Or you can indulge in more laid-back pleasures of Cairns like floating over the lush rainforest of the Atherton Tablelands in a hot air balloon or teeing off amid palm trees overlooking the Coral Sea.

Cairns palm tree-studded Esplanade overlooking Trinity Harbour simply buzzes. The choice and quality of restaurants and cafés is amazing. You will find everything from coffee shops and ice creameries to bistros, wine bars, seafood restaurants and colourful night markets in Cairns.

Shoppers should head for the new Cairns Central complex and the Pier Marketplace - Cairns is a shopper's heaven providing a range of international and local wares.

Rusty's Market on Grafton Street is a blaze of colour and activity. You'll find tropical fruits like mangoes, jack fruit, black sapotes, rambutans and avocados as well as locally grown tea, coffee, and fresh herbs.

In Cairns the top of the list for culture vultures should be Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park and Cairns Regional Art Gallery, arguably the country's finest regional gallery. There's always an exhibition of fine local art and often a major travelling exhibition on show.

Tjapukai is amazing, combining culture, entertainment and education. Visitors are treated to authentic dancing, demonstrations of traditional foods and medicines, and can even learn how to throw a boomerang so that it comes back! Alongside Tjapukai is the environmentally stunning Skyrail, which glides silently just metres above dense rainforest to the quaint mountain village of Kuranda. From here you can board the famous Kuranda Rail for the trip back to Cairns over the spectacular Barron Gorge.

Accommodation in Cairns Australia is plentiful, with everything from quality backpacker lodges and self-contained apartments to beachfront B&Bs and world class resorts on offer.

In Cairns Art Galleries are plentiful and varied exhibiting both local artists, indigenous art and international work.  The Cairns Art Gallery is a must see with its changing exhibits as well as permanent work.

Cairns Accommodation, Tours, Shopping, Dining, Adventure, Galleries, Aboriginal Culture, Services and Attractions - the choices are many.