Does Cairns outshine Surfers Paradise in Queensland?
Queensland, “where Australia shines”, is home to many popular holiday destinations. Cairns and Surfers Paradise have been voted the first and second best places to visit respectively in the Travelers Choice Destinations Awards 2011, according to global travel site TripAdvisor.
Further, Cairns recently ranks the fourth most visited place in Australia, following the major cities Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney, according to Tourism Australia.
So does Cairns really outshine Surfers Paradise? Truth is, they’re apples and kiwis—these two bright regions attract visitors for very different reasons.
Cairns is “the perfect city for merry revelers,passionate divers and adrenaline junkies, offering booming nightlife and heart-pounding adventure amid a vibrant,tropical setting,” according to TripAdvisor.
The city is known for its close proximity to the Great Barrier Reef, among other natural sites such as Cape Tribulation, Daintree National Park, Cooktown and the Cape York Peninsula.
As voted by travelers on TripAdvisor, the greatest attractions in Cairns are the eco tours. On the Great Barrier Reef Adventure, you board a fast catamaran and spend the day experiencing the reef by snorkelling, by scuba diving,or through the underwater observatory.
The Green Island Discovery tour is also a popular choice for nature lovers. You travel to Green Island,a 6000-year-old coral cay in the Great Barrier Reef, aboard a catamaran. On this tour, spend 7 hours on the island, enjoying a tour on a glass-bottom boat, snorkelling the reef, taking an eco walk, and swimming in the island pool, among other optional activities.
For better value,you may also combine eco tours by purchase a 3 Day Ultimate Reef Pass. With this, you can book three of six cruises for the price of two.
According to votes on TripAdvisor, the reef experiences are followed by the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, White Water Rafting and other extreme sports, and Cape Tribulation tours in Cairns.
Surfers Paradise, on the other hand, is more developed and offers many built attractions, such as theme parks, dinner show venues, spas, shopping centres, and several restaurants, bars, and nightclubs.
TripAdvisor suggests, as a Surfers’ visitor, you may want to: “Refuel at one of Surfers Paradise‘s 150 restaurants and cafes, or hit a Northside day spa to soothe your surf-weary muscles and smooth your sun-kissed skin.”
Travellers using TripAdvisor recommend Skypoint as the top attraction to visit. For $21.00 for adults and $12.50 for children, you can ride the express lift up the 322.4 metre-high Q1 building and enjoy stunning 360-degree views of the entire Gold Coast.
You may also purchase cost-effective Skypoint packages that include entry and food and beverages. Other well-rated attractions include Infinity, Ripley’s Believe It or Now, and the three theme parks, Warner Brothers’ Movie World, Sea World, and Wet ‘n’ Wild.
It may not be home to the reef or large rainforests,but don’t let the top rated things to do in Surfers mislead you. There is also great natural beauty in this area; in fact, according to TripAdvisor, Surfers Paradise comes in 5th for the best beach in the South Pacific, whereas Cairns doesn’t make the top ten cut.
So, do you want to spend the day touring tropical rainforests or riding roller coasters and surfing the waves? Are you looking to dive into the sea and marvel at the reef or do you wish to drink and dine in the Skybar overlooking beach and high-rise buildings? Travellers, you must first decide what you want from your vacations before picking Cairns over Surfers Paradise!
About the Author
A travel writer for Experience Oz, an Australian travel experience website, I am currently specialising in providing readers with useful and interesting information on things to do and places to see in Australia.
I am Professional Writing graduate with a passion for travel and am enthusiastic about sharing experiences with fellow travellers. So far, I have visited Canada, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Australia, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, Ecuador, Venezuela, Bermuda, Bonaire, Curacao, Trinidad/Tobago, Barbados, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Martin, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, Bahamas, Alaska and many other U.S states.
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