This is the first of  a series of travel guides about Oz from Cairns to Airlie Beach. They have been written by us at Campers Oz for you to view and read and hopefully give you a better idea of the places you may want to travel within Australia.

Guide 1 – The North East 

The North East area of  Australia is a destination of travellers from all over the world and from within Australia for  many years.

Far North Queensland (or FNQ as the locals call it) has such a diverse range of things to do and see it’s no wonder it is such a popular destination.

Cairns

Cairns is considered to be the Gateway to North East Australia. Cairns is set on the edge of the Trinity Inlet, surrounded on three sides by lush green hills and washed by a tropical climate. Cairns offers a warm and pleasant atmosphere with an easy life style and a large range of things to do and see.

There are a large number of different facilities and activities for the visitor and these include:

• SCUBA Diving and Snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef.
• White Water rafting – Tully and Barron Rivers
• Skyrail –  Over the rainforest Cable Car
• Tjabukai – Aboriginal Cultural Centre
• and the list goes on .................

From Cairns the visitor can travel North up to the Daintree River and Cape Tribulation area (about 1 – 2 hours drive), further north ( another 2 hours drive) and your into Cooktown named after it’s founder Captain James Cook. The Daintree and Cape Tribulation region is a wonder to see. One of the best ways to see all this is with a campervan, 4wd or motorhome rental as this way you can take your time and really see the country.

Cooktown

Cooktown is located north of Cairns and by the main highway is about a 4 hour drive. Originally set up to service the Palmer River goldfields and surrounding gold and tin mines it is mainly famous as the place where Captain James Cook had to beach his vessel the Endeavour after hitting the barrier reef and damaging the hull.

It offers some great beaches and a wonderful museum with a feature on Captain James Cook and his “visit” to Australia back in 1770.  

The Daintree and Cape Tribulation

Words do not really describe this area with any justice. The area is World Heritage Listed Rainforest and the slogan “where the rainforest meets the sea” is very appropriate. There are few places in the world where you can walk through a dense tropical rainforest and straight onto a crystal white sandy tropical beach, and then just walk for miles.

The Daintree and Cape Tribulation offer a range of things to do and see and the scenery is truly quite breathtaking. 

The Tablelands

Located just an hours drive west from Cairns up the Range, the Tablelands offers some great and different panoramas and activities. The climate on the Tablelands (on average the Tablelands area is about 1,000 metres higher in altitude to Cairns) is often said as being similar to many parts of Europe.

The Great Barrier Reef

See our free article on the Barrier Reef - Click Here - Great Barrier Reef

Other regional places to see

Paronella Park – Located just 1 hour drive south of Cairns this Park was built totally by hand and by one Spanish immigrant back in the late 1800’s. 

Milla Milla Falls – These waterfalls have been used as the location in so many shampoo commercials world wide, it has had fantastic exposure. A beautiful drop of water where you can swim and just take in the scenery. There many waterfalls in the region and it really is worth the visitor taking a one day drive tour of the Tablelands and waterfalls region.

Mission Beach

This little town right on the coast is just 1.5 hours drive from Cairns on the road south. If you have the time it’s about 17 kilometres off the main highway but well worth a quick visit. There are campervan park facilities and a few very nice resorts for all the family. From Mission Beach you can also get a a quich trip over to Dunk Island and that can be a nice day trip.

Townsville

Townsville is located 4 hours drive south of Cairns and is really more of an industrial and commercial centre compared to Cairns being the tourism centre of North Eastern Australia and having the International airport facility. Townsville’s main attraction is a resort Island called Magnetic Island which is located about eight miles off the coast and offers a range of island based activities.  

Airlie Beach – The Whitsunday Islands

This region is world famous for the collection of islands and resorts. Sailing is definitely “on the menu here” along with SCUBA diving and snorkeling. At Abel Point Marina there is a flotilla of vessels catering for all budgets and offering one or more day sailing getaways out to the islands and the famous Whitehaven Beach.

Due to the tourism based nature of this part of Australia means there is an abundance of restaurants and eating places, and a visit into the hinterland also offers a pleasant half or one day excursion.

To view Campers Oz range of suitable vehicles for a Camper, Campervan or even a 4wd adventure rental just go to Home | Vehicles

• Download The Complete Travel Guide FREE - North East Australia.