Sunlight At The Ok Coral (Cairns)

Member Name: indiecater

Product:	Cairns
Date:	20/02/02 (532 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, Location, Location.

Disadvantages: Isolation, Isolation, Isolation.

Contrary to what we expected, Cairns turned out to be quite a small town. The population is set at just over 100,000 people and the city centre is neat and compact. At first the place makes little or no impression. It is obvious that tourism is the mainstay and without it, the capital of the North would likely be little more than a backwater.

Cairns has a uniquely Oz feel to it. The local bars tout topless gambling nights, check shirted shower avoiding cork dangling hatted old men and one armed bandits that still pull in the punters. The streets are wide and straight and there is little or no high rises. The buildings are largely wooden and have that typical Australian sheeted roofing. The city centre is made up of a few streets that criss cross between the Esplanade near the shoreline and McLeod street in front of the central Cairns shopping plaza..

Temperatures in town can soar during the day so much so that when you enter an air conditioned shop you feel like you've just arrived in Antarctica. Heading out into the sunshine again fogs up your glasses such is the intense heat so watch out for those four wheeled range rovers.

Cairns' city centre is roughly 8 km from the airport. There are a number of ways of getting into town. The expensive airport shuttle bus charges $7.50 per person so it makes sense if you are in a group to take one of the black and white taxi's. The fare should be no more than $15 and this alternative gives more flexibility if you know in advance where you're staying.


ACCOMMODATION

There is an incredible selection of budget accommodation to choose from in Cairns. It rightfully holds the distinction of being the backpackers capital of Northern Australia. Most of the top end budget places can be found on the Esplanade that faces the sea. Many have travel services at the front desk with the acc
ommodation tucked in at the back. Other good locations to look for a place to stay are Sheridan Street towards the Bruce Highway and Terminus Street near the train station although both are a little off the beaten track.

In order to find out the best deals it is always a good idea to have look around before deciding on a place. Although prices are pretty standard the variance on the quality of accommodation can be quite wide. Many of the free backpacker magazines have money off coupons for your 1st nights stay which can knock up to $5 off the bill.

Before we chose a place we had a look at Bellview on the Esplanade. This is a sort of motel type set up with a smallish swimming pool for guests. The rooms were clean if a little small so we weren't willing to fork out for the asking price of $42 per night. We also checked out YHA on the Esplanade which boasted long dark corridors with small grotty rooms. The place seemed to be buzzing but it was a bit too scruffy to become our home for several days.

We settled for Leo's on Sheridan Street because it was cheap, had a swimming pool, large balconies and a fridge in every room. Our double with ceiling fan had a single (?) and double bed. Overnight the room was almost cool but by midday the temperature rivalled the dusty outback. There was a pool set in a small garden but it never really appealed. We've seen bigger baths!

Everybody staying at Leo's gets a free evening meal at the Wool Shed Pub. The meals were pretty standard although the vegetable vol-au-vents were tasty. Overall Leo's was just about passable, the staff were outwardly friendly although tiny requests like accessing the safety deposit box was met by perceptible groans. If we had been motivated enough we would have gone for Carvella's 77 on the Esplanade. When we arrived it was booked out but by all accounts it seemed a clean and efficiently r
un place.


ATTRACTIONS

Apart from a lively nightlife the town itself is a bit of a non-event. What it excels at is providing a base to visit the natural wonders that surround it. The big three attractions in ascending order are the Atherton Tableland, Cape Tribulation and the world famous Great Barrier Reef. As ever budgetary constraints meant that we could only visit the latter although we were disappointed that we couldn't sample all three.

Briefly, the Atherton Tableland lies to the west of Cairns and consists of vast areas of rainforest and greenery. Part of the journey to the areas main town, Kuranda, can be made by cable car where the views border on the exotic. Cape Tribulation is well known amongst Australians, but maybe not so much internationally. Its rugged scenery and beautiful beaches are only half the attraction. Boat trips down the Daintree river brings visitors as close as is possible to fresh water crocodiles without ending up in one of those death rolls. Swimming here would have even Mick Dundee scrambling for the riverbank.

Rightly dubbed the 8th wonder of the world, the Great Barrier Reef lies just a couple of dozen kilometres off the Cairns coastline. A day or two at the reef is an unforgettable experience. Even for novices like ourselves the thrill of an introductory dive which included touching giant clams on the reef floor as well as swimming with the most colourful fish imaginable was exhilarating.

We booked a one day package with the Noah's Ark Too boat. The package cost a reasonable $89 which included tuition, equipment, lunch and wet suit hire. The beauty of an intro dive is that you don't need a dive certificate to take part. Of course your hand is held pretty much most of the time you are under water but 30 minutes on the most vibrant eco systems on earth is enough to take your breath a
way (literally).

After the dive you are allowed to snorkel for a couple of hours. This is a unique experience in itself. The water is so clear that the light penetrates quite easily exposing the myriad of life below. Thankfully the bane of Northern Australia's coastline the box jellyfish don't operate near the reef and there are no recorded cases of shark attacks. We always made sure there were people further out from the boat than us, just in case!.

There are numerous companies throughout Cairns that cater for beginners right up to the more experienced divers. Learn to dive courses are ubiquitous and there are plenty of good deals to be had. The cities aquarium even offers trial dives in its tanks as a preparation for the real thing. You can find it in the Pier complex just off the Esplanade.


SHOPPING

The Universal Joint on Shields Street are didgeridoo specialists and the enthusiastic staff are willing to give free lessons to prospective buyers. Feigning a little interest entitles you to a free effort at trying to charm the wooden instrument. It's all in the lips apparently although breathing and blowing at the same time is a skill in itself.

There is a terrific Book & Comic Store on Lake Street. Here you'll find a huge stock of second hand/new books at cheap prices. They also run an exchange and sell service. Just across the road there is a charity bookshop that has a treasure trove of books and magazines.

The Wilderness Gallery on Shields street celebrates the genius of photographer Peter Lik. Lik certainly has a eye for colour and his patience is often rewarded with stunning panoramic scenes being committed to film. Many of his photos are shot on location down under and some truly awe inspiring. That so many of the locations captured are on the well worn tourist trail makes it more
exciting. Many of the images are autographed by Lik himself and can be bought for a couple of hundred dollars.

Cairns Central is the biggest of the Plaza's in Cairns. Spread over 2 levels it provides a nice escape from the oven outside although there is little that you wouldn't find in any plaza throughout Australasia. The Pier shopping centre near the Trinity Wharf is smaller and more up market with more expensive souvenirs. Every weekend the Pier is the location for the famed mud markets.

Woolworth's has a huge branch spread over 2 streets in the city centre. This store has the cheapest prices in Cairns and is a haven for noodle hoarders. Sheridan's Street hosts Rusty's market every weekend. Full of eclectic stalls and sellers this is a true Cairns experience to savour.


EATING OUT


Finding a place to eat in Cairns is not too difficult a job. All tastes are catered for from the hostel meals at the Wool Shed to more upmarket joints. The Night Market on the Esplanade has a mini food hall with inexpensive meals and quite a good variety. Just a few doors down Rattle & Hum doubles as a restaurant and pub and itshuge wooden interior makes it a nice place to relax and soak up the atmosphere.

Verdi's, Fasta Pasta and Lightning Jacks with its so called laidback Aussie food are all within a few yards of each other on Shields street. All are beyond most backpackers budget but sometimes its nice to see how the other half lives. A Breakfast/Burger joint on the other side of the street serves a greasy yet inexpensive menu.

P. J. O'Briens have a good menu available and main meal prices are quite reasonable starting at around 12 dollars. For most budgeteers however hostel kitchen facilities are where most of the eating is done. Unlike South East Asia where you can cheaply
dine out at least 3 times a day, travelling in Australia brings you right back down to earth with a bump.


ENTERTAINMENT

Cairns has a fabled nightlife scene. We didn't get to any of the night-clubs but this hardly seemed to matter as many of the cities pubs stay open beyond 3. Rather typically our favourite pub turned out be be P. J. O'Briens on Shields street. With an authentic Irish feel, Guinness on tap, huge screens for the footie, 2 pool tables, good music and great craic it was hard to top. The prices were a little high for our meagre resources ($9 for just over a litre Jug of Fosters) but when you're having a ball eating can be put off for a day or two!

The Wool Shed is very popular with backpackers. It has 2 levels and is your typical student type dive, it has the rotten wood floor, the sparse lighting and scattered tables to keep anyone amused. There are plenty of beer promotions and a DJ replaces the video screens by about 9 o'clock.

Cairns music scene is undergoing a rejuvenation with bands coming out of the woodwork at a rapid pace. Johno's on Aplin street is the club where these bands first cut their teeth in a live setting. Johno's is cavernous with a chill out refuge upstairs for anyone not able to cope with the sometimes dodgy theatrics downstairs. The beer promotions run up to 9 o'clock and are among the best in the city. There are usually several bands playing each night. We witnessed 5 bands working under a RAW theme (Rock Against Work), needless to say there was a definite Rage Against The Machine thread running through a lot of the material. The round pool table near the restaurant area is a laugh.

For a more sedate evening out you should visit the Cinema 5 complex on Grafton street. Newly refurbished and comfortable the screens are large and the sound is in perfect stereo. There
are substantial discounts for VIP/YHA card holders.


PUBLICATIONS

Being a backpacker town it's hardly surprising that there are several free magazines giving the lowdown on forthcoming events. Bar Fly comes out every Thursday and resembles Dublin's Event Guide in both its style and content. It has a good listing of nightly entertainment and a review section that is pretty close to spot on.

The Word is more exclusively tailored to backpackers. It has some good coupons (including an indispensable free half hour's internet at the Backpackers World travel shop, we enjoyed free internetting for our whole stay in Cairns, although by the end we felt like we were getting those 'oh no, not you again' eyes). The Word has detailed summaries of accommodation in Cairns and elsewhere down the East coast as well as summaries of the main backpacker haunts. Aussie Backpacker runs along similar lines but is also a handy guide to what there is to explore in tropical Queensland and beyond.


TRANSPORT

There are a number of alternatives available for getting around Cairns. The local bus company Sunbus is prominent but its fares are a little expensive. Renting a bike is an option but the midday sun can be a major deterrent. That said if you can cope with the heat, cycling is a safe option because Cairns has a relatively low volume of vehicles. Many of the hostels have courtesy minibuses that shuttle people between the city centre and the hostels location.

When the time comes to leave Cairns there is a few options. for the wealthy Cairns international airport is a winner. For the rest of us the McCafferty's/Greyhound bus service is a godsend. These companies offer a combined service that covers the whole continent. We chose a kilometre pass package from Cairns to Brisbane which cost jus
t $200 each (with a VIP card, cheaper if you book through the internet). This deal meant we could stop off as many times as we wanted on the way to Brisbane. The buses are relatively new and timely and the view if often breathtaking.


Cairns has most services you'll need within easy reach of the city centre. Most hostels have laundry facilities (self service/washing line) although the Laundromat at the Civic Shopping Centre on Sheridan Street does an economical 7 kg service wash for under $9.

Australia's telecommunications system is a wide eye joy for budget travellers. Ringing home using a prepaid card can cost as little as 9 cents per minute. The main Post Office on Hartley Street is efficiently run and postal charges for parcels are surprisingly good value for money.

The VIP card I mentioned above is available from most travel agents in town for $32 (some hostels sell it at cost price $24, so look around). It is a recommended purchase as it affords you at least the same amount of discounts as a student card and the fact that it doubles as a phone card makes it near indispensable. Many of Australia's hostels give a nightly discount on showing this piece of plastic. The Youth Hostel Association (YHA) operates on a similar basis although it is a little more restricted.

Cairns is a mere shell of a town that sustains itself on the tourist dollar. It's main street, the Esplanade, is no different from any other resort drag. Full of restaurants and loud bars it is truly an oasis for fun loving travellers but has an unmistakably tacky feel to it. Shields street which has been given a face lift in the last couple of years has a certain artificiality about it too. It looks like any well planned street should but lacks any genuine character. The children's play area looks particularly out of place amongst the door to door travel agents and
pubs.

Cairns has a large Aborigine population who seem in lots of ways to have fallen on hard times. Shields street in particular has dozens of Aborigines who seem to be either drunk or in a constant state of depression. While they cause no trouble it is a little unsettling to witness how the authorities have clearly failed to integrate these people into society or at least to a point where they can look after themselves. One good marker that perhaps better times are on the way is the fact that so many Aboriginal arts and crafts are making an impact in the towns galleries and outlets.

Cairns, surprisingly for a coastal town, has no beach. The coastal waters are often deluged with dangerous jellyfish and the shoreline is a mass of mud. Plans are underway to create a safe saltwater swimming corridor but already this smacks of desperation. Resources would be better directed at breathing life back into its streets. As you walk around the number of units lacking lease holders is astonishing.

In saying all this, there is no mistaking that Cairns makes a good base for exploring the natural environment that surrounds it. As you walk along the Esplanade there are scenic views of the tree covered hills which is sight rarely experienced in Europe. Spending several days in Cairns however makes you wonder how the locals are able to put up with the intolerable heat and a district that is as soulless as a disregarded pair of flip flops. Ah well I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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