Attractions Nearby Cairns, Day Trips and Excursions

(Cairns, Far North Queensland - QLD, Australia)



Picture of the famous Four Mile Beach and coastlineFar North Queensland comes with its fair share of attractions, suiting those tourists based in Cairns and looking for day trips. Coach trips to the Undara Lava Tubes at the Undara Volcanic National Park (the Undada Experience) are especially popular and perfect for an inland adventure, allowing visitors to walk in the path of a volcano which erupted some 200,000 years ago.

Other notable excursions include the luxury resort of Green Island, which resides just 27 km / 17 miles off the coast of Cairns and is part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park World Heritage Area. Link by regular ferries, Green Island comes with a host of natural attractions, such as a stunning sandy beach and a coral bay, regularly frequented by reef sharks. Both Fitzroy Island and the Frankland Islands National Park are also popular attractions for day trippers, offering walking trails, beaches and scuba diving.


Marina photograph

General Information

At just a little more than an hours' drive away, the attractions in the sunny town of Mareeba are easy to reach and include coffee plantations and various seasonal events. If you are holidaying in Cairns during mid-July, you may well like to check out the Mareeba Rodeo at Kerribee Park.

Located inland from the shoreline, part-way between Cairns and Innisfail, the Atherton Tableland is known for its glorious scenery, waterfalls, lakes and national parks. The Atherton Tableland can easily fill several days, and so it is well worth planning any excursion here carefully, so that you have time to properly explore what you find most appealing. Choose between the town of Atherton, the town of Herberton, the township of Innot Hot Springs, Lake Eacham, Lake Tinarro, the Malanda Falls, the Millaa Millaa Falls, the Mungalli Falls Rainforest Village, the Mount Hypipamee National Park and Yungaburra village, amongst other leading Atherton Tableland attractions.

Image of the Quicksilver cruise boatThe Mossman Gorge and the Daintree National Park are around one and a half hours north of Cairns and come with many natural attractions.

Slightly closer and still in the same direction, the town of Port Douglas has become a leading tourist destination and comes with its very own Historical Walk, where you will pass attractions such as the former Court House, the Flagstaff Hill Lighthouse and the Waterfront Precinct. However, most day trippers from Cairns come to Port Douglas to spend a day soaking up the sun on its famous Four Mile Beach.