Laid back Cairns, QUEENSLAND
Airing Date: Sep 22nd, 2003
That holiday feeling is never far away in Cairns. The small city exudes a laid back tropical lifestyle with plenty of shopping, dining and activities to match any major tourist destination.
There are literally hundreds of day tours available, and for those who enjoy a good nightlife there are heaps of clubs and bars to check out.
It's also good for families on a budget. All Day Bike Hire rent bikes for $15 a day - and that's a 24 hour day. Once you've got a mode of transport, getting around is easy.
The best place for a bike ride is the revamped Cairns Esplanade. There's a new boardwalk and a saltwater lagoon where you can swim all year round. It's a great place for kids to play, build sandcastles and enjoy the shallow water.
From the Esplanade, it's about a twenty minute ride to the Flecker Botanic gardens. These gardens have a fascinating indigenous plant area, and the Botanic Gardens Restaurant is a fine place to stop for lunch. Then, if you peddle across the road you'll come across a boardwalk that leads through a luscious rainforest to Saltwater Creek and Centenary Lakes.
To stay right in the action try BreakFree Royal Harbour, located on the Cairns Esplanade overlooking the picturesque harbour. They offer apartments up to four times the size of an average hotel room and are designed with private balconies.
At night the Esplanade comes alive with restaurants and a night market that sells everything from food to fashion, Australian arts and crafts, and jewellery. Some of the more unusual things you'll find are banana skin bags and pistachio nut magnets.
The facts
Qantas flies to Cairns every day from every capital city. Prices start at $484 from Sydney and $760 from Perth.
Qantas
Tel: 13 13 13
A normal high season rate at BreakFree Royal Harbour in an ocean view spa apartment is usually $468 for five nights. As a special offer for viewers of The Great Outdoors, the first 100 callers will pay only $270 per person twin share for four nights - and the fifth night is free!.
BreakFree Resort Apartments
Tel: 13 26 78
