Holiday Attractions & Landmarks In Cairns, Australia

Cairns is a regional city located in Queensland, Australia. It was settled in 1876 and named after William Cairns (at that time governor of Queensland) to serve miners heading to gold fields from Hodgkinson River. The settlement declined when an easier route to that region was discovered from Port Douglas. Still, today Cairns is a top destination for beach holidays in Australia.

Cairns developed from a railhead and major port for export of sugar cane, gold, precious metals, and agricultural products coming from the surrounding regions to a famous holiday destination, and therefore in the entire area accommodation is available in many hotels and properties for rent. The explosion of tourists' number is consequence of the fact that this city is located very close to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef in the world and one of the most famous landmarks in Australia.

One of the major holiday attractions in Cairns is the lagoon, where are settled some of the most beautiful beach resorts and hotels in Australia. Plenty of scuba diving enthusiasts, both Australian and foreign, come in the area for longer holidays, largely booking accommodation in Cairns in order to be close to Coral Sea, very rich in marine life. Since 2006 topless tanning is permitted on all beaches in Cairns because in this premier vacation place arrive tourists from all over the world.

Due to the large number of sightseer taking tours in Cairns in order both to see the subaquatic wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and to lounge on awesome seashores, tourist industry plays a major role in the regional economy. Scuba diving becomes more and more popular on the entire planet, and as result Cairns is nowadays the fourth most visited Australian holiday destination by international tourists after Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane!

While the city does not rank amongst the first three travel destinations in the preferences of Australian vacationers, it draws a large number of foreign voyagers, largely coming for diving vacations and snorkeling tours on the Great Barrier Reef, but also to explore the natural landmarks of Queensland. For this reason, in the locality and its outskirts have been developed numerous lodgings like hotels, motels, and rental properties, generally settled on the shoreline or very close to it, and providing cost-effective vacation deals.

Along with diving trips and beach sports, other favorite leisure activities during holidays in Cairns include golf, river rafting, sightseeing excursions, and hiking.