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Cairns Information
The gateway to the Great Barrier
Reef, Cairns is a short two hour flight from Brisbane, Queensland’s
capital, and just three hours by plane from Sydney. A tropical city
with the ultra laid-back lifestyle Queensland is famous for, Cairns
is a great place to base yourself to explore the Great Barrier Reef
and the mainland. Around 600 tours leave Cairns daily for experiences
ranging from scenic train journeys to guided rainforest walks, Aboriginal
culture, wildlife parks, white water rafting, croc-spotting river
cruises, and country craft markets. Great shopping, restaurants
and nightlife make Cairns the perfect place to spend the time between
exploring the region’s natural wonders.
Residents of the area are also
proud to be custodians of two of the world’s greatest natural
treasures - the Great Barrier Reef
and the Wet Tropics Rainforests. Both
of these wonderful attractions are World Heritage listed, and there
are very few places on Earth where two such treasures rest side
by side
Great Barrier
Reef
One of Australia 's greatest assets is the magnificent reef that
runs along virtually the entire coast of Queensland . Considered
one of the world's natural wonders, it is the most extensive reef
system and the biggest structure made by living organisms on earth.
In the north, the reef is virtually continuous and is located only
50km (30 miles) from the shore. In the south, individual reefs are
more common, and in some places up to 300km (190 miles) offshore.
Hundreds of islands dot the reef area. About 20 of them have resort
facilities, but it's possible to camp on many others.
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