GO WILD IN FNQ

WHY WE’RE NO. 1 FOR ADVENTURE:

CAIRNS and the wider Tropical North can claim bragging rights as the No.1 destination for thrillseekers in regional Australia.

The city has been voted the Top Adventure Town in Australia as part of the 2018 Australian Town of the Year Awards by Wotif.com.

Cairns finished ahead of Cradle Mountain in Tasmania and the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park, while Port Douglas was voted the country’s fourth-best adventure town.

“Having two World Heritage areas side by side means visitors are spoiled for choice when it comes to trying something new,” said Pip Close, chief executive of Tourism Tropical North Queensland.

“World-class mountain bike trails through the Wet Tropics rainforest are just a 20minute drive from Cairns, while Reef boats depart from the city heart for the outer Great Barrier Reef where you can snorkel with turtles.

“With more than 600 tours departing Cairns daily, there are soft and adrenaline-pumping adventures suitable for everyone.”

Cairns earned the award after being voted as the country’s No.1 adventure destination by more than 1400 Australians.

Making the region Australia’s “adventure tourism capital” has underpinned a suite of investments made by ASX-listed company Experience Co – formerly known as Skydive the Beach – in Far North Queensland over the past 18 months

The business has recently snapped up iconic local brands such as Raging Thunder Adventures, Reef Magic Cruises and Great Barrier Reef Helicopters.

“Cairns can model itself on Queenstown (NZ) and become the adventure capital of Australia, certainly with its climate and natural beauty, and we wanted to be part of it,” Experience Co chief executive Anthony Ritter said last year.