Cairns

Cairns, considered the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, is a city in tropical North Queensland. Once a sleepy sugar-milling town, it’s now a destination for sailing, diving and snorkelling. Its Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park tells the stories of the indigenous Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with music and dance. Cairns Esplanade, lined in bars and restaurants, has a saltwater swimming lagoon.