Cairns National Parks

Visitors to the National Parks around Cairns are allowed to enter some of the oldest rainforest on earth. The parks around this area date back over 100 million years and are very special to the people of the area. That means that when you visit you must take care of these scared and beautiful grounds.

You can visit some of these parks by car, 1 by train and even some by boat. It's a wonderful day out for the whole family where you'll get to come up close with lush rainforest, eucalypt forests, plunging waterfalls, rugged mountains and 1000's of species of wildlife.

Taking in this natural beauty is best done on foot so grab yourself a bottle of water and a map and take a bushwalk through one of these National Parks.

Daintree National Park

When you walk through the Daintree National Park you'll not only be wandering through some of the prettiest country in the world but also the oldest rainforest in the world. The rainforest has existed here for the last 110 million years and the traditional owners of the area are the Eastern Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal people. There are variety of walks on offer and many different tour operators who are specialists in the area.

Kuranda & Mowbray National Park

The Kuranda and Mowbray National Park are located next to each other and are only a short drive out of the city of Cairns. Both National Parks are a mixture of rainforest and eucalypt forest and are stunning to see and walk through. The main feature of Mowbray National Park is the pyramid shaped Black Mountain. One track here the moderate grade Bump Track which takes about a day and runs 12kms through Mowbray National Park. The other track traverses both Kuranda and Mowbray National Parks and is an easier route taking about 5 hours over 18kms.

Green Island National Park

Green Island National Park is one of the most visited parks in the Cairns area. Every day a number of boats leave Cairns and take the 27km, which takes about 45km,  trip to Green Island. The island is a really special place to visit and walk around as it was once used as the initiation ground for the Gungganyji people.

Fitzroy Island National Park

This Fitzroy Island National Park is located around 22kms offshore from Cairns and is a stunning continental island. Due to cultural and natural resources of the island most of the island is off limits to visitors however much of the western side of the island is still open. The walking track on the island takes you from the northern end of the island, past the lighthouse and then down to the resort. It gives great 360 degree views of the island and its surrounds.

Barron Gorge National Park

Each day a train runs to and from Cairns to take you to explore the Barron Gorge National Park. With such easy access there's no reason not to come and visit one of Queensland's most popular and diverse national parks. There's a gorgeous array of rugged mountains, plunging waterfalls, lush rainforest and amazing wildlife. The two most popular tracks at the park are the Douglas and Smith tracks which are actually the old pathways of the traditional Djabaguy people.

Mount Whitfield National Park

The Mount Whitfield Conservation Park has some of the closest bushwalking tracks from the city of Cairns. There are two tracks here the quick one hour Red Arrow Trail and the Blue Arrow Trail which takes 3.5 hours and offer gorgeous views over Cairns, the coastline and surrounding area.

Davies Creek National Park

Although Davies Creek National Park is located half an hour away from Cairns it's a great place to visit. There's amazing granite outcrops as well as some Aboriginal rock art which is well worth the drive. You'll also find Davies Creek Falls which is a magnificent waterfall that doesn't cease to amaze.

Danbulla National Park

The Danbulla National park is 1.5 hours from Cairns and is located at the Atherton Tabelands. It offers visitors a different view of the area with stunning eucalypt and acacia forests, rainforest and pine plantations. There's some great long and short walks so that everyone can see a piece of this beautiful country.