Cairns is the typical tourist town, and well known for its night markets and fun nightlife. It is the typically gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, where there are literally hundreds of options, when it comes to exploring the reef and you can choose from day trips to live on board week long tours.
There are a lot of night markets with plenty of food and souvenir options. The best known market, is Rusties Market, on Sheridon and Grafton Street. Here you will be able find cheap, super fresh fruit and vegetables, cheeses and what serves as Cairns' version of street food. There is also a busker’s corner at Rusties Market, where you can catch some great local musicians performing for the crowd.
Just out of Cairns is Cairns Tropical Zoo and wildlife park, where you can get the ultimate wildlife adventure, with the tropical garden and the fascinating and rare animals from all over the world.
Just by the marina is a nice man made lagoon a great place to cool down, as the main town beach is more of a muddy stretch. It is also important to remember, that many of the nice sandy beaches are quite hard to get to by public transport and that crocodiles are an issue in most creeks and rivers in and near Cairns. Stinger nets are deployed in the water during stinger season, otherwise you must wear a stinger suit, if you are planning to swim outside the nets during stinger season, which runs from October to June. Lifeguards are happy to update you on the current dangers the stingers pose, as conditions and numbers will vary from year to year.
The Cairns coast is a great region for fishing, and some of the locals are known to kitesurf, when the wind is up on the beaches to the north. There are also amazing surrounding areas, like Kuranda and the cable car ride over the forest and rivers, about 20 minutes drive along the main highway north. Depending on the length of your reef trip you could easily spend a week here, or more.
There is generally a fair amount of work available during tourist season, from working at car rental places to retail, tourism and hospitality. Hostels also offer a fair amount of work for accommodation deals.
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