Cairns, the perfect place to start or end your East Coast Roadie, our fave photographer LY aka Lydia Collins hit U P Cairns and the epic tropical surrounds….
Lydia will be sharing her exact itinerary for 4 days in Cairns, including:
- Learning to scuba dive on the Great Barrier
- Exploring Cairns
- Heading on a roadie through the Daintree Rainforest
- Exploring Port Douglas
Read on to find out more about Lydia’s adventure with the gals hittin’ up the EPIC Great Barrier Reef, The Daintree Rainforest and Cairns.
Click images to see more.
Let The Adventure Begin
Day 1
One thing that Cairns is known for is Daintree Rainforest – the worldʼs oldest tropical rainforest, 80 Million Years older than the Amazon! ao heading here was an absolute no-brainer. We woke up early to head to Central Station to catch the North Bus to Kuranda (30minute drive). Hopping off at Kuranda town, we grabbed a coffee and headed to the Skyrail ticket office to purchase a one-way ticket that takes you to Smithfield. (this is the town at the bottom of the cablecar, but a return option is available).
Kuranda to Smithfield takes around 1.5 hours including the 3 stops you make. You can take longer at each stop as itʼs a hop on/hop off service. Thereʼs a great Ranger talk at Red Peak stop off thatʼs well worth doing!
Day 2
Another must-do when visiting Cairns is a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We jumped on the Passions of Paradise boat trip (8 hour day trip).
One of the big highlights for me was the Scuba Diving – the instructors on the boat were amazing and took their time to teach you all the things you needed to know to make the most out of your experience. Then when they felt like you were capable they let you take in the surroundings and dive unattached to the instructor. Later in the day, they gave the option of a second dive for 40 minutes!
Cairns is also known for itʼs party scene. Unfortunately, we went a little out of season but it was still worth while heading out! The Conservatory Bar, Woolshed and Gilliganʼs are all great places to check out and dance the night away.
Day 3
Port Douglas is an absolutely must and what better way to travel there than on a roadie!
We drove one hour north of Cairns up to Port Douglas and the drive is absolutely beautiful. It follows the coastline the whole way and the scenery is incredible. Port Douglas is a really beautiful town with lots of shops, coffee stops and places to stop for lunch. We had lunch at Betty’s Bohemian Beach Cafe and then headed to Four Mile Beach for an afternoon in the sun.
Day 4
We rented our wheels for a few days so decided to head to Palm Cove, situated half way between Cairns and Port Douglas. (30 minute drive from Cairns). I had some work with a resort located on the beach so was lucky enough to spend the whole day there!
Thereʼs no shortage of beautiful restaurants in this area, most are beachfront and offer amazing dishes. We headed to Portofino, a super delicious Italian! Iʼd also recommend NuNu, itʼs on the beach and the menu looked super tasty!
All planned with the help of RatPack
All my trips on the East Coast and our Campervan rental was booked through Sammy at RatPack Travel – the BEST rated travel agency in Australia, they offer 10% off every trip and rental, which makes it cheaper than booking direct! They create free personalised travel calendars and can give you SO much advice on where to stay and places to visit!
About the Author: Sammy
with RatPack Travel?
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From our RatPackers
Super friendly, and speedy service Anna was lovely- she went above and beyond to help us get the best deal. Definitely recommend!
Jenna was absolutely amazing! Made my booking so easy & was a mind of information about all the booking options, helping guide me & my friends on what camper suited us best for our trip. Could not be more helpful even with additional trip tips! Would highly recommend jenna to anyone who needs info / wants to book a camper! Can't wait for my trip.
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I have just booked a campervan… excellent phone service from Anna. Very clear explanations. Will write another review after our trip😀
George from Ratpack Travel was really helpful, he talked me through all the different camper options and what would suit me. He sent me links so I could look through the specs myself. Would really recommend ☺️
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I have had the Absolute pleasure of corresponding with "George" regarding my upcoming holiday 😀 I was Very flustered in not knowing where to even start... Then I seen their post on Facebook, so thought I'd give it a go!!! Thank Goodness I did 👍 George has taken away All my stress and worries and has done all the work for me ~ how good is that 😉 My holiday isn't until September ~ yet I know if I have Any questions, I can give him a call and he will help!!! I Will Definitely be telling Everyone about this company and the Brilliant customer service I have been shown! I Cannot rate them any higher, mainly because there's only 5 stars to pick, but I rate them 100% the Best Company I have Every had the opportunity in dealing with!!! Thankyou George ~ I will Forever be a Valued, Happy Customer 😃 Kind Regards Cindy 🙏
Great experience booking with them, Anna asked about my requirements and found the best deals for my upcoming trip. Can't wait.
Ryan did an amazing job and guided me through the alternatives of different campervan rentals and helped me to find what suits me for my trip
Planning a huge trip is always a daunting experience but George managed to make the whole experience stress free and enjoyable. Everything from start to finish was personal and easy! Booking with RatPack is like being on the phone to a mate. Super informative, really friendly and we got an amazing deal. All you can ask for really. Thank you RatPack!
Huge thank you to RatPack Travel! We left it pretty late to book our campervan for Tassie and couldn't find many affordable options ourselves. I spoke to Gregg from RatPack on Whatsapp and within 10 minutes he had found us a great vehicle at an amazing price. We've just landed in Hobart and found out we've been upgraded to an even better van at the same price!! Will definitely be recommending RatPack to everyone I know who is planning to travel and see Australia the proper way! Thank you Gregg! ❤️
