and off the bank, children included.
🚇 Greenslopes Street, Edge Hill. Bus 130 from Cairns Central, Greenslopes Street at Centenary Lakes stop.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Queensland Government crocodile advice
Show on mapMount Whitfield Conservation Park · Edge Hill
470 hectares of dry rainforest right behind downtown, with two famous circuits: the short Red Arrow and the brutal Blue Arrow.
Tip: Climb before 7am: by 9 it is 28C at 80 per cent humidity and the Blue Arrow turns dangerous.
🚇 Main entry off Collins Avenue, beside the gardens. Bus 131 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Queensland Parks · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapRed Arrow Circuit · Mt Whitfield
The 1.3 km loop up timber steps to a lookout over the bay. Every local does it before breakfast.
Tip: Carry a litre of water even for 40 minutes: the humidity dehydrates you faster than you expect.
🚇 Enter from Collins Avenue beside the gardens visitor centre. Bus 131 to Cairns Botanic Gardens.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Queensland Parks
Show on mapBlue Arrow Circuit · Mt Whitfield
A 19 km ridge slog through rainforest with endless staircases. The toughest trail you can reach on foot from downtown.
Tip: Tell someone and carry three litres of water. There are heat-exhaustion rescues every year, even in the dry.
🚇 Same trailhead as the Red Arrow, off Collins Avenue. Bus 131 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Queensland Parks · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapCrystal Cascades · Redlynch
Freshwater cascades and pools at the end of Reservoir Road, with a sealed 1.2 km path to the top lookout. The local classic.
Tip: You may swim in the marked pools, never after heavy rain: this is a flash-flood site with no lifeguard.
🚇 No bus comes here: route 121 stops at Redlynch and leaves about 5 km. Taxi, Uber or a hire car.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Queensland Government
Show on mapSkyrail Smithfield Terminal
The lower station of the rainforest cableway: a 7.5 km glass gondola ride over the canopy to Kuranda.
Tip: Due to upgrade works, from 19 August to 1 November it runs Wednesday to Sunday only, as a Kuranda-Barron Falls loop.
🚇 6 Skyrail Drive, Smithfield. Bus 113 or 120 from Cairns Central to Smithfield plus a short taxi, or the operator's transfer.
Featured in: Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Show on mapRed Peak Station · Skyrail
The cableway's mid station, 545 m above sea level, with a 175-pace boardwalk among tree ferns and 400-year-old trunks.
Tip: Free ranger talks leave the platform every half hour: ten minutes long and worth twice the view.
🚇 Reachable only by Skyrail, getting off at the mid station. There is no road access.
Featured in: Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Show on mapSkyrail Barron Falls Station
The cableway station hung over the gorge, with the glass-floored Edge Lookout leaning into the void.
Tip: In October the Barron runs thin and the falls are a thread. What impresses here is the gorge, not the flow.
🚇 Skyrail only, getting off at the second mid station. A short path leads to the gorge lookout.
Featured in: Skyrail Rainforest Cableway · Queensland Parks
Show on mapSkyrail Kuranda Terminal
The cableway's upper station, on the edge of Kuranda village, five minutes' walk from the markets.
Tip: Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Railway are two separate companies with two separate tickets: the combo is bought on its own.
🚇 Beside Kuranda railway station. The classic combination is up by Skyrail and down on the Kuranda Scenic Railway.
Featured in: Skyrail Rainforest Cableway · Kuranda Scenic Railway
Show on mapBarron Falls (Din Din) · Barron Gorge
The waterfall the Djabugay people call Din Din, at the bottom of a sheer-walled gorge. Handed back to its custodians in 2004.
Tip: No swimming and no scrambling to the river: access is lookouts only, plus the 1.2 km return boardwalk.
🚇 Din Din lookout via Barron Falls Road by car, or get off the Kuranda Scenic Railway at Barron Falls. No bus reaches the track.
Featured in: Queensland Parks · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapBarron Falls Station · Kuranda Scenic Railway
The platform in the middle of the gorge where the train stops ten minutes so everyone can get out and look.
Tip: Sit on the right-hand side going up to Kuranda: every gorge and bay view is on that side.
🚇 Kuranda Scenic Railway only, departing Cairns station in the morning. No road access.
Featured in: Kuranda Scenic Railway
Show on mapBarron Gorge National Park
Wet Tropics World Heritage: gorge, rainforest, waterfalls and the old hydro station. Djabugay country, always was.
Tip: The lower Barron River holds estuarine crocodiles: do not enter the water anywhere in the park.
🚇 Main access via Kamerunga and Barron Falls Road by car. Skyrail and the Kuranda Scenic Railway cross it overhead.
Featured in: Queensland Parks · Wet Tropics Management Authority
Show on mapKuranda railway station
Australia's most flowery platform: hanging ferns, orchid baskets and a 1915 building that has not changed a thing.
Tip: The train runs daily except Christmas Day but closes for planned maintenance: check the dates before you go.
🚇 Terminus of the Kuranda Scenic Railway from Cairns, about a two-hour ride. Skyrail lands 100 paces away.
Featured in: Kuranda Scenic Railway · Kuranda.org
Show on mapKuranda village in the rainforest
The 1970s hippie village above the gorge, now a maze of markets, galleries and cafes under enormous trees.
Tip: Kuranda shuts at 3.30pm: the markets close and it empties. Come early and leave on the last service.
🚇 Kuranda Scenic Railway from Cairns, Skyrail from Smithfield, or the Trans North bus up the range road.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapAustralian Butterfly Sanctuary · Kuranda
Australia's largest butterfly aviary: 1,500 of them loose in the air, including the electric-blue Ulysses.
Tip: Wear light colours, pink or red: the Ulysses land on you. In black, not one comes near.
🚇 8 Rob Veivers Drive, Kuranda. Five minutes on foot from the railway station or Skyrail.
Featured in: Australian Butterfly Sanctuary · CaPTA
Show on mapBirdworld · Kuranda
A free-flight aviary with more than 50 species: parrots that land on your shoulder, cassowaries and macaws.
Tip: Buy the seed cup at the door: without food the parrots ignore you and the visit lasts ten minutes.
🚇 Inside the Kuranda Heritage Market on Rob Veivers Drive. Steps from the railway station.
Featured in: Birdworld Kuranda · CaPTA
Show on mapKuranda Koala Gardens
Koalas, wombats, hand-feedable kangaroos and a small reptile house. One of the few places in Queensland where you can hold a koala.
Tip: The koala photo costs extra and there is a daily welfare cap: book your slot the moment you walk in.
🚇 Inside the Kuranda Heritage Market. Five minutes' walk from the Skyrail terminal.
Featured in: Kuranda Koala Gardens · CaPTA
Show on mapRainforestation Nature Park · Kuranda
A park with amphibious Army Ducks, a koala zoo and the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience, with dance and boomerang throwing.
Tip: Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park closed for good in January 2021: this is today's equivalent inside the area.
🚇 Kennedy Highway, 5 km from Kuranda. The operator runs transfers from the village and from Cairns.
Featured in: Rainforestation · CaPTA · ABC News
Show on mapJumrum Creek lookout · Kuranda
A lookout over Jumrum Creek, where the track into the flying-fox and rock-wallaby reserve begins.
Tip: At dusk thousands of flying foxes leave the colony: it is free and the best show in Kuranda.
🚇 Five minutes' walk from central Kuranda along Thongon Street. Ten minutes from Skyrail.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · Queensland Parks
Show on mapHenry Ross Lookout · Kuranda Range
The range-road lookout with the full view of Cairns, the airport, Trinity Bay and the cane fields.
Tip: Come up around 5pm: the sun hits the city head on and the bay turns gold before the tropical night.
🚇 On the Kennedy Highway climbing to Kuranda, car only. There is no bus stop.
Featured in: Queensland Parks · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapSkypark Cairns by AJ Hackett · Smithfield
Australia's only bungy tower, a 50-pace drop over the rainforest, plus a giant swing and a lagoon below.
Tip: Watching is free: there is a spectator deck and a bar. You can spend the afternoon without jumping.
🚇 McGregor Road, Smithfield. Bus 113 or 120 to Smithfield plus a short taxi, or the operator's free transfer from town.
Featured in: AJ Hackett Bungy · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapAustralian Armour & Artillery Museum · Smithfield
One of the southern hemisphere's biggest tank museums: over 150 armoured vehicles, several still running.
Tip: The perfect wet-afternoon plan: entirely under cover, air conditioned, and right next to Skyrail.
🚇 2 Skyrail Drive, Smithfield, beside the cableway terminal. Bus 113 to Smithfield plus a short taxi.
Featured in: Australian Armour & Artillery Museum
Show on mapPalm Cove Jetty
The 1930s timber jetty at the north end of the beach, with dawn fishermen and Double Island on the horizon.
Tip: Never swim from the jetty: there is a creek mouth beside it and estuarine crocodiles use it.
🚇 North end of Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, about 55 minutes.
Featured in: Tropical North Queensland · Queensland Government crocodile advice
Show on mapPalm Cove Beach · Williams Esplanade
Pale sand under a row of century-old melaleucas, with a stinger net and lifeguards in season. The north's postcard beach.
Tip: The net goes in from November to May. In October the water is clear: the best window of the year to swim without a suit.
🚇 Bus 110 from Cairns Central to Williams Esplanade, about 55 minutes. The stop is on the beach itself.
Featured in: Surf Life Saving Queensland · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapTrinity Beach · Vasey Esplanade
A sandy crescent with a patrolled area, palms and a row of restaurants steps from the water. The locals' favourite.
Tip: Swim between the flags and away from the creek at the north end. In October the water is jellyfish-free, but the rules stand.
🚇 Bus 110 or 111 from Cairns Central, about 35 minutes; get off at Trinity Beach Road at Vasey Street.
Featured in: Surf Life Saving Queensland · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapClifton Beach · northern beaches
The quietest of the northern beaches: almost no buildings, long sand and a rocky headland closing it to the south.
Tip: No year-round lifeguards and no permanent net: in stinger season, November to May, do not swim here.
🚇 Bus 110 from Cairns Central, Clifton Beach stop, about 45 minutes. Then two blocks on foot.
Featured in: Surf Life Saving Queensland · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapYorkeys Knob Beach · Sims Esplanade
A long beach below a headland, with a yacht club, a marina and a low-rise village unchanged since the 1980s.
Tip: The southern end opens onto Yorkeys Creek estuary, where crocodiles live. Stay on the northern half.
🚇 Bus 112 from Smithfield, or the 120 to Holloways plus a short taxi. About 40 minutes from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Queensland Government crocodile advice
Show on mapHolloways Beach · northern beaches
The closest beach to the city, with timber houses on stilts, a legendary cafe and views to the reef islands.
Tip: The Barron River mouth is just north and it is estuarine crocodile country. Swim well away from it.
🚇 Bus 120 from Cairns Central via Holloways Beach, about 25 minutes. You get off a block from the sand.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Queensland Government crocodile advice
Show on mapEllis Beach · north of Palm Cove
The only beach on this coast with its own surf lifesaving club and stinger net, wedged between highway and rainforest.
Tip: One of the few patrolled all year. Even so, wear a lycra stinger suit inside the net in season.
🚇 Outside the Translink network: you need a car on the Captain Cook Highway, about ten minutes north of Palm Cove.
Featured in: Surf Life Saving Queensland
Show on mapPalm Tree Tunnel · Palm Cove
The stretch of Williams Esplanade where the palms close overhead into a green tunnel. Palm Cove's most copied shot.
Tip: Shoot it before 8am: after that cars never stop and the footpath fills with people holding coffee.
🚇 On Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove, toward the southern end. Bus 110 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: TikTok · Instagram · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapEarl Hill Conservation Park · Trinity Beach
A 100 m headland above Trinity Beach with a short steep track to a 360-degree lookout over the whole northern coast.
Tip: An hour return, but at 80 per cent humidity. Do it at sunrise and come down to breakfast on Vasey Esplanade.
🚇 Entry from Yorkeys Knob Road or from Trinity Beach. Bus 110 or 111 to Trinity Beach then walk up.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Queensland Parks
Show on mapFreshwater railway station
A restored colonial-style station where the Kuranda Scenic Railway makes its second stop, with a small museum and breakfast.
Tip: If you are staying north or in Edge Hill, board here instead of Cairns Central: it saves half an hour.
🚇 Kamerunga Road, Freshwater. Bus 121 toward Redlynch from Cairns Central, about 20 minutes.
Featured in: Kuranda Scenic Railway · Queensland Rail
Show on mapOchre · Marlin Parade
The restaurant that put bush tucker on white linen: kangaroo with mountain pepper, crocodile and barramundi with finger lime.
Tip: Order the Australian antipasto: kangaroo, crocodile and emu arrive together and settle every bit of curiosity.
🚇 1 Marlin Parade, on the Harbour Lights boardwalk. Seven blocks on foot from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Urban List · Gourmet Traveller
Show on mapDundee's on the Waterfront · Marlin Parade
A Cairns institution facing the marina: seafood tower, barramundi and the native-meat menu half the world has tried.
Tip: Book a window table for 5.30pm: the sun drops behind the range and the marina turns orange.
🚇 1 Marlin Parade, beside the Reef Fleet Terminal. Ten minutes' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Urban List
Show on mapSalt House · Marina Point
A bar and grill over the water, with fire pits and a dry-aged tomahawk cooked over coals. Guaranteed sunset.
Tip: Without a booking, get there before 5pm: the outdoor deck fills and only viewless indoor tables are left.
🚇 Marina Point, 2 Pier Point Road. Steps from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Chef Hats · Urban List
Show on mapTamarind · Abbott St
Modern Australian with an Asian accent and tropical produce, served as a three-course menu. Among the north's most awarded.
Tip: Australia has no red restaurant guide outside South Australia: here the badge that counts is the national Chef Hat.
🚇 6-8 Abbott Street, inside the Pullman Cairns International. Five blocks from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Chef Hats · Gourmet Traveller
Show on mapC'est Bon · Lake St
A by-the-book French bistro in the tropics: duck confit, cheese souffle and a wine list nobody expects in Cairns.
Tip: It is small and dinner-only: book days ahead, especially Thursday to Saturday.
🚇 20 Lake Street, corner of Spence. Three blocks' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapPrawn Star · E Finger, Marlin Marina
A moored trawler where you eat prawns and mud crab on deck, plastic knife in hand and fingers filthy.
Tip: No bookings and the queue starts before opening: send someone to hold a spot or arrive at 11.30am.
🚇 Moored at E Finger, Marlin Marina, at the end of Pier Point Road. Ten minutes' walk from the centre.
Featured in: TikTok · Instagram · Urban List · Cairns Post
Show on mapWaterbar & Grill · The Pier
A classic grill over the marina, with Queensland beef, seafood and a long terrace facing the masts.
Tip: Order coral trout if it is on the board: it is the local reef fish and it is better here than anywhere on the Esplanade.
🚇 1 Pier Point Road, in The Pier complex. Steps from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Featured in: Urban List · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapTha Fish · The Pier
A fishmonger with tables: pick the day's fish from the case and they cook it. Barramundi, red emperor and Queensland prawns.
Tip: The genuinely local fish are barramundi, coral trout and red emperor: if the menu says salmon, you are paying for imports.
🚇 1 Pier Point Road, at The Pier, facing the marina. Seven blocks from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapHemingway's Brewery · Wharf St
A brewery inside a 1920s wharf shed, tanks on show and a deck over Trinity Inlet. The beers carry local-language names.
Tip: Get the four-beer paddle and sit water-side: from here you watch the cruise ships come into the inlet.
🚇 4 Wharf Street, at the Cruise Liner Terminal. Eight blocks on foot from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List · Tropic Now
Show on mapThree Wolves · Bank Lane
A laneway speakeasy of brick, whisky and proper cocktails. The best bar in Cairns on almost every list.
Tip: Nights only and the bar is small: take a stool, say what you like and let them improvise.
🚇 Bank Lane, off 32 Abbott Street. Three blocks' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List · Tropic Now
Show on mapFlamingos Tiki Bar · Esplanade
A tiki bar below street level, with pink neon, ceramic turtles and rum cocktails served in stone heads.
Tip: It opens late and fills after midnight. The stone-head cocktail is the one in every video.
🚇 43 The Esplanade, down the stairs at the entrance. Two blocks from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · TikTok · Instagram
Show on mapBayleaf Balinese · Cairns North
Genuine Balinese cooking in a Cairns North hotel courtyard: bebek betutu, rendang and house-made sambals.
Tip: The bebek betutu, duck cooked for eight hours, must be ordered a day ahead. Worth the phone call.
🚇 209 Lake Street, Cairns North. Bus 130 or 131 along Sheridan, or 15 minutes' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapGanbaranba · Spence St
A Hakata ramen counter run by Japanese cooks, thin noodles and tonkotsu broth boiled twelve hours. There is always a queue.
Tip: Lunch and dinner with a break between, and no bookings. A queue of ten people means about twenty minutes.
🚇 12-20 Spence Street, near Lake Street. Four blocks' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Urban List · Australian Good Food Guide · TikTok
Show on mapPerrotta's at the Gallery · Cairns Art Gallery
The art gallery's awning-shaded terrace: long breakfasts, pasta and one of downtown's best outdoor tables.
Tip: Have breakfast here and walk into the gallery next door, which is free: a rainy morning solved.
🚇 Corner of Abbott and Shields, at Cairns Art Gallery. Two blocks from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Urban List
Show on mapFetta's Greek Taverna · Grafton St
A Greek banquet taverna: sharing plates, slow lamb and, if the table gets brave, a smashed plate.
Tip: The banquet pays off from four people and everything arrives without you choosing: that is the way to come.
🚇 99 Grafton Street, near Rusty's Markets. Four blocks from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapGreen Ant Cantina · Bunda St
A tex-mex cantina behind the station, tin-roofed yard, live bands and a house beer brewed with green ants.
Tip: The green ant is genuine bush tucker and tastes of lime. Order the beer before deciding you dislike it.
🚇 183 Bunda Street, behind Cairns Central. Two blocks from the railway station.
Featured in: Tropic Now · Urban List · Cairns Post
Show on mapWawawa Japanese Kitchen · Lake St
An izakaya with a timber counter and handwritten boards: day-boat sashimi, yakitori and cold sake in small glasses.
Tip: Ask which reef fish came in today: local coral trout sashimi beats any imported tuna.
🚇 92 Lake Street, two blocks from the Esplanade. The whole centre is walkable.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Tropic Now
Show on mapPho Street Cairns · Esplanade
Vietnamese pho with bone broth simmered overnight, fresh rolls and condensed-milk coffee to finish.
Tip: Order the ca phe sua da strong: in October heat it works better than any specialty coffee.
🚇 On the Esplanade near Aplin Street. Steps from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Cairns Post · Urban List
Show on mapHecho En Mexico · Esplanade
An Esplanade Mexican with reef-fish tacos, big margaritas and a terrace onto the boardwalk.
Tip: If the barramundi taco is on, that is the order: the fish is local and the salsa carries tropical finger lime.
🚇 On the Esplanade facing the boardwalk. A five-minute walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Urban List · Cairns Post
Show on mapVilla Romana Taverna · Esplanade
A huge Italian taverna on the Esplanade, with seafood, grill and one of the biggest terraces on the waterfront.
Tip: The Esplanade's best bet with a big group or kids: everyone fits and the kitchen holds up.
🚇 The Esplanade, facing the boardwalk. A five-minute walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapLanna Thai · Shields St
Northern Thai with khao soi curry, larb and whole fried fish. Genuinely hot if you ask for it.
Tip: Order the whole fried barramundi with tamarind: the dish where local produce meets Thai cooking.
🚇 74 Shields Street, near Cairns Central. Five blocks from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapPaper Crane · Cairns North
Modern Asian sharing plates, bao, reef-fish ceviche and cocktails built on tropical fruit.
Tip: Come at 5pm for happy hour and stay for dinner: at that hour you get a terrace table without booking.
🚇 On the Esplanade, Cairns North. A ten-minute boardwalk walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Urban List · Tropic Now
Show on mapMarina Paradiso · Marlin Parade
A dockside Italian with seafood pasta, a view over the reef boats and tables right on the water.
Tip: Order the Queensland mud crab linguine: the shellfish that defines this coast, handled simply here.
🚇 Marlin Parade, at Harbour Lights. Seven blocks on foot from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapThe Pier Bar · Pier Point Road
The Sunday session bar, with DJs, cheap pizza and a very long terrace facing the marina. A Cairns classic.
Tip: Sunday afternoon fills with locals, not tourists: the best day to come and the only one with a long live set.
🚇 The Pier, 1 Pier Point Road. Ten minutes from the Lagoon along the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List
Show on mapHowlin' Jay's · Esplanade
Southern American barbecue with its own smoker: brisket, ribs and fried chicken, whisky and blues behind.
Tip: The brisket nearly always runs out before 8pm: if that is why you came, eat early.
🚇 The Esplanade, facing the marina. An eight-minute walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapLittle Sister · Esplanade
Asian street food made to share, reef-fish ceviche and a cocktail bar built entirely on tropical fruit.
Tip: Order the coral trout ceviche: reef fish and finger lime, the dish that sums up the cooking here.
🚇 101 The Esplanade, facing the boardwalk. Six minutes' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Urban List · Tropic Now
Show on mapThe Vine Room · Esplanade
Mediterranean built on northern seafood: prawn risotto, saffron scallops and a carefully built wine list.
Tip: It sits on the northern Esplanade, away from the noise: the downtown spot for a quiet dinner.
🚇 121-123 The Esplanade, at the DoubleTree. A fifteen-minute boardwalk walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Urban List · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapRocco · Crystalbrook Riley
Cairns' highest rooftop, on level 12: Mediterranean cocktails, mezze and the whole bay from above.
Tip: Go at 5.45pm in October: the sun drops behind Mt Whitfield and the whole bay is clear of rain cloud.
🚇 131-141 The Esplanade, level 12 of Crystalbrook Riley. A fifteen-minute Esplanade walk.
Featured in: Urban List · Australian Traveller
Show on mapCalypso Club · Crystalbrook Riley
A pool club with cabanas, palms and tropical cocktails at the Esplanade's flashiest hotel. Music from midday.
Tip: If you are not staying there, day access usually needs a minimum spend or a cabana booking: check first.
🚇 131-141 The Esplanade, at Crystalbrook Riley. Fifteen minutes' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List
Show on mapNOA · Edge Hill
A tapas bar in Edge Hill with crumbed tiger prawns, green-harissa scallops and a natural wine list.
Tip: Edge Hill is where Cairns eats: walk down from the gardens, eat here and take the 131 back to town.
🚇 1 Pyne Street, Edge Hill. Bus 131 along Collins Avenue from Cairns Central, about 15 minutes.
Featured in: Urban List · Tropic Now
Show on mapGuerrilla · Collins Avenue
Modern Mexican in Edge Hill, with cochinita tacos, mezcal and chilli-chocolate churros to finish.
Tip: It is a block from the gardens entrance: pair it with an afternoon in the gardens and dinner without moving.
🚇 120 Collins Avenue, Edge Hill. Bus 131 from Cairns Central to the gardens, then a block on foot.
Featured in: Urban List
Show on mapPalooka · Stratford
A neighbourhood bistro in Stratford with modern European cooking, afternoon tapas and a creme brulee worth the trip.
Tip: Pair it with the Kuranda train: board at Freshwater station, ten minutes from here, instead of going downtown.
🚇 7 Kamerunga Road, Stratford. Bus 121 toward Redlynch from Cairns Central, about 15 minutes.
Featured in: Urban List · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapBarron River Hotel · Stratford
A highway pub with a timber verandah facing the Barron River, icy beer and a grill working since the 1920s.
Tip: From the verandah you see the Barron River, which holds estuarine crocodiles. Watch from up here, stay off the bank.
🚇 Stratford Parade, Stratford. Bus 121 from Cairns Central toward Redlynch, about 15 minutes.
Featured in: Cairns Post · Queensland Government crocodile advice
Show on mapNuNu Restaurant · Palm Cove
The north's most celebrated beach restaurant: modern Australian with tropical produce, almost on the sand.
Tip: Book breakfast rather than dinner: it is cheaper, the beach is empty and the view is identical.
🚇 1 Veivers Road, Palm Cove, on the beach. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, about 55 minutes.
Featured in: Gourmet Traveller · Australian Good Food Guide · Urban List
Show on mapVivo Bar & Grill · Palm Cove
A colonial terrace with ceiling fans facing the Palm Cove melaleucas. Long breakfasts and midday seafood.
Tip: It is in Palm Cove, not Trinity Beach, whatever some guides say. Ask for a table on the melaleuca side.
🚇 49 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, stop right on the beach.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Urban List
Show on mapReef House Restaurant · Palm Cove
A white colonial dining room under a 200-year-old melaleuca, with the Brigadier's punch ritual at six.
Tip: At 6pm the Brigadier's punch is served free at the bar, on trust: it is tradition and it is not billed.
🚇 99 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, about 55 minutes.
Featured in: Gourmet Traveller · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapBeach Almond Beach House · Palm Cove
A timber beach shack with Southeast Asian cooking: Singapore chilli crab and whole steamed reef fish.
Tip: The chilli mud crab feeds two and is eaten by hand: ask for extra napkins and skip the light clothes.
🚇 145 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove, north end. Bus 110 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Gourmet Traveller · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapThe Beach House · Trinity Beach
A restaurant facing the Trinity Beach sand with seafood, oven pizza and tables two steps from the palms.
Tip: Have lunch here then cross to the beach: in October there are no stingers and the patrolled area is opposite.
🚇 Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach. Bus 110 or 111 from Cairns Central, about 35 minutes.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Cairns Post
Show on mapL'Unico Trattoria · Trinity Beach
An Italian trattoria on Vasey Esplanade, with fresh pasta, the day's fish and tables facing the palms.
Tip: Trinity Beach eats early: by 8.30pm half the street has closed its kitchen. Book for 6.30pm.
🚇 Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach. Bus 110 or 111 from Cairns Central, Trinity Beach Road at Vasey Street stop.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapTuk Tuk By The Sea · Trinity Beach
A beachfront Thai with coconut curries, pad thai and footpath tables under the coconut palms.
Tip: Order the barramundi curry: where local fish meets the coast's Thai cooking.
🚇 Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach. Bus 110 or 111 from Cairns Central, about 35 minutes.
Featured in: Cairns Post · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapEllis Beach Bar & Grill
A tin-and-timber beach bar between rainforest and sea, on the Port Douglas road. Burgers, fish and cold beer.
Tip: The only beach around with its own lifesaving club: eat here and swim inside the net.
🚇 Captain Cook Highway, Ellis Beach. Outside the Translink network: a car is needed.
Featured in: Australian Good Food Guide · Surf Life Saving Queensland
Show on mapKuranda Hotel · Arara St
The village pub, timber verandah, cold beer and the best hot food in Kuranda once the markets shut.
Tip: After 3.30pm nearly all of Kuranda shuts: the pub is one of the few still serving food.
🚇 Arara Street, Kuranda, five minutes' walk from the railway station and Skyrail.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · Cairns Post
Show on mapGerman Tucker · Kuranda
A German sausage grill in the middle of the Kuranda markets: bratwurst, currywurst and cold wheat beer.
Tip: It closes with the markets in mid-afternoon: arrive on the afternoon train and you have missed it.
🚇 Therwine Street, inside the Kuranda markets. Five minutes' walk from the railway station.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · TikTok
Show on mapCafe Mandala · Coondoo St, Kuranda
Regional cooking in the heart of Kuranda, with highland produce, vegetarian bowls and tropical fruit juices.
Tip: A good place to wait for the return train: it is covered and serves until the last afternoon service.
🚇 20 Coondoo Street, Kuranda. Steps from both markets and the railway station.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · Australian Good Food Guide
Show on mapCaffiend · Oceana Walk
The laneway cafe that invented brunch in Cairns: chilli eggs, tropically roasted coffee and walls covered in art.
Tip: Order the coconut-caramel latte: the signature drink, and take it iced once the day passes 30C.
🚇 72 Grafton Street, through the Oceana Walk arcade. Four blocks on foot from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List · Coffee in Cairns
Show on mapBlackbird Laneway · Oceana Walk
A tiny espresso counter in a downtown arcade, pouring beans roasted here in the tropics by Coffee NQ.
Tip: Ask where the bean is from: Australian highland coffee here comes from the inland ranges, not an importer.
🚇 Oceana Walk, off 62-64 Grafton Street. Four blocks from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · Australian Traveller
Show on mapCoffee Works Cairns · Spence St
The shop and bar of a tropical-north roaster, with dozens of origins, chocolate and tasting before you buy.
Tip: Ask specifically for Australian-grown bean: the highland coffee from inland Cairns is sold here roasted.
🚇 46 Spence Street, a block from Cairns Central. The whole centre is walkable.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · Cairns Post
Show on mapTattooed Sailor Coffee Roasters · Bungalow
A warehouse roastery in the industrial strip, with a counter beside the roaster. The coffee Cairns baristas drink.
Tip: It opens early and shuts in early afternoon, like every roastery: not a plan for after midday.
🚇 Newell Street, Bungalow. Bus 133 toward Earlville from Cairns Central, about 10 minutes.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · CoffeeSnobs
Show on mapWhite Whale Coffee Roasters · Portsmith
A Portsmith roastery that supplies half the city, with its own counter and open cuppings. Bean roasted in plain view.
Tip: This is the local bean: you will recognise it later at the airport and in Palm Cove cafes.
🚇 16 Tingira Street, Portsmith. A Portsmith bus or ten minutes by taxi from the centre.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · CoffeeSnobs
Show on mapSipping Duck Coffee Roasters · Stratford
A Stratford roaster with its own coffee, famous hot chocolates and a clientele that lives around the corner.
Tip: The ideal stop before boarding the Kuranda Scenic Railway at Freshwater: the station is ten minutes away.
🚇 29 Johnston Street, Stratford. Bus 121 toward Redlynch from Cairns Central, about 15 minutes.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Coffee in Cairns
Show on mapBang & Grind · Esplanade
A breakfast cafe with Belgian waffles, Turkish toast and orange-almond cake. Tables on the Esplanade.
Tip: Breakfast here then cross to the Lagoon: thirty paces, and at 7am the water is empty.
🚇 53 The Esplanade, steps from the Lagoon. All on foot from downtown.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List
Show on mapSing Sing Espresso · Esplanade
A small downtown espresso bar with day-baked pastries and the fastest coffee before the reef boat.
Tip: Opens at 6am: if your reef boat leaves at 7.30, this is the coffee you can sit down for.
🚇 Between Abbott Street and the Esplanade, downtown. Three blocks from the Reef Fleet Terminal.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · Cairns Post
Show on mapVT Espresso · Abbott St
A coffee counter on the edge of the night markets, pouring a Portsmith roaster's bean with simple toasties.
Tip: One of the few downtown places open early on weekends, when most of Cairns sleeps until nine.
🚇 Abbott Street, beside the Cairns Night Markets. Two blocks from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns
Show on mapGoose Specialty Coffee · Upward St
Specialty coffee in a Cairns North timber house, with filter methods and a rotating roaster list.
Tip: Order a filter instead of a flat white: one of the few places in Cairns where filter is done properly.
🚇 Upward Street, Cairns North, near the hospital. Fifteen minutes' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · CoffeeSnobs
Show on mapCafe Fika · Grafton St
A Scandinavian cafe downtown, with cardamom buns, sourdough and the fika pause turned habit.
Tip: Another specialty cafe traded at this address before: if you are searching the old name on the map, this is it.
🚇 111-115 Grafton Street, downtown. Four blocks on foot from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · OSM address check
Show on mapLilipad Cafe · Grafton St
A long-running downtown vegetarian cafe, with crepes, burritos and the most complete vegan and gluten-free menu in Cairns.
Tip: Nearly the whole menu adapts: say your restrictions when ordering and they rebuild the dish without fuss.
🚇 Grafton Street, near Spence. Four blocks' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Urban List
Show on mapPete & Paulz · Sheridan St
Home-style breakfasts downtown: eggs benedict, brioche French toast and portions with no fear in them.
Tip: If you are doing the Red Arrow or a reef day, breakfast here carries you to dinner.
🚇 35 Sheridan Street, downtown. Five blocks on foot from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Traveller
Show on mapMuddy's Cafe · Esplanade
A cafe beside the water playground, with burgers, tacos and fish and chips. Dogs and wet kids welcome.
Tip: The only food on that stretch of the boardwalk: if you are at Muddys with kids, it is here or nothing.
🚇 174 The Esplanade, north end of the boardwalk. Fifteen minutes' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapWharf One Cafe · Trinity Wharf
A cafe on Trinity Wharf, tables at the water, midday seafood and cruise ships gliding past.
Tip: The water here is Trinity Inlet estuary, with crocodiles: watch from the rail, stay off the edge.
🚇 Wharf Street, Trinity Wharf. Eight blocks from the Lagoon along the Esplanade.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Queensland Government crocodile advice
Show on mapOzmosis Cafe Trattoria · Collins Avenue
A cafe by day and trattoria by night, beside the gardens, with a produce menu and house-made pasta.
Tip: Breakfast here, cross to the gardens and climb the Red Arrow: the perfect Edge Hill morning, all on foot.
🚇 116 Collins Avenue, Edge Hill. Bus 131 from Cairns Central, Cairns Botanic Gardens stop.
Featured in: Urban List · Australian Traveller
Show on mapBotanic Gardens Cafe · Edge Hill
A cafe inside the botanic gardens, tables under tree ferns and birds that perch beside you.
Tip: It closes mid-afternoon with the gardens: no use for a late snack or dinner.
🚇 Collins Avenue, inside Cairns Botanic Gardens. Bus 131 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Cairns Botanic Gardens
Show on mapTank Sixty Four · Edge Hill
A cafe at the foot of the converted war tanks, between the gardens and Centenary Lakes. Few tables, deep shade.
Tip: The natural stop between the gardens and Centenary Lakes: five minutes on foot from each.
🚇 Collins Avenue, beside Tanks Arts Centre. Bus 131 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Tanks Arts Centre · Cairns Post
Show on mapWoodward Street Bakery · Whitfield
A neighbourhood bakery with sourdough, almond croissants and a vanilla slice that sells out before midday.
Tip: Go before 10am or forget the vanilla slice: one of the few Cairns bakeries that genuinely sells out.
🚇 Woodward Street, Whitfield. Bus 131 to Edge Hill then a ten-minute walk.
Featured in: Australian Traveller · Cairns Post
Show on mapCrave Cairns · Abbott St
A downtown cafe with brunch, tropical fruit bowls and mango and lychee juices when they are in season.
Tip: October opens mango and lychee season in the north: order the juice of the day and see what came in.
🚇 117 Abbott Street, downtown. Two blocks on foot from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Cairns Post · Rusty's Markets
Show on mapMooz Gelato · Marina Point
A gelateria facing the marina with tropical fruit flavours: mango, passionfruit, lychee and coconut made on site.
Tip: Order the fruit flavours, not the chocolate: here the raw material is northern mango and passionfruit.
🚇 2 Marina Point Road, beside the marina. Ten minutes' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Cairns Post · TikTok
Show on mapThe Beach Hut Cafe · Palm Cove
A beach cafe on Williams Esplanade with juices, breakfast and a Cairns roaster's bean. Tables under the melaleucas.
Tip: In October you can have breakfast and swim without a lycra suit: stinger season only starts in November.
🚇 Williams Esplanade, Palm Cove. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, the stop is opposite.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapCocky's Espresso · Palm Cove
A tiny espresso bar at the north end of Palm Cove, with banana bread and a clear view to the sand through the palms.
Tip: Opens early: take your coffee here and walk 200 paces to the jetty for sunrise over Double Island.
🚇 Williams Esplanade, north Palm Cove. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, about 55 minutes.
Featured in: Coffee in Cairns · Tropical North Queensland
Show on mapFrogs Kuranda
The Kuranda markets cafe, with breakfasts, home-baked cakes and tables under the tin roof among the stalls.
Tip: The Heritage Market opens Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 3.30pm: outside those days the cafe is shut.
🚇 Inside the Kuranda Heritage Market. Five minutes' walk from the railway station and Skyrail.
Featured in: Kuranda.org
Show on mapStrait On The Beach · Holloways Beach
A beachfront cafe at Holloways, with Torres Strait island cooking, fresh fish and timber benches on the sand.
Tip: Torres Strait island food is rare in Cairns: order whatever has coconut and smoked fish in it.
🚇 Oleander Street, Holloways Beach. Bus 120 from Cairns Central, about 25 minutes.
Featured in: Cairns Post · Tropic Now
Show on mapRusty's Markets · Grafton St
Cairns' tropical fruit market: mangosteen, rambutan, lychee, mango, starfruit and highland coffee. 180 stalls.
Tip: Open Friday and Saturday 5am-4pm and Sunday 5am-3pm only. If your stay misses a weekend, you miss it.
🚇 57-89 Grafton Street, between Shields and Spence. Three blocks on foot from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Rusty's Markets · Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapCairns Night Markets · Esplanade
A covered arcade between the Esplanade and Abbott Street, with souvenirs, massage, opal and a cheap Asian food court.
Tip: Open every night from 5pm, unlike Rusty's. The food court at the back is the part that is worth it.
🚇 Between 54-60 The Esplanade and Abbott Street. Steps from the Lagoon.
Featured in: Cairns Night Markets · Cairns Post
Show on mapCairns Central · McLeod St
The big downtown mall, attached to the railway station and the bus terminal. Air conditioning and 180 shops.
Tip: This is the transport hub: every bus leaves from here, and so does the Kuranda train. Save the location.
🚇 1-21 McLeod Street. It is the terminus of every Cairns Translink bus and the Kuranda train station.
Featured in: Cairns Central · Translink
Show on mapThe Pier Shopping Centre · Pier Point Road
A small shopping centre over the marina, with boutiques, art galleries, restaurants and a view of the yachts.
Tip: If you buy Aboriginal art, ask for the certificate and the artist's name: the Indigenous Art Code requires it.
🚇 1 Pier Point Road, beside the Reef Fleet Terminal. Ten minutes' walk from the Lagoon.
Featured in: The Pier · Indigenous Art Code
Show on mapDoongal Aboriginal Art · Kuranda
An Indigenous-owned Aboriginal art gallery in Kuranda, with work by tropical and desert artists, plus didgeridoos.
Tip: Only buy where you get a certificate naming the artist and their community: that is what the Indigenous Art Code asks.
🚇 Coondoo Street, Kuranda. Five minutes' walk from the railway station and Skyrail.
Featured in: Indigenous Art Code · Kuranda.org
Show on mapAncient Journeys · Esplanade
An Aboriginal and Torres Strait art gallery on the Esplanade, with desert dot painting and northern printmaking.
Tip: Ask whether the gallery subscribes to the Indigenous Art Code and ask for provenance: without it you do not know who you are buying from.
🚇 53 The Esplanade, steps from the Lagoon. The whole centre is walkable.
Featured in: Indigenous Art Code · Cairns Post
Show on mapKuranda Arts Co-op · Coondoo St
A Kuranda artists cooperative since the 1980s: ceramics, textiles, glass and prints made up on the range.
Tip: The artist is usually behind the counter: ask about a piece and you hear how it was made.
🚇 Coondoo Street, central Kuranda. Steps from both markets.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · Cairns Post
Show on mapKuranda Original Rainforest Markets · Therwine St
The original 1978 hippie market, under tin roofs and enormous trees: craft, oils, leather and food.
Tip: This one opens seven days, unlike the Heritage. Come on a Monday or Tuesday and it is the only market standing.
🚇 Therwine Street, Kuranda. Five minutes' walk from the railway station or Skyrail.
Featured in: Kuranda.org
Show on mapKuranda Heritage Markets · Rob Veivers Drive
Kuranda's second market, with fashion, opal, Australian-made goods and the three wildlife parks tucked inside.
Tip: Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10am to 3.30pm only: come Monday or Tuesday and it is shut, and the parks change hours too.
🚇 Rob Veivers Drive, Kuranda. Five minutes' walk from the railway station.
Featured in: Kuranda.org
Show on mapEmu Ridge Gallery · Kuranda
An opal and Australian art gallery in Kuranda, with rough stone, jewellery and northern woodcarving.
Tip: Australian opal is priced on play of colour, not size: ask to see it in daylight before deciding.
🚇 Coondoo Street, Kuranda. Steps from the Skyrail terminal.
Featured in: Kuranda.org · Cairns Post
Show on mapOpal Cave · Kuranda
An opal shop with a huge case of Coober Pedy and Lightning Ridge stone, plus fossils and meteorites.
Tip: Look at the opal here and buy without rushing: the same stone sells downtown in Cairns at a similar price.
🚇 Coondoo Street, Kuranda. Five minutes' walk from the railway station.
Featured in: Kuranda.org
Show on mapAustralis Art · Kuranda
A gallery of Australian painting and photography in central Kuranda, with tropical landscape and local artists' work.
Tip: Small unframed works travel in a suitcase and clear customs easily: ask for them rolled.
🚇 Coondoo Street, Kuranda. Steps from the railway station.
Featured in: Kuranda.org
Show on mapSmithfield Shopping Centre
The northern beaches' shopping centre, at the junction of the Kuranda and Palm Cove roads. Supermarket, cinema and services.
Tip: The second Saturday of each month there is a community market here: the only one with northern-area growers.
🚇 Captain Cook Highway, Smithfield. Bus 113 or 120 from Cairns Central, about 30 minutes. A northern bus hub.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council · Smithfield Shopping Centre
Show on mapClifton Village Shopping Centre · Clifton Beach
The northern beaches' service hub: supermarket, bakery, butcher and a local bar under one roof.
Tip: Load up on water and food here before heading down to Clifton Beach: there is not a single kiosk on the sand.
🚇 55 Endeavour Road, Clifton Beach. Bus 110 from Cairns Central, about 45 minutes.
Featured in: Cairns Regional Council
Show on mapAdventure Equipment · Grafton St
An outdoor shop with boots, repellent, hammocks and the lycra stinger suits you will need in season.
Tip: From November to May a lycra suit is all but compulsory to enter the sea. In October you still do not need one.
🚇 53 Grafton Street, downtown. Four blocks' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Surf Life Saving Queensland · Cairns Post
Show on mapThe Crystal Caves · Grafton St
A shop of minerals, quartz and giant geodes downtown, with pieces from inland Queensland and beyond.
Tip: Heavy stones cost you excess baggage: weigh the piece before falling for the price.
🚇 Grafton Street, downtown. Four blocks on foot from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Cairns Post
Show on mapLP Records Cairns · Oceana Walk
A vinyl shop in the downtown arcade, with Australian rock, Pacific reggae and decks to listen before you buy.
Tip: Dig through the Aboriginal and Torres Strait crate: the section you will not find outside Australia.
🚇 Oceana Walk, off Grafton Street. Four blocks on foot from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Cairns Post
Show on mapCrackerbox Palace · Cairns North
A warehouse of antiques and tropical oddities: colonial furniture, rum signage, ceramics and beautiful junk.
Tip: Small and old travels well: tin signs, postcards and 1950s bottles fit in cabin baggage.
🚇 Grafton Street, Cairns North. Bus 130 or 131 along Sheridan, or fifteen minutes' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Cairns Post
Show on mapFriends of the Botanic Gardens House · Edge Hill
A volunteer-run shop inside the botanic gardens, with seeds, tropical flora books and northern plants.
Tip: Australian plant seeds cannot always leave the country: check before buying to take home.
🚇 Inside Cairns Botanic Gardens, Collins Avenue. Bus 131 from Cairns Central.
Featured in: Cairns Botanic Gardens
Show on mapSoul & Soil · Cairns North
A shop of local produce and tropical-north gifts: range honey, ceramics, soaps and regional coffee.
Tip: A better gift than the night markets: everything here is from north Queensland, not mass-produced offshore.
🚇 Sheridan Street, Cairns North. Bus 130 or 131, or fifteen minutes' walk from the Esplanade.
Featured in: Tropic Now · Cairns Post
Show on mapGiving and Living · Trinity Beach
A gift and homeware shop facing Trinity Beach, with ceramics, textiles and work by northern makers.
Tip: It shuts early, like all of Trinity Beach: after 5pm the whole block closes except the restaurants.
🚇 Vasey Esplanade, Trinity Beach. Bus 110 or 111 from Cairns Central, about 35 minutes.
Featured in: Cairns Post
Show on map