About Cairns
The city of Cairns is situated adjacent to the Great Barrier Reef in Tropical Far North Queensland, Australia. Established in 1876, the city is now one of Australia's leading holiday destinations and popular all year round.
Cairns Population is around 125,000 with industries such as tourism, sugar-cane, fishing, culture and the arts. The international airport operates 24 hours per day with a modern international and domestic terminal.
Cairns is delightfully surrounded by rainforest-covered mountains and sits at the top end of the Great Dividing Range which skirts the East Coast of Australia. Day trips from Cairns include the Great Barrier Reef, Wet Tropics Heritage Listed Rainforests, waterfalls, farming and outback; not forgetting the city itself, which hosts an array of attractions, shopping, and scenic sights.
Cairns annual rainfall averages over two metres per year. Other regions nearby boast toward four metres, so waterfalls flow all year around. The wettest months are from January to March, with this time also being hot and humid with temperatures in the lower thirties. While the atmosphere can be sticky, it is also a wonderful time when the rainforests are at their best. Wildlife is more active in the 'wet' and the waterfalls are truly awesome; everything is a vivid green.
May through September are busy months
in Cairns with June, July and August being the peak visitor months. August to November becomes warmer and drier with November being quite hot and usually quite dry. Xmas can be either hot and dry or hot and wet, with exciting electrical storms possible ('build-up' to monsoon time). Cyclones can be present in our tropical waters from November to May officially, but are not a common event.
During our official monsoon season (November to May) you can't swim straight off our beaches due to the presence of poisonous jellyfish (stingers). Special swimming enclosures/nets are provided off most popular beaches for your protection if you wish to swim. This is the time we head to the mountains and swim in cooler, crystal clear waters. If those options fail you, most accommodation houses have lovely pools and our Esplanade (city centre) boasts a 'free' lagoon-pool and picnic area.
So if you're thinking of Cairns as a destination, anytime is a good time with our environment changing monthly.