Head south for adventure
WHILE Cairns’ CBD and the northern beaches tend to get most of the tourist love, the city’s southside is a still a great place to explore.
If you haven’t yet ventured south of Earlville, here is a list of four attractions you really need to check out:
SUGARWORLD
As strange as it sounds, there are locals who are unaware that Edmonton is the home to Cairns’ only waterslide adventure park. Sugarworld has three waterslides, an interactive kids’ playground and ninehole mini golf.
WALSH’S PYRAMID
It is one of Cairns’ most famous natural landmarks and there is an awesome walk to the summit of Gordonvale’s volcanic mountain. The 6km return hike — which is regarded as difficult — takes about 5-6 hours to complete, but the view from the summit is well worth the effort.
BEHANA GORGE
Gorge by name, gorge-ous by nature. This swimming hole, a 30-minute drive south of Cairns’ centre, is regarded as a magical place to spend a day hiking through rainforest, swimming in a crystal clear mountain stream and enjoying a picnic lunch. Best of all — most tourists don’t know about it.
IVAN EVANS WALKING TRACK
Walking this blissful 2.4km trail (one hour return) up through the rainforest, you can quickly forget that you are close to suburbia. The Ivan Evans — named after an early landowner who donated land for one of Cairns’ earliest water supply reservoirs — can be found at Ellen Close, Bayview Heights, continuing to Toogood Rd.