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Cairns
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CAIRNS
was pegged out over the site of a sea-slug fishing camp when gold was found to the north in 1876, though it was the Atherton Tablelands' tin and timber resources that established the town and kept it ahead of its nearby rival, Port Douglas. The harbour is the focus of the north's fish and prawn concerns, and tourism began modestly when
marlin fishing
became popular after World War II. But with the "discovery" of the
reef
in the 1970s and the appeal of the local climate, tourism snowballed, and high-profile development has now replaced what everyone originally came to Cairns to enjoy: a beautiful, unspoiled, lazy
tropical atmosphere
.
For many visitors primed by hype, the city falls far short of expectations. However, if you can accept the tourist industry's shocking glibness and the fact that you're unlikely to escape the crowds, you'll find a great deal on offer and easy access to the surrounding area - the Atherton Tablelands, Cape York and, naturally, the Great Barrier Reef and islands. Used as a base to explore these regions, Cairns can be fun, as long as you accept its limitations Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Australia,
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