Hi All
Can you please share any must-do's & tips for Cairns and Port Douglas given the short timeframe? A friend and I are looking to only see the absolute highlights and get some chill time in too given that we can probably go back there in the future.
Thanks
Cairns its a nice walk along the waterfront about 5kms the public pool has won an international award, good eats at the RSL and Mondo's, most of the reef boats go from there and to quirky Kuranda one way by train and one by Sky Rail, up in PD yes five mile beach is a winner as is a feed at the Tin Shed overlooking the inlet.
http://www.cairnsattractions.com.au/explore/family-attractio…
http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/queensland/hilton-cairns-CR…
http://www.thetinshed-portdouglas.com.au
http://www.kurandainfo.com/?ims=Kuranda&kw=kuranda&gclid=CIi…
the public pool was being restored when visited in July. is it fixed yet?
Breakfast with the Birds/Lunch with the Lorikeets at Habitat Wildlife Reserve, PD is always a standout for us! :)
I also concur with Kuranda Rail/Skyrail combo weather permitting, gorgeous views.
If you had more time the 4wd day trips up to Cape Trib & the Daintree are pretty awesome too, especially if you get one that stops at the tropical fruit place (chocolate pudding fruit; I kid you not; is unbelievable) but it's usually a very full day.
I always like to do the Reef too…there's plenty of places that do tours to the various Islands; but I can highly recommend Sunlover Tours, I went out with them once a few years back and was impressed with their professionalism then; and I very recently sent some overseas family members out to the reef with Sunlover & they had very good care taken of them from go to whoah! I love a company that keeps its standards up! ;)
Gotta do the Hartleys Crocodile Adventures. From memory it wan't overly expensive either (I've got 3 teenagers so I notice!!) Boat ride around the Lagoon which inc. Crocs jumping out of the water etc, Live show in a Rotunda thingy all included in price. Plus we did the Sunset Cruise in PD which goes up and down the inlet and ends up in the Bay at Sunset. Again, affordable, but memorable, quite informative as well.
Book a reef trip if the weather is nice. You can do a reef trip from either Cairns or Port Douglas. Do some exploring of the rainforest too. Crystal cascades is nice and only a 20 minute drive out of town. Plus it's free.
You probably want to hire a car for at least one day, or the whole trip.
Port Douglas is nicer than Cairns and it's a nice drive.
Thanks very much for all the responses so far.
Is hiring a car to drive down to PD the most OzBargain way or is there a bus/coach?
A car just gies you flexibility to get around or go on day trips. Plus you're not limited to a bus timetable. You can get cheap car rentals too.
A quick Google of Port Douglas airport bus reveals $30 per person one way as the cheapest fares. That's really not worth it IMO.
Yep, was cheaper for us to book east coast rentals car for $35 a day then to bother with public transport.
IMO get out of Cairns and into Port Douglas ASAP. Cairns is average compared to Port Douglas.
A nice walk along 4 Mile Beach into town is great to take in the scenery and peace and quiet. You can rent bikes in town for a day which are great to get you around and they have decent tires which handle the sand too.
Whilst you're in town, check out https://coffeeworks.com.au/ for the best chocolate and coffee.
Depends on your budget, but Flames of the Forest was one of the best dinner experiences I've ever had.
If you haven't seen crocs up close before, then this place was pretty good: http://www.crocodileadventures.com/ - but it is a time eater, you'll probably need a good 3 hours to get it done in a hurry, and a good half day to do it relaxed.
If you're into some light hiking, the views in and around Mossman Gorge are spectacular: http://www.mossmangorge.com.au/ - do it at your own pace though, don't get a guided tour. And bring your swimmers with you as there are plenty of great spots.
Those were the highlights for me. We did spend a little bit in Cairns but it was pretty 'meh' to be honest.