Among other things, in a spirit of spontaneity some pubs distribute invites for free drinks, on the reasonable assumption you will be in a good mood and stay. The Esplanade along the waterfront buzzes night and day. Market stalls, small cafes and fast food outlets with cosmopolitan fare crowd along pavements where you can perhaps squeeze yourself a place at a table in the sun. There is no beach, as such, in Cairns but a tidal flat contained by a stone wall along the lively Esplanade. There are regular bus services.
Some resorts command their own wild stretch of sand.
Others line Palm Cove, which has all the trimmings for the international set, with boutiques and salons, dining and dancing. In a day from Cairns With trips to the Barrier Reef as attraction number one, Cairns offers every imaginable kind of tour or onward flight. Tours can be booked at your hotel, at offices in the centre or at the same price through your own travel agency in your home town. It was once almost a ghost that 'died' in the days of boom and bust when the gold supplies ran out in the Queensland north. Its reawakening was largely due to an entrepreneur who built the Sheraton Mirage on Four Mile Beach and the Marina, lifeblood of the town.