Cairns, the perfect place to start or end your East Coast Roadie, our fave photographer LY aka Lydia Collins hit U P Cairns and the epic tropical surrounds….
Lydia will be sharing her exact itinerary for 4 days in Cairns, including:
- Learning to scuba dive on the Great Barrier
- Exploring Cairns
- Heading on a roadie through the Daintree Rainforest
- Exploring Port Douglas
Read on to find out more about Lydia’s adventure with the gals hittin’ up the EPIC Great Barrier Reef, The Daintree Rainforest and Cairns.
Click images to see more.
Let The Adventure Begin
Day 1
One thing that Cairns is known for is Daintree Rainforest – the worldʼs oldest tropical rainforest, 80 Million Years older than the Amazon! ao heading here was an absolute no-brainer. We woke up early to head to Central Station to catch the North Bus to Kuranda (30minute drive). Hopping off at Kuranda town, we grabbed a coffee and headed to the Skyrail ticket office to purchase a one-way ticket that takes you to Smithfield. (this is the town at the bottom of the cablecar, but a return option is available).
Kuranda to Smithfield takes around 1.5 hours including the 3 stops you make. You can take longer at each stop as itʼs a hop on/hop off service. Thereʼs a great Ranger talk at Red Peak stop off thatʼs well worth doing!
Day 2
Another must-do when visiting Cairns is a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. We jumped on the Passions of Paradise boat trip (8 hour day trip).
One of the big highlights for me was the Scuba Diving – the instructors on the boat were amazing and took their time to teach you all the things you needed to know to make the most out of your experience. Then when they felt like you were capable they let you take in the surroundings and dive unattached to the instructor. Later in the day, they gave the option of a second dive for 40 minutes!
Cairns is also known for itʼs party scene. Unfortunately, we went a little out of season but it was still worth while heading out! The Conservatory Bar, Woolshed and Gilliganʼs are all great places to check out and dance the night away.
Day 3
Port Douglas is an absolutely must and what better way to travel there than on a roadie!
We drove one hour north of Cairns up to Port Douglas and the drive is absolutely beautiful. It follows the coastline the whole way and the scenery is incredible. Port Douglas is a really beautiful town with lots of shops, coffee stops and places to stop for lunch. We had lunch at Betty’s Bohemian Beach Cafe and then headed to Four Mile Beach for an afternoon in the sun.
Day 4
We rented our wheels for a few days so decided to head to Palm Cove, situated half way between Cairns and Port Douglas. (30 minute drive from Cairns). I had some work with a resort located on the beach so was lucky enough to spend the whole day there!
Thereʼs no shortage of beautiful restaurants in this area, most are beachfront and offer amazing dishes. We headed to Portofino, a super delicious Italian! Iʼd also recommend NuNu, itʼs on the beach and the menu looked super tasty!
All planned with the help of RatPack
All my trips on the East Coast and our Campervan rental was booked through Sammy at RatPack Travel – the BEST rated travel agency in Australia, they offer 10% off every trip and rental, which makes it cheaper than booking direct! They create free personalised travel calendars and can give you SO much advice on where to stay and places to visit!
About the Author: Sammy
with RatPack Travel?
5-Star Google Rated
From our RatPackers
Absolutely recommended to anyone wanting to take the stress out of booking a camper van! Ben made the process for me so smooth and he genuinely cared for what my trip entailed and catered right to it! Blown away with his kindness and couldn’t be more happy with the price and deal we go for our van!
10/10 service! So helpful and friendly! Looking forward to heading on the trip already 😊
Jenna & Ryan are very professionals and helpful. Wish them the best
This shout out is for James! He took all of our worries,stress and anxiety about our up coming snow road trip and chucked them out the window. In under 30 minutes he had us booked with a better deal,upgraded vehicle and many laughs. Just for his service alone we will be back for every holiday! Thanks heaps James we look forward to our holiday because of you, now I can drive to Sydney today with a clear mind and no worries of having to sleep on my bike in the middle of the snow ⛄️ I have to mention his concern for safety was top notch with not wanting myself or my partner to have a bed fall on our heads again 😂
Jenna and Ryan were very helpful from the beginning to the end of the booking process. They shared all the details needed for our trip and in good time. Once our trip had been confirmed Ryan supported us through the phone call explaining next steps, payment and the process. We are very happy with the service we received! Thank you again and we look forward to our trip!
Ben made our camper van booking experience a breeze, very professional and easy process, would be happy to recommend to anyone!
Mikey was very efficient and easy to deal with, we booked a camper and the whole process took around 1 hour from him getting us prices, speaking to different dealerships and us paying our deposit. He was happy to answer any questions we had and shared lots of information regarding routes, campsites and the day to day travel in a camper. We would definitely recommend!
They were super helpful in finding me a motor home at the last minute—-received great assistance from James
Ben from Ratpack Travel was absolutely amazing in helping find the perfect van & best deal for our dream WA holiday. Best customer service ever! They know their products inside out & I would use them again & again!
George was awesome to deal with! Really knowledgeable and very helpful. Highly recommend!
The service at RatPack-Travel is absolutely great! Ryan took a lot of time to answer all my questions and always clarified everything very quickly. The telephone consultations were easy to understand and everything was clearly explained. Even when my plans changed and I had to adjust my booking, he clarified everything directly with the car rental company and I was able to adjust my booking very quickly and without any problems. I always received an answer within minutes. I am extremely satisfied, thank you Ryan from RatPack-Travel!
James Help us in all the proces and was an absolute Legend! He found the best deal posible for what we wanted to do and withing the buddget. Also provided us with some helpfull information for sugesting itinerarys on things to do and see, as well of apps for finding campsites and campervan sites. 1000% recomended! what a grat custumer service And if this wasnt enought all the service was free!
Thank you Lucas for making it easy to book mum and my camping holiday. You were patient and a joy to deal with. You were able to get a great rate of payment and your help was much appreciated.
Anna was so helpful and kind, she helped me book a van for my friend and I. She was on top of all my questions and was so lovely to work with 😁
Just booked a van for NZ for 2 weeks. Ben made the booking so easy and hassle free, will definitely be recommending RatPack in the future
