Tropical North Queensland is an amazing place filled with the best that Australia has to offer. It's best known as the home to the amazing underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. But it's also where you'll find an array of laid-back beach resorts, fascinating Aboriginal culture and tropical rainforests filled with curious wildlife.

Cairns

Cairns (pronounced CANS, like cans of beer) is the largest and most popular vacation spot in tropical north Queensland and the major gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Its close proximity to not only the reef but also to the rainforests of the Daintree and to the Atherton Tablelands makes it the perfect base from which to explore tropical north Queensland.

Palm Cove and Port Douglas

Further north from Cairns, along the picturesque coastal highway, are the beach towns of Palm Cove and Port Douglas, both of which offer a slightly more laid-back alternative to staying in Cairns.

Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing visible from space, stretching an amazing 1,200 miles along the tropical waters of eastern Australia's Coral Sea. One of the world's great natural wonders, the Great Barrier Reef is alive with color and marine life.

The majority of reef cruises leave from either Cairns or Port Douglas. There are plenty of options available for seeing the Reef from large, no-need-to- get-wet cruises to multi-day, live aboard SCUBA diving excursions.

Cape Tribulation and the Daintree Rainforest

Keep heading north from Port Douglas and you'll reach the remote Daintree Peninsula, where the lush rainforest spills right down onto the pure white sands of secluded beaches.

The Daintree Rainforest- at 135 millions years old- is the oldest in the world and home to the largest range of plants and animals on earth. There are over 400 species of birds here including 13 species which are found no where else on earth.