Downpour no downfall
With more showers forecast this weekend, you may be contemplating staying at home and completing that long list of house chores. But reporter Daniel Bateman refuses to let a bit of precipitation force him into any sort of domestic activity and lists five destinations that can be enjoyed without carrying an umbrella. The Cairns Aquarium, Crystal Caves and Australian Armour and Artillery Museum are among his options.
WOW, hasn’t this been a wet week? And with more showers forecast this weekend, you may be contemplating staying at home and getting a lot of house chores done. Bugger that. Wet weather, which will become even more ever-present in the coming months, is never a deterrent to exploring the tropical north.
You may be restricted in what you can do and where you can go, but try these latest and greatest activities at the below attractions to keep you well and truly occupied.
And hot tip: make sure you ask for a local’s discount.
UNDER THE SEA
After five years of development, the aquarium in the city centre of Cairns is finally open. If you haven’t been yet, check it out. It is the ultimate attraction to visit when the rain comes calling.
With enormous tanks full of animals native to the Far North, you can spend a few hours here getting up close and personal with sharks, rays, giant pythons, mud crabs, reef fish – you name it. If you go later in the afternoon, you may find it extremely relaxing to sit in front of the deep reef display, and zone out to the beautiful classical music while watching the fish lazily swimming back and forth.
CRACK A GEODE
An oldie but a goldie. Atherton’s Crystal Caves is a wonder to behold, particularly in rainy weather. Located in Atherton’s main street, this is far more than just a store that sells pretty rocks. It is a man-made cave – yes, cave – replete with crystals and fossils collected from all four corners of the world. One of the simple joys of visiting Crystal Caves is, as the ad suggests, cracking your own geode. They make brilliant bookends for your shelf at home.
UNDER THE DOME
There’s a lot going on at the upper level of Cairns casino, namely there’s an indoor zoo there, the Cairns Wildlife Dome, where you can cuddle a koala, say g’day to a cockatoo, and pose for a pic with a python. For the more adventurous, have a go on the Cairns Zoom. This is the world’s first challenge ropes course in a wildlife park, incorporating 65 elements of crossings and ziplines, including one that takes you directly over a 4m saltwater crocodile named Goliath.
TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES
It’s been more than three years since the Australian Armour and Artillery Museum opened and this is certainly one of the most underrated tourist attractions in Cairns. The enormous museum is the largest of its kind in the world and has a stunning display of 140 armoured vehicles and artillery from the 1800s through to the present day. And the collection is constantly being added to. The museum also has a shooting gallery, where you can select from a range of military rifles – including a WWII British 303, and German Mauser – and shoot them at distances up to 50m.
BE A-MUSED
The new Cairns Museum, which re-opened in July, is well worth a visit. It is far more than the dusty old room full of old photos and books that occupied the top of the School of the Arts for many years. This is now an attractive centre with interactive exhibits that tells you the stories of Cairns in new and interesting ways. Explore a digital map of the city, and learn why your suburb earned its name; have a go at hauling a sack of sugar; and learn about some of the legends that made this such an amazing part of the world.