The idyllic palm-fringed gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and lush tropical rainforests.

Step off for the reef
The waters are dotted with idyllic Great Barrier Reef islands, many of them national parks. Lush Green and Fitzroy Islands off Cairns, and further south Dunk, Bedarra, Hinchinbrook and Orpheus Islands.

Southern delights
The Great Green Way linking Cairns and Townsville is home to some dramatic national parks, some more challenging to explore than others. The twin peaks of Queensland’s highest mounts Bartle Frere and Bellenden Ker survey a tropical coastal fringe where rivers meet mangroves. Lush rainforest thrives in the Tully Gorge National Park where rafters thrill on whitewater. On the edge of the Coral Sea, the Eubenangee Swamp National Park is home to a lowland rainforest-fringed swamp.

Cairns tropical setting
The tropical backdrop to the city of Cairns is provided by Barron Gorge National Park. The scenic rim of rugged mountain scenery and magnificent rainforests protects a rich diversity of plant and wildlife.

Delightful Daintree
Reef and rainforest touch in this region of World Heritage protected beauty. The Daintree River winds gently through tangled woodland habitats north to Cape Tribulation, a spectacular national park.