we are flying into cairns for a five day stay from march 10th.loads of questions.we'll hire a vehicle so shd we go north or south? we like to swim and sit on the beach and read but also of course we'll explore the area a bit. and where to stay? Kewarra resort looks great but Melalucca in Palm Cove looks good too and it's almost 500 cheaper. we love food and maybe the restaurants of Palm beach make more sense than just eating in the one place each night.
Or shd we head south to Mission beach and Dunk island. My partner is a little iffy about tropical wildlife but as I say we are going to the tropics!!!
So a bit confused. help advice wd be great.Thanks

My partner is a little iffy about tropical wildlife but as I say we are going to the tropics!!!
Not quite sure what you or your p means by that. If you are talking about the beautiful butterflies, birds, marine life, norturnal animals then I am unsure what exactly you are expecting in the tropics.

Perhaps you may think of staying at Pat and Mike's Lilybank B&B when you are in Cairns. They specialize in giving Americans, in particular, a taste of Australia that you cannot get anywhere else. Their expertise in organization and knowledge of the area will ensure that you get to see and do the things that most others miss out on. They personally know most of the guides that do tours and the best food areas and places to see. Pat's breakfasts a delight and she is known far and wide for the thought and passion she puts into giving her guests something to remember.

WOW !!!!! What a glowing report.

Thanks Liz !!

I really did not know where to stay in Cairns during our vacation.

Now I know where to go.

People like you and Pat and Alan are such a help to us fodorites.

What would we do with out all this expert advice.

Thanks again Liz.

By the way Liz we are thinking about going to visit Pat in March.

Do you think the weather will be resonable then.

What time of the year did you visit them.

Thanks in advance.

Jenny Shore.

Hi, flora,
you could look at booking a day trip to any or all of the following places, all very different and interesting:
- Undara Lava Tubes
- Daintree Rain Forest
- Atherton Tablelands
- Great Barrier Reef - if you are in to snorkelling then try Michelmas Cay, otherwise perhaps consider Green Island which has a lovely beach, some fish swimming with you, a crocodile display, and you can walk around the island in half an hour.
Last year we hired a car and visited Mareeba and Yungaburra and places between them and Cairns, trying to find platypus in the wild as well as visiting the Coffee Works and having dinner at Nick's Swiss restaurant in Yungaburra.
Dot

Hi Flora, March should be beautiful for North Queensland but no, I am not going to visit Pat this March but I will be in the Whitsundays between 15 -21st I think mainly because its been a long time since I was there and we were in Cairns only last year. I do intend to be in Cairns sometime this year hopefully and I will be staying at Pat & Mike's but those plans are early days yet.
We used to go to Cairns & surrounds neally every year when we lived further up the coast of Queensland and I enjoyed it every time. I always found something different to do and see and never got tired of snorkling - something I could do all day, every day up there.
Dotty has given you some great ideas too of the Atherton Tablelands as I love that area as well. I love the little village of Yungaburra and it is not far from there to the big freshwater crater lakes which are worth a visit and perhaps a little boat ride on one of them. I also was lucky one year to be around for the Mareeba Rodeo which is something that I grew up with and is the reason that most of my bones have arthritis due in part or whole to the fact that I thought I could stay on a bucking bull or horse longer than any other idiot - the reverse was true of course, but I still like to watch the other stupid fools doing the same thing - guess it makes me feel less like the twit that I was.
The coffee plantation has some wonderful coffee and allied products, then there is Narada Tea plantation which, if you want to taste really wonderful tea that has been grown without pesticides etc then that is certainly worth a visit. But then there will also be things that the locals will direct you to as well so I will leave you with those thoughts for now.

Thanks for all the info Liz.

After reading your above post on the B@B I took it you had actually been there already.

I read some where March is the wettest month of the year in North Queensland.

You have said March is a beautiful time to visit.

Not entirley sure what to do here.

Do you think we should plan a week in the Cairns area during March or do you think we might be better further south.

Jenny

Here is a link to a website which will tell you a lot about North Queensland and the GBR together with the rest of Queensland, NZ and Fiji. You can click on any of the accommodation places that you have been thinking about and you should get all the information you need - if not contact the business direct.
Hope this helps
http://www.great-barrier-reef.com/