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About the Rain Forest

The tropical rainforests that surround Cairns are unique, beautiful, and filled with plants and animals found nowhere else on earth. Here you can find kangaroos that live in trees, mammals that lay eggs, huge flightless birds, colorful orchids and countless other species of plants and animals.

Want to explore the scrub? (That’s the local term for rainforest.)There are any number of ways to explore and enjoy this abundance. Just walking around town (especially in early evening) you can find wallabies hopping about, huge fruit bats flying overhead, and colorful parrots in the trees. A walk though the town’s botanic gardens and nearby walking tracks through Mt. Whitfield Reserve can get you out there.

 

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(c) 2003 Pine Creek PjhotographyTo get further afield there are trains, gondolas, and guided day tours into the rainforest. For the more adventurous there are mountain bike rides, white water rafting, guided overnight hikes and any number of camping safaris, ranging in length from three to 60 days in length.

Try this link for the most complete index of local adventures found on the web.

There are two regions nearby that are popular with backpackers. Many backpackers head up to Cape Tribulation to stay at the several hostels in the area, This beautful region, now protected as a World Heritage Site, combines lush tropical rainforests and stunning beaches and a casual, rural feel.

Another popular backpackers destination is the Atherton Tablelands, a rural area in the mountains behind Cairns. The area ia network or tropical rainforests, rural farms and ranches, and small timber and pastoral towns. plus a number of scenic National Parks.

There are two or three small hostels in the area, the most notable being On The Wallaby.

A number of day tours also visit the area, including Uncle Brians' Fun, Falls and Forest, which is very popular with backpackers.