Travel & Holidays Cairns - Sightseeing for a Day??

Hi,
Gotta stopover in Cairns before flying to Japan.

Arriving 6am Tuesday the 6th of April, departing 11am the next day.

Can any locals (or anyone) advise what we could check out during the day (guess daintree's to far?), where something fun might be happening that night (with a 14yr old), ideas on a handy location we could stay etc?

Gotta a $25 voucher from Jetstar which gives these results - http://hotels.jetstar.com/search/ma...ource=flightbookings&utm_split=pbe_single_cta

Thanks

 

@hobo @Kinnon Bell are locals and can probably lead you astray with some tips

 

You could hire a boat and sail a little way up the river behind 9 mile beach, or is it 11mile? Something like that. Anyway, they have easy boats to manoeuvre and you get to see crocs lying out on the sandbanks. Pretty amazing. When we were there you could also hire push bikes to ride along that beach. It's lined with Palms and really beautiful.

Palm Cove is one of our favourite places to stay, but with a 14yr closer to town may be much better. The pool on the esplanade is amazing.

 

His fairly mature for 14, i.e. more interested in seeing Japan culture than Disneyland etc.
His looking forward to seeing the sun come up over the ocean, rather than setting in it.

Seen plenty of beaches and crocks.
Seen plenty of pics & vids of the reef & forest.
Not sure if the forest would really interest me until I'm retired, but I haven't seen it.
Seen reefs and crystal waters elsewhere.

More interested in doing something we could only ever do/see in Cairns.
I may never get back there again.

Grabbing a couple of bikes (or moped) & checking the area out could be interesting, but no point going West or South if the times better spent going North.

Chopper flights are always appealing to see the whole area but $600 for 20min is a bit rich with the Jap trip.

 

Green Island gets a lot of Japanese tourists!

Get the train and sky rail up to Kuranda. Baron falls might have some good water coming down. Get a taste of the rain forest and awesome views. "where the great dividing range meets the sea" (it's actually further north but close enough!)

April..... You could get a cyclone!

White water rafting?

Hang out at the lagoon and do the night markets. Sneak into the casino?

 

All of that is pretty much what Cairns is!

Unique to Cairns would be, as Bob mentioned, the sky rail and train. Just make sure a cruise ship isn't visiting the same day (learnt that one the hard way...). The other usually touristy stuff you can do elsewhere too.

 

Hope not, bugger up the flights. Rain would be a pain in the bun also.
Markets might be something we can do for dinner, unless a local can recommend something better for night time (remembering I have an underage with me).
Got a Casino over here I don't go to.

As mentioned in my Japan thread, I'm less about the standard touri$ty route crap, prefer getting lost and seeing the real side of places, see what turns up around the next corner etc.

Just found a KLR, $180 for the day - The Rentals: Choppers Motorcycle Rides & Rentals : Cairns Australia
Not knowing the surroundings, where we may end up, on or off road, might be more suitable than a road bike?
Any locals know if these guys have a good rep or not?
Would we need a dual-sport or road be enough?
Route (not root) suggestions appreciated.

There's also these guys but no dual-sport - Motorcycles
Only 2 bike hires I can find on googly

 

Ah ok now your talking!
Google the Bloomfield track. It's dirt, steep in places but pretty straight forward. They've also re-done the causeway so no issues there now.
Ride from Cairns to Cooktown, check out the lions den pub. Waterfall at wujal wujal. And also Cape tribulation on the way. See some cassowaries. See where captain Cook got a flat tyre (qld loves captain Cook's mishaps)

That would fill the day. Then back for the Cairns night life and a swim.

 

Yeah, or train up and Sky rail down.
Even a drive up there is pretty cool, markets etc...
Plenty to see in Cairns if you're only there for a day. Go for a swim in the lagoon and walk around the typical tourist places. Go to the mall when it gets too hot. And get a cheap Chinese massage at the markets of course.

 

We went to cairns on a quick trip a couple of Easters ago. I had not been that far north before and wanted to do it all. Husband said ..you see it all it one day. Well even he admitted I proved him wrong ...

We did this trip... Expensive, but well worth it. You be exhausted, but hey you can sleep all the way to Japan
Kuranda Scenic Railway, Skyrail, Great Barrier Reef Helicopter Tour and Cruise - Cairns & the Tropical North | Viator

We stayed at Breakfree Cairns overlooking the ocean
BreakFree Royal Harbour Hotel

The hotel is on top of the markets, so you get that experience too.
All up a cram packed full day of Cairns tourist spots