What to do and see in Cairns, Queensland: The Best Things to do Good for Kids

Dive, Snorkel, Sail the Great Barrier Reef aboard Passions of Paradise, Cairns newest and most luxurious catamaran. Sailing daily, let our friendly, dedicated staff introduce you to another world teeming with exotic fish life, coral gardens, and spectacular views. Visiting two sites daily we have a selection of over 24 Outer Great Barrier Reef destinations to choose from offering you the best location tailored the days conditions! Dive or snorkel with Cairns's friendliest crew! Every afternoon, our bar opens, and guests relax in comfort as we raise the sails and cruise back to Cairns.

Want to explore the World Heritage Rainforests in a totally unique way? Unleash the daredevil in you and spend some immersed in the beauty of either the Crystal or Behana Gorges. Be part of the 1%ers...

Bad Fishy's cool boat is designed for extreme manoeuvrability, speed and agile performance. Prepare to get wet! On the Trinity Inlet spins, slides, fish-tails and water-walls are all part of the fun. You'll love the funky tunes Bad Fishy pumps out adding funk and groove to the thrilling ride! Don't underestimate the beauty of the sightseeing on this 35min adventure either! It's extreme fun!

Escape the heat at one of Cairns' best known landmarks, the Esplanade Lagoon. Set on the Cairns foreshore overlooking Trinity Inlet, the 4800 sq metre saltwater swimming lagoon offers locals and tourists a year round safe swimming location. Saltwater is pumped from the inlet and filtered through a state of the art filtration and chlorination system, to meet Australian Standards. The kids can enjoy the sandy edges, build sand castles and play in shallow water. On the other side of the Lagoon, visitors can lounge on the timber decks in moderate shade. Shady trees, landscaped gardens and open spaces all contribute to the leisurely atmosphere on the Esplanade The Lagoon is open 6am-6pm Thursday - Tuesday, Midday-6pm Wednesday all year round.

Kuranda Scenic Railway is the original scenic rail journey to Kuranda. This spectacular experience travels over bridges and through tunnels hand-made by North Queensland's pioneers over 100 years ago. Traversing the World Heritage listed rainforest of the Barron Gorge National Park, this is one of the world's great railway journeys.

Muddy's playground is open every day of the year between 9am and 7pm (including public holidays and weekends). Sections of Muddy's are closed for maintenance on Tuesday and Thursday mornings until noon. Even when maintenance works are being carried out, Council aims to have at least half the playground available for use. Muddy's is a modern, fun, safe, splash playground and parkland. It incorporates active, passive, interactive and educational facilities with a combination of play equipment. Muddy's playground is themed "Life in Trinity Bay" and the playground includes water play areas plus a flying fox, sound chimes, track ride, rope bridge, slides, play houses, story telling areas, see-saw, trick track and puzzle games. Please note that the disabled-use Liberty Swing uses the MLAK national keying system. For access please ask at Muddy's cafe. Muddy's has two toilet facilities one at the north end of Muddy's near the cafe and one at the southern end of Muddy's. Muddy's has barbecues, picnic tables and an on-site cafe.

The Cairns Botanic Gardens are a tropical paradise where you can explore the beauty of tropical plants, relax in stunning surroundings and learn about tropical flora and horticulture. The Gardens are open from 7.30Am to 5.30Pm every day of the year and entry is free. The Botanic Gardens includes several spaces used for demonstrating the diverse plant life that can be found within a tropical climate. The Cairns Botanic Gardens include: Flecker Garden Centenary Lakes - Saltwater and Freshwater The Rainforest Boardwalk Mount Whitfield Conservation Park The Gondwanan Heritage Garden