10 Best Sights in Cairns, Great Barrier Reef

One of your best chances to see the endangered southern cassowary, a prehistoric emu-like bird, is at Birdworld Kuranda. It's home to hundreds of colorful birds from nearly 60 species, more than 20 of them native to vanishing rain-forest areas—walking and flying freely in a gigantic aviary. Many of them are tame enough to perch on your shoulders. Wear a hat and sleeved shirt: birds' claws are scratchy.

Fronting Cairns Harbour, this busy boardwalk and recreational zone is the focal point of life in Cairns. Along the walk you'll encounter shady trees and public art, picnic and barbecue facilities, a large saltwater swimming lagoon, volleyball courts, an epic kids' playground, a state-of-the-art skate plaza, and areas for fitness, markets, and live entertainment. Patrolled by lifeguards year-round, the shallow, 4,800-square-meter (51,667-square-foot) filtered lagoon has a sandy shore, decking, and shelters, and provides a croc- and stinger-free swimming option. Along the street opposite and along the marina at the boardwalk's southern end, you'll find hotels, shops, galleries, bars, and eateries.

Knowledgeable marine biologists and conservationists give entertaining talks and multimedia presentations, usually to packed houses, about everything Great Barrier Reef–related, from sea turtles' sleep cycles to coral-killing starfish. Expect to learn more than you thought possible about the reef's evolution and the diverse inhabitants of this delicate marine ecosystem. The attached Marine Shop sells an array of reef-themed merchandise: T-shirts, DVDs, books, field guides, and souvenirs. Sign up for a Reef Teach seat by midday.

From the Skyrail terminal just north of Cairns, take a six-person cable car on a breathtaking 7½-km (5-mile) journey across pristine, UNESCO World Heritage–listed rain-forest canopy to the highland village of Kuranda, where you can visit wildlife parks and shop for local crafts and Aboriginal art. At two stations along the way, you can hop off and explore (the Skyrail ticket price includes a short ranger-guided rain-forest tour at Red Peak, and there's an information center and lookout at Barron Falls). Upgrade your ticket to the glass floor Diamond View Gondola, which depart every seven minutes, for an even better view. The cableway base station is 15 km (9 miles) north of Cairns. Many visitors take the Scenic Railway to Kuranda, the cableway on the return trip.

More than 1,200 tropical butterflies—including dozens of the electric-blue Ulysses species and Australia's largest butterfly, the green-and-gold Cairns birdwing—flutter within a compact rain-forest aviary, alighting on foliage, interpretative signage, and feeding stations. Join the breeding lab tour or download a free audio tour and witness the butterfly lifecycle, from eggs to daily aviary release.

Occupying the impressive former Public Office Building built in the 1930s, Cairns Art Gallery houses a mix of local, national, international, and Indigenous artworks, including a fine collection of Australian photography. The shop stocks homewares, jewelry, prints, books, and gifts by local artisans and Australian makers.

This attraction in The Pier mall offers the most accessible opportunity to see koalas around, making it a great option if you are short on time. You can also get a souvenir photo taken with one of the cuddly creatures, with regular sessions held throughout the day, and see snakes, blue-tongue lizards, frogs that change color before your eyes, and native birds.

The historic Kuranda Scenic Railway makes a two-hour ascent through Din Din (Barron Gorge) and through 15 hand-hewn tunnels passing waterfalls en route to pretty Kuranda village. Travel in one of the original timber carriages in Heritage Class or enjoy a cheese platter and mango sorbet made from locally grown fruit in the lounge-style seating in Gold Class. Several tour packages are available, from full-day rain forest safaris, and visits to wildlife parks to simple round-trips combining rail and cable-car journeys.

At the base of the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, this park offers many opportunities to learn about indigenous Djabugay people through exhilarating dance performances, hands-on workshops in traditional fire-making, spear and boomerang throwing, arts and crafts, didgeridoo lessons, and talks on bush tucker and natural medicines. You can buy Aboriginal artworks, artifacts, and instruments (including didgeridoos) at the retail gallery on-site; café fare, buffet lunches, and dinners are also available. One of Australia's most informative cultural attractions, it's also one of the few that returns profits to the indigenous community. Ticket options include Tjapukai by Day and Tjapukai by Night, the latter a nightly four-course buffet dinner/performance package.

This extraordinary complex on the edge of Undara Volcanic National Park, 275 km (171 miles) or a four-hour scenic drive or rail trip from Cairns, supplies the complete Outback experience: bush breakfasts, campfire activities, lava-tube tours, and guided evening wildlife walks, plus a range of distinctive accommodation. Vintage railway cars have been converted into comfortable (if compact), fan-cooled motel rooms with their own en suites. You can also stay in a modern, air-conditioned "Pioneer Hut" with private veranda, fridge, and bathroom (A$195 per night in high season), in a safari tent; or at a powered or unpowered site with shared amenities. One-night "budget" self-drive packages that incorporate tours, campfire activities, and swag-tent accommodation cost A$217 per person in high season, with meals; or from A$321 per person with swankier accommodation. Two-night packages including meals, rail-carriage or Pioneer Hut accommodation, and tours range cost A$497 per person in high season. Other packages include transfers to and from Cairns via coach or on heritage train The Savannahlander. Drink and dine on-site at Fettler's Iron Pot Bistro; breakfast at the Ringers' Camp.