For a seaside day trip, nothing can beat the scenic Cook Highway from Cairns up to Port Douglas. Along the way you’ll drive along the coast as well as through large sugar cane fields. Just outside of Cairns you’ll pass through a wonderful network of beaches with fabulous accommodations, restaurants, and golf courses. Swimming here is very popular, although beware of stingers and jellyfish from November to May when swimmers should stay inside netted enclosures.
Further up the coast you’ll see the quaint Palm Cove with its palm tree lined streets and grassy, landscaped beachfront properties. Palm Cove is a relaxed beachtown where visitors can enjoy swimming and tanning on the beautiful beach, golfing at the local course, and horse-back riding, especially sunset beach rides. Wild World is a local wildlife park and kangaroos still thrive here in the wild.
An interesting side trip from the Cook Highway is to the town of Kuranda, a little further inland. Karanda is a small village in the midst of a rainforest and is a very popular destination for tourists. To get to the village requires taking either the Kuranda train or the Skyrail cablecar, or some combination of the two. Once there, visit the Aviary, where you can walk through the birds’ enclosures or the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary where you can view the famous tropical butterflies of the region. Other highlights include the Rainforest Walk and river boat cruises.
Finally, Port Douglas is a wonderful place to get away from it all. A beautiful seaside town, here you can enjoy cruises to the Great Barrier Reef, a trip to the award winning wildlife park, Rainforest Habitat, or the markets held every Sunday. The more adventurous can take part in adventure water sports, and others can spend a lazy afternoon on the beach or taking in a round of golf.
