If you’re planning a family trip to Cairns, splash out on one (or more) of these fun family experiences in the region.
Located in sunny Tropical North Queensland, there’s so much to do on a Cairns family holiday. Take a day trip out to the Great Barrier Reef, visit Cairns Aquarium, see the jumping crocs at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, and ride the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or Kuranda Scenic Railway to the village of Kuranda to visit the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, Birdworld and Koala Gardens.
Families can swim safely at the Esplanade’s lagoon and in some of the area’s beautiful freshwater swimming spots including Stoney Creek and Crystal Cascades.
Feeling inspired? Read on for all the details on Cairns’ best kid-friendly activities.
4 family-friendly Great Barrier Reef tours from Cairns
Take a boat trip on the beautiful Great Barrier Reef for a day of fishy family fun! Here are four of the best tours to do with kids:
1. Sunlover Reef Cruise (with pontoon and waterslide)
What’s not to love about a waterborne adventure on the Great Barrier Reef? Spend a day at Sunlover Reef Cruises floating pontoon, where the kids will be hard pressed to decide what to do first. There’s a wading depth ocean pool where inquisitive yellow-tail fusiliers hang out, a touch tank to get up close and personal with marine life in safety, snorkel tours and cruises over the reef in a glass-walled semi-submersible boat. But, undoubtedly, the best activity is the waterslide, guaranteed to exhaust the kids while creating lasting family memories.
2. Dreamtime Dive and Snorkel experience
Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel offers both an Indigenous and scientific perspective of the Reef, with cultural presentations including dancing and performing with the didgeridoo and clapsticks filling the time spent cruising to the Reef and back.
3. Frankland Islands snorkel safari
Beginning with a rainforest river cruise, followed by the shortest open water crossing of any of the Cairns day tour boats, this tour takes you to Normanby Island in the Frankland Islands National Park island group. During the adventure snorkel safari you will see extraordinary coral cover, including massive boulder corals and widespread anemone gardens (and maybe even find Nemo!). You have up to four hours to explore and enjoy this natural paradise, above and below the water.
4. Reef Magic Cruise with a marine biologist
For a family trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef, choose Reef Magic Cruises and take a moment to consider a day in the life of Eric Fisher. A Master Reef Guide and phD student passionate about teaching the next generation about the Reef, some days Eric can be seen shepherding kids around the massive Marine World platform which comes with eagle-eyed lifeguards and a lot of stability for little ones yet to find their sea legs.
8 awe-inspiring rainforest tours from Cairns
Explore the oldest tropical rainforest on Earth, including the world-famous Daintree, part of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. A family tour is an inspiring adventure as your guide explains the 130-million-year evolution of the rainforest and the complex ecosystems that still thrive there today.
1. Take an Indigenous tour with Walkabout Cultural Adventures
Explore Kuku Yalanji country with Aboriginal guides whose ancestors hail from the world’s oldest living culture. With Walkabout Cultural Adventures you can learn about Indigenous cultural connections to Mossman Gorge, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, and all the creatures that live here.
A hands-on experience perfect for small family groups, you will also learn about bush medicine and tucker, try your hand at boomerang and spear throwing and maybe even catch a mud crab. It’s a great chance to experience authentic Aboriginal culture on country, where tradition and connections remain as strong as they were tens of thousands of years ago.
2. Drift down the Mossman River
The rainforests of tropical North Queensland are Australia’s wettest region — and with a Daintree Drifting Tour, there’s plenty of water-based fun in store. Led by Back Country Bliss Adventures, the experience starts with an upstream riverbed walk, before it’s time to grab your river sled and cruise down the Mossman River. The inflatable sleds sleds can be paddled like surfboards to navigate the river’s twists and turns.
Wildlife spotting opportunities abound: as well as the river’s fish and turtle populations, you may also spot water dragons, colourful birds and butterflies. If you’re especially lucky, you might even see a platypus! The Mossman River runs slow and steady for most of the year, so this activity is usually suitable for kids from four years of age (as long as they can swim). At high river levels, there are stronger currents, so it’s recommended for strong swimmers 14 years and up.
3. Visit Rainforestation Nature Park at Kuranda
Watch a traditional dance performance, learn how to throw a boomerang and hear the didgeridoo played with the award-winning Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience at Rainforestation Nature Park, near Cairns. Set amidst the Kuranda rainforest, you can also do a tour of the rainforest on an authentic World War II Army Duck and meet Tasmanian devils, crocodiles and the endangered cassowary at the Koala & Wildlife Park, where you can hand-feed wallabies and kangaroos.
4. Get off the beaten track with Daintree Safaris
See the world’s oldest rainforest by joining Nicholas Fox from Daintree Safaris for a luxury 4WD tour through the Daintree. When it comes to exploring the rainforest, Nicholas has three decades of experience, plus the required World Heritage Accreditation and National Park permits. Safaris only take six guests at a time for the richest experience of Tropical North Queensland’s biodiversity. Who knows, you may just get to spot a cantankerous cassowary.
5. Go river tubing in the Cairns rainforest
There are few easier ways to view lushly vegetated rainforest than floating gently down a river in an inflatable tube. Families with children aged five and older can journey along forest-lined Behana Gorge or the Mulgrave River, depending on conditions on the day, with Cairns Adventure Group. With an experienced guide to point out highlights, wildlife and to ensure a safe experience, the tour takes a couple of hours and may include some small, easy rapids in between long, lazy drifts downstream.
6. Hartley's Crocodile Adventures
Saltwater crocodiles are the superstars at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures, an eco-tourism park which adjoins the Wet Tropics world heritage area. A billabong croc-spotting cruise is a must when visiting this Cairns attraction! However, there’s more than just salties in store — the park is home to so many fascinating creatures, you could easily spend half a day here and not see them all.
Time your visit to take in one of the shows, which are not only informative but also often hilariously entertaining, including the Crocodile Attack Show (don’t be alarmed, no one is harmed!). You can also have breakfast with koalas and see cassowaries, kangaroos and other reptiles such as snakes, tortoises and lizards.
7. Kuranda Rainforest Cableway
Travel in style through the lush world heritage rainforest with the the Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. Take an inspiring ranger-guided tour and marvel at the majestic Barron River waterfalls.
8. SkyPark Cairns by AJ Hackett
Older kids and teens will have the time of their lives at SkyPark by AJ Hackett, an adventure centre 20 minutes north of the city. Over-10s can tackle the bungy jump – the experience even includes a free t-shirt for bragging rights afterwards! There’s also the Giant Swing, sending up to three riders flying through the air at up to 120 kilometres per hour, and ‘Walk the Plank’ activity suitable for kids six and up.
4 fun things to do in Cairns City
1. Cairns Esplanade Lagoon
Looking for a safe place for the kids to swim in Cairns? Head for Cairns Esplanade Lagoon — a large, manmade saltwater pool on the foreshore that offers a safe swimming destination, free from stingers and crocodiles. It’s also a great spot for a barbecue or picnic.
2. Cairns Aquarium
The easiest way to get up close and personal with the creatures that inhabit the waters of the Great Barrier Reef, Cairns Aquarium is home to around 16,000 critters from diverse Tropical North Queensland habitats and eco-systems including creeks, billabongs, rivers, mangrove forests and the ocean.
Touch and Talk sessions offer an intimate insight into the creatures’ behaviours, while the touch tank allows visitors to handle sea stars, cucumbers and other delicate marine life. But the big attraction is the main aquarium, where colourful tropical fish dart amongst coral reefs, while sawfish and large rays glide overhead.
3. Muddy's Playground
It’s easy to while away the hours at the epic Muddy’s Playground, which has a great café, along the promenade. As well as traditional play equipment, it features a great splash park, flying fox, sound chimes, a rope bridge, slippery dips, cubby houses, revolving tunnels, and a seesaw. An all-abilities swing is also available at the park.
4. Take a Cairns walking tour
As well as food-lover tours to Rusty’s Markets and a Cairns history tour, Cairns Urban Walking Tours offers a fantastic ‘hipster and street art tour’ that’s great for families. Join photographer and avid traveller Peter Schleifer to uncover some funky laneway art, hidden bars, and cafes with a conscience in the heart of Cairns.
3 waterfalls and swimming holes near Cairns
1. Crystal Cascades
One surprisingly accessible marvel is the Crystal Cascades, a freshwater swimming hole only 18 minutes’ drive from the centre of Cairns. From the public carpark it’s an easy 1.2km walk to the falls themselves. Secreted away in tropical rainforest, you’ll feel like you’re miles from civilisation as you dip your toes in the waterfall-fed pool.
2. Babinda Boulders
Halfway between Cairns and Mission Beach you’ll find the legendary Babinda Creek and the Babinda Boulders. As one of Australia’s best swimming holes, it’s easy to spend an afternoon enjoying the water and exploring this picturesque patch of Queensland rainforest. While you’re there, stop off at the popular Babinda Bakery in town, which is always well-stocked with pies, slices, cream buns and other bakery treats.
3. Josephine Falls
It’s worth taking a day trip from Cairns to Mission Beach to see the multi-tiered Josephine Falls in Wooroonooran National Park. There is a swimming hole here, but it’s more risky than others, as the rocks can be slippery and the creek is prone to flash flooding from far upstream. If you do take a dip, stay alert and keep a close eye on children. Otherwise, play it safe and take in the views from dry land, then trail through the picturesque 750m rainforest walk.
Book a waterfalls day trip from Cairns to see the highlights
7 fantastic day trips from Cairns
1. Paronella Park
If all of that is not enough to pack into a Cairns & Great Barrier Reef family holiday, drive two hours south, where you’ll find 5ha of magnificent parklands and historic Spanish-style architecture at Paronella Park. Nestled amongst the rainforest on the banks of Mena Creek, the attraction was the dream of José Paronella, who arrived in Australia from Catalonia in 1913.
2. Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park
Around three hours west of Cairns, Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park features dramatic limestone caves and significant Aboriginal rock art galleries. Mammoth stalactites drape the cave ceilings while stalagmites rise like sentinels from a lost world. From the township of Chillagoe, book a ranger-guided tour to explore a fascinating underground world through caverns and secret passages concealed within Donna, Trezkinn and Royal Arch Caves.
3. Undara Lava Tubes
Below the rolling savannah plains west of the Cairns and the Great Dividing Range, you’ll find Undara Lava Tubes. The Undara Experience was created by the pioneering Collins family, who have grazed cattle on Rosella Plains Station for over 150 years, and is much more than a geological wonder that has evolved over millions of years.
Take a guided tour through the cave system and enjoy vivid sunsets and starlit skies that Outback Australia is renowned for, amidst native wildlife including kangaroos, wallabies and micro-bats. Stay overnight in the homestead or restored railway carriages, or roll out a swag and sleep beneath the stars.
4. Kuranda Village & the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary
Escape the tropical heat with a Skyrail trip to Kuranda, a relaxed rainforest town perched in the Atheron Tablelands. There are many attractions here, but the Koala Gardens, Butterfly Sanctuary and Birdworld are especially fascinating for toddlers.
With more than 1,500 butterflies, Australian Butterfly Sanctuary is Australia’s largest butterfly aviary. It showcases native species including the spectacular green and yellow Cairns Birdwing, cobalt blue Ulysses and Monarch butterflies and lesser-known species. Learn all about the butterfly life cycle through immersive exhibits, educational experiences and guided walks, or wander at leisure through the aviaries to simply admire the gentle flutter of butterflies.
5. Cruise or paddle through Cobbold Gorge
In the heart of Gulf Savannah country, the near-vertical sandstone walls of Cobbold Gorge are etched with glorious patterns and rugged formations carved by the elements. Take a guided boat tour along the waterway, or glide across the still waters on a SUP while learning about the evolution of this ancient landscape. Gliding gently through the gorge, you’ll witness nature in all its glory – from delicate fern fronds dancing in the breeze to birdcalls high above the escarpment.
6. Hou Wang Chinese Temple and Museum
Discover beautifully preserved Chinese artefacts at Hou Wang Chinese Temple and Museum in the Atherton Tablelands. Established in 1903 by immigrants living and working at Cedar Camp, the temple was donated to the National Trust in 1979.
Made from timber and corrugated iron, the building is uniquely Queensland and has been carefully maintained to keep its heritage charm intact.
7. Hot air balloon flight over the Atherton Tablelands
Get airborne on the Atherton Tablelands and sign up for Hot Air Balloon Cairns for a dawn float over high country west of Cairns.
6 places to eat in Cairns with kids
Oak & Vine Restaurant
59/63 Esplanade, Cairns City
Located at the Oaks Cairns Hotel, rooftop Oak & Vine Restaurant has an on-trend Nikkei menu serving fresh local seafood in Peruvian style using Japanese techniques. Other crown-pleasers include fish and chips, steaks and burgers.
Cairns Night Markets
54-60 Abbott St, Cairns City
Cairns Night Markets is a one-stop dining destination for the whole family. Offerings include Asian food, gelato, crepes and a New Zealand Natural ice-cream shop.
Prawn Star Cairns
Pier Point Road | Marlin Marina, E31 Berth, Cairns City
Seafood lovers should check out Prawn Star Cairns, which is located across four boats moored at Marlin Marina, for that novelty factor kids love.
Ganbaranba
7/12-20 Spence St, Cairns City
Ganbaranba is great for Japanese food, such as noodles and gyoza. It’s open for lunch and dinner, when the atmosphere is especially lively.
The Backyard
Pier Point Rd, Cairns City
You can also dine on the deck at The Backyard in the nearby Shangri-La The Marina Cairns, which has a great grass area for children to play.
Where to stay in Cairns with your family
Shangri La The Marina Cairns | 5 stars | The Pier entertainment precinct
Oaks Cairns Hotel | 4 stars | The Esplanade
More information
How To Dive, Snorkel & Explore The Great Barrier Reef
Opening image: Cairns Lagoon on the Esplanade
Content contributors: Fiona Harper, Angela Saurine, Dan Campbell
In partnership with Cairns & Great Barrier Reef
