We're planning on going to Australia in December and are going to be starting in Cairns. We want to do the train/skyrail to Kuranda and were wondering if it would be worth our while to stay there for a night (e.g., take the train up, stay there, take the skyrail back) before moving along up to Cape Tribulation the next day.

I've been looking at the Lonely Planet guides and the different editions seem to have conflicting information about the value of staying there overnight. One book says that the town really comes out after all the tourists leave in the evening, another book says that it is really just a day trip destination and there's not much worth to staying overnight.

Also to consider, staying in Cairns one night, hauling all our luggage up the train to Kuranda for a night then back down the skyrail just to get a car to drive up to Cape Tribulation. Is it worth it, or just stay in Cairns 2 nights and do the Kuranda train/skyrail as a day trip? Anyone have experience with this?

Stay in Cairns (or preferably, Palm Cove or Port Douglas -- Cairns has nothing to really recommend it except as a jumping off point for getting to the GBR). I can't comment on what Kuranda is like at night as, the few times I've done the train/skyrail trip, it never even occurred to me to stay overnight ....

Steph,
Kuranda is very quiet at night. If you are interested in the birds then stay at http://cassowary-house.com.au/, Kuranda Bed & Breakfast or http://www.kurandabirdwatcherscabin.com.au/

I believe that you are going to drive to the Atherton Tablelands from Cape Tribulation so I'd suggest that you do the Kuranda thing as a day trip and enjoy the transport experience. Ask Michael or Anita at the Kookaburra Lodge to give me a ring and we could have a mini Fodor's GTG, meet for a drink. Just tell them 'Alan' and they will know who you mean.

Hi Alan,
We decided to stay at On The Wallaby hostel instead of the Kookaburra Lodge, but that does sound nice! I'm always up for meeting helpful travelers along the way. I'll keep the plans posted as they come along. We won't be there until December, but time is moving WAY quicker than I had expected.

Plane tickets booked though! That means we are actually doing this!

We are flying into Cairns the day before, so we are just going to get a hotel there to crash and orient ourselves, so maybe just plan on 2 nights in Cairns, get a car on the 2nd day and then drive up to Cape Trib.

On that note, any suggestions for a inexpensive but comfortable hotel to stay in for a first bewildered and travel weary night (or 2)? Neither of us have ever flown that far, so it will be quite an experience with such a long flight.

Yes, Kuranda Village more or less closes after the last afternoon train and Skyrail leave at around 3.30-3.45pm.

Also, you can't take much luggage on Skyrail, no more than a small daypack.

People who say Cairns is no more than a jumping off place to GBR don't know Cairns, it stetches over around 40 suburbs (including Palm Cove) and has a variety of accommodation in city, rainforests, beaches. Doing this trip from Port Douglas would add at least an hour each way in travelling/driving time as well as going over much of the same ground as you will on way to Cape Tribulation.

"People who say Cairns is no more than a jumping off place to GBR don't know Cairns, it stetches over around 40 suburbs (including Palm Cove) and has a variety of accommodation in city, rainforests, beaches"

Presumably you mean people like me? Palm Cove - as you well know - is not Cairns. It's all very well to say "Cairns has 40 suburbs" and then include Palm Cove in that but people who have never been to Cairns don't know the area. I, for one, consider Cairns and Palm Cove to be two entirely separate places. Having been to FNQ numerous times over the last 15 years (fly in to Cairns, stay in Palm Cove), I'd never stayed in Cairns until last year. We had some Hilton points to use and (as the Hilton Brisbane never, ever has rooms available) figured we might as well use them at the Hilton in Cairns for a long weekend. We quickly realized why we'd never stayed in Cairns before (and won't ever again). I'm sorry but Cairns city has absolutely nothing to recommend it (unless, perhaps, you are going out to the reef and want to avoid the reef-operator arranged bus ride from your northern beach hotel to the Cairns jetty). We'll be up again next month but will be staying in Palm Cove....

For the OP, by all means stay in Cairns if you just want somewhere to crash but Palm Cove would be much nicer for your first couple of days here.

Steph_Haas,
We usually stay at the Acacia Court. It is an older hotel on the Esplanade, has parking from Lake Street, is reasonably priced and has a seafood and Asian buffet which while nothing out of the ordinary is good value. The rooms are well kept and quiet which is a big plus for us country bumpkins. the staff are friendly and competent. You wont find 5*s but then that is not what you are after. It is not at the CBD end of the Esplanade but it is not too far to walk either. http://www.acaciacourt.com/

At On the Wallaby they will know who you mean if you say Alan. My wife says I'm already too famous.

To the argument above about Cairns; I guess it depends on what you want but a city does not grow like Cairns only on the back of being a "gateway" as such places usually fade away. The art galleries and theaters are usually small time but show some interesting stuff and I enjoy them. There is no shortage of eating places, a Casino and lots of places to drink and dance the night away.

And I'm going to add my tuppence-worth in defence of Cairns as an interesting place to stay and relax in, and explore. The Botanic Gardens, the water reservoir, the Flying Doctor base, are just three places we enjoyed visiting. Family activities include wildlife parks and zoos.

And yes, it is a gateway to other places, but it is always good to come home to Cairns at the end of a busy day, to stroll along the Esplanade or sit in one of the many cafes that look out over the saltwater lagoon / water front and enjoy a relaxing meal.

Dot

Cairns city is a fast growing regional city, not there for entire benefit of tourists. It has two hospitals within its CBD, including Cairns Base which also services vast inland and outback areas, Torres St islands, and parts of Papua New Guinea. There are numerous schools, many non-tourism businesses and local government departments, providing employment to locals, and is the home of Cairns City Council which administers local government areas including Palm Cove.

Hilton in Cairns city is a Hilton, but am surprised you didn't notice it sits on the entrance to Trinity Inlet, a vast waterway and pristine mangrove system, 5 minutes by boat from Cairns city you're in wilderness. Without a healthy mangrove system, you don't get a healthy reef. www.crocodileexplorer.com.au

Edge Hill is another suburb of Cairns, less than 5km north - there are the acclaimed tropical Flecker Botanical Gardens, Centenary Lake (saw an echidna there not long ago), Tanks Art Theatres, Mount Whitfield Conservation Park with Red and Blue Arrow rainforest walks. This is a short bus ride from Cairns city or you can stay in traditional Queenslander B&B's, one, the Garden Gate, is directly across the road from Botanical Gardens. www.bnbnq.com.au

OP might be interested in Edge Hill, its slightly closer to Cairns airport than Cairns city, not more than 5/6 minutes, taxi from airport around $20, today's price for taxi from Cairns airport to Palm Cove is around $64.

In the gardens last week I saw lots of birds including:- Collared Kingfisher, Little Kingfisher, Papuan Frogmouth, Double-eyed Fig Parrot, Rainbow Lorikeet, Figbird and Radjah Shellduck.

Meant to add that many Fodorites stay here http://www.lilybank.com.au

Hello folks,
Thanks for all the info! Fell out of the planning for a bit while life took hold, but we're back in full force. Alan, you seem to have a lot of information about the Atherton Tablelands area, do you have any more suggestions of things to do/places to go? We are working on that end of the trip right now. We did actually schedule to stay at the Lilybank for the first 2 nights we are in Australia, it looks so relaxing! We will be flying into Cairns around noon (December 18th), spending the day orienting ourselves then going to do the Kuranda trip the next day, followed by one more night at Lillybank. Then we're driving up to Cape Tribulation for 2 nights (reef trip from there), then down to the On The Wallaby to explore that area. Let me know your thoughts. It's always great to have the insight of those who know the area best.

Steph,
As you will be driving up the coast come down to Yungaburra via Julaten and Mount Malloy. I seem to remember that you are birders, if so have a look at http://www.birdingtropicalaustralia....e/default.aspx for places to stop.

www.yungaburra.com will give you lots of ideas about things to do around the Tablelands.

It seems to me like you'll be here for Christmas. Is that so?

Hi Alan,
We aren't necessarily birders, but it is interesting to see different kinds of wildlife, especially those so different from here.

We will be in Australia for Christmas, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we will be in the Whitsunday Islands, staying at Airlie Beach and exploring the area from there. We will be in Sydney for New Year's (pretty amazing!).

Does anyone have any interesting thoughts for Christmas in the Whitsunday Islands (that's probably a different thread though).

OK, then you miss Christmas at our place.
At Airlie there will be lots of people without family clebrating Christmas.
Alan

Stop off in Mareeba to see the kangaroos on the gold course. Ask permission to enter if you need to.

At Granite Gorge there are the Mareeba Rock Wallabies. Today when I arrived I was asked to help with the removal of a Northern Quoll from the innards of a washing machine. It was actually a well designed commercial machine, with very little chance of it being injured so we left it be after all taking a look.