Cairns is a modern tropical city with a relaxed atmosphere. Situated along the narrow coastal strip between the Coral Sea and the Great Dividing Range, it is set among some of the prettiest scenery in Australia. Centred around the picturesque Trinity inlet, the city stretches 30 kilometres along the northern beaches and 60 kilometres into the agricultural land to the south. This area encompasses the traditional country of many Aboriginal groups, who for millenna utilised the resources of the rainforest and marine environments, adding their distinctive flavour to the city's multicultural blend.

Cairns was founded in 1876 as a port, primarily for the local timber industry and the Hodgkinson River goldfields to the west. From its beginnings as a rough frontier town, Cairns developed into a prosperous sugar milling and port city, also playing an important role during World War II as a military operational base. More recently, the city has earned the title "tourist capital of north Queensland"

Every day there is a wide variety of tours that depart Cairns and allow visitors to experience the many attractions that surround it. Visit locations such as The Daintree, Cape Tribulation, Port Douglas, Palm Cove, Kuranda, The Atherton Tablelands.

Explore national parks and world heritage rainforest listed areas. Take part in activities such as scuba diving, Great Barrier Reef cruises, whitewater rafting, sky-diving, hot air ballooning, bungy jumping, parasailing, jetskiing and horse riding just to name a few.

Cairns Quick Facts

• Location :   Tropical North Queensland ( Cairns, Queensland, Australia )
• Population :   140,989 plus
• Languages :   English ( many trips also cater for different languages )
• Currency :   Australian dollar
• Health :   Cairns has two hospitals – one private and one public and numerous Medical Centres and private Doctors.
• Weather :   Average Temperature 29º.1 C / 84º F
• Minimum Temperature :   20.1 C / 68º F
• Annual Rainfall :   2.222 mm / 87.5 m
• Current time in Cairns :   2:15 AM Friday 3 September 2010
• Cairns time Zone :   Greenwich mean time – coordinated Universal Time + 10:00 hours Cairns is on Eastern Standard time ( EST ) we have the same time zone as Sydney and Melbourne except when daylight savings is on ( Queensland does not have daylight savings we are closer to the equator so we get longer days naturally ) When Sydney and Melbourne are having daylight savings we are one hour behind other Eastern State times