What to Expect in Cairns, Australia
You’ve probably never heard of Cairns.
What is Cairns?
Well, first off – Aussies pronounce it like “cans”. Like… cans of soda.
Pronounce it correctly with some natives, and you’ll immediately be in with them.
Landing in Cairns from Brisbane; January 2019
Cairns is a city on the northern east coast of Australia popular for its nearby reef…
… the great barrier reef.
What many people who visit Cairns don’t know, is that there are two other really cool things to do.
One, is to go to the oldest rainforest in the world… which I didn’t do – but I met someone native to Cairns on the plane who said it’s amazing and well worth doing.
The other thing to do besides a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef is to go to their Botanical Gardens.
It is, without a doubt, the best botanical garden I have seen around the world.
The pictures speak for themselves…
The leaves looked like real life paintings… stunning.
The Botanical Garden in Cairns in like a Tropical wonderland; January 2019
Cairns itself isn’t similar in comparison to other Australian cities. It’s not as developed as the bigger metropolitan.
My dad and I realized this when there was a storm, and the streets flooded easily. The sewage system isn’t as set as somewhere like Sydney, which is understandable.
The streets and aesthetic of the city itself is very similar to Miami; with numerous palm trees and simple apartment buildings.
Cairns looks a lot like Miami, FL at times.
Also… this city is the epitome of humidity. I’m (kind of) from the Washington D.C. area, and if you’ve ever been to the U.S. capital in the middle of July… then you have an idea of what to expect when you visit Cairns.
It’s worse than Florida. It’s worse than New York. It’s worse than elsewhere in Australia.
It won’t matter much when you go to the reef for the day because you’ll, presumably, be in a swimsuit – but if you want to do other things in the city itself, bring sweat resistant clothing.
Water wicking material that is often used to make workout clothes will serve you well here!
Overall, I’m glad that my dad and I had a half day to walk this city and its botanical gardens. It’s a completely different vibe than the other cities, as it’s much quieter – and it’s an opportunity to see the diversity that Australia has to offer.
If you want to know more about what a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef looks like while in Cairns, click here.
If you’re looking for other things to do in Australia, click here.