Australia In Focus: Cairns & Beyond

From Cairns, it is only a short journey to the marine treasure-house of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's natural wonders and a World Heritage Area in its own right. Cairns is also a gateway to the marvels of tropical rainforest, enclosed in a fabled group of national parks: the Australian Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. Inland, the charming town of Kuranda, is on the way to the cool beauty of the Atherton Tableland. Voted Australia's most liveable regional city, residents and visitors enjoy the relaxed pace and outdoorsy lifestyle, afforded by the abundance of lush gardens, parklands, beaches, and waterways within the city's reaches.