Is this your first trip to Cairns? The postcard prose about Cairns (tropical, lush, exotic) fails to mention that paradise comes with a price – dripping, sluggish, coiffure-melting humidity. Part-time Cairns girl Tamara Sheward offers secrets – local style – on staying cool up north, and avoiding crocodiles.
Crystal Cascades
Known simply as “Crystals” to generations of local kids on BMX bikes, this freshwater waterhole is a godsend, especially in sticky summer months when Cairns beaches are clogged with pesky jellyfish, not to mention a rogue croc or two. Its name isn’t a wistful euphemism either: hidden within thick rainforest, sparkling waterfalls tumble into boulder-snugged pools that remain blissfully cool all year round.
There’s no public transportation from town to Crystals, so you’ll need either a taxi or a lift with an obliging local. There’s no mobile phone reception either, so be sure to arrange transport home beforehand. If you’re cycling or on foot, the nearest landmark is the Red Beret Hotel: Crystals is about 10km up from there.
Paronella Park
With sultry nights, a frenetic nightlife and busloads of over-heated blokes, Cairns is undoubtedly hot. But there’s one spot south of the city that forgoes raunch for romance: Paronella Park. Built by Spanish immigrant Jose Paronella in the early 1930s for his bride, Margarita, the park is the misty, mossy embodiment of faded grandeur, all a’tumble with crumbling castles, sculpted fountains and even a tunnel of love. Many a courtship has ignited on the castle’s tatterdemalion staircase or while watching doves flirt in its fecund gardens. All that amor pinkening the cheeks? Jose knew what he was doing: the castillo shares its grounds with a dramatic (and cool) 40-foot waterfall. Swoon. Paronella Park is a daytrip south of Cairns: self-drive or catch one of many coaches that visit the Park daily. See: www.paronellapark.com.au
Holiday Goddess Cairns Resort Secret – $130 and Under
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Cool Down, Shop Up
If you really want to make like a local in FNQ, forget the beach, bars and bayside dining, and follow the thwok of thongs to any of Cairns’ wildly varying shopping centres. While fashion in the tropics is truly hot couture – your best bet is a cute bikini and handpainted sarong – it hasn’t stopped major retailers like Guess and Ralph Lauren from setting up shop up north. Best of all? Free air-conditioning!
Cairns Central The biggest mall in town is right across the street from the beautifully renovated Grand Hotel. Prop yourself up at the handcarved Croc Bar for a post-shop G&T.
DFO, Westcourt Hundreds of labels, including local swimwear boutiques, for less. A shuttle bus trundles back and forth between the city daily. Details here.
Raintrees, Manunda Buried in the ‘burbs, but worth a gander, especially to nab yourself a one-off Torres Strait Islander floaty floral sundress. Catch Sunbus 130 or 131 from the Cairns City Mall in Lake Street.
Rusty’s Markets A local icon, Rusty’s is a ramshackle cluster of nearly 200 stalls offering everything from tarot readings to homemade jewellery. Best of all, though, are the tables heaving with brightly coloured alien life forms (okay, “locally-grown exotic fruits”).
Tamara Sheward is a Lonely Planet writer. She has also written for Europe on a Shoestring. Read her guide to the best Rome playlists in The Holiday Goddess Handbag Guide to Paris, London, New York and Rome, available now at Booktopia.
