Cairns, Australia - July 8, 2017: Zhanjiang Chinese Friendship Pavilion at Cairns Botanic Gardens

Alexander Jung/Getty

Cairns Botanic Gardens

Top choice in Cairns


These gorgeous gardens are an explosion of greenery and rainforest plants. Highlights include a section devoted to Aboriginal plant use, the Gondwana Heritage Garden, the Flecker Garden and an excellent conservatory filled with butterflies and exotic flowers. Tag along on a free guided walk (daily from 10am) to learn more.

Follow the Rainforest Boardwalk to Saltwater Creek and Centenary Lakes, a birdwatcher's delight. Uphill from the gardens, Mt Whitfield Conservation Park has walking tracks through the rainforest to city viewpoints.

The cafe and restaurant adjoining the visitor centre has a lovely deck and is a great place to fuel up before or after your walks.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cairns attractions

1. Tanks Arts Centre

0.14 MILES

Three gigantic, ex-WWII fuel-storage tanks have been transformed into art galleries; it's also an inspired performing-arts venue. Check the website for…

2. Mangrove Boardwalk

1.4 MILES

Explore the swampier side of Cairns on this revelatory wander into the wetlands. Eerie snap-crackle-slop noises provide a fitting soundtrack to the spooky…

3. Captain Cook Statue

1.5 MILES

You won't be able to miss this mammoth statue, one of Australia's most controversial 'Big Things'. Looming over the city's main road since 1972, the 10m…

4. St Monica's Cathedral

2.06 MILES

Cairns' main Catholic church is famous for its themed stained-glass windows, the largest of their type in the world. There are 24 windows depicting the…

5. Cairns Aquarium

2.19 MILES

Cairns' multi-million-dollar aquarium is well worth a visit for its vast and gorgeously presented range of marine life, the Great Barrier Reef in…

6. Reef Eye

2.39 MILES

Soak up stunning views of the Coral Sea and Cairns city aboard this 35m-high Ferris wheel. The fully enclosed gondolas rotate 360 degrees (passengers…

7. KickArts Contemporary Arts

2.43 MILES

These galleries showcase cutting-edge local and regional artworks, plus touring exhibitions. KickArts has moved to the School of the Arts while the Centre…

8. Cairns Museum

2.44 MILES

This contemporary museum features four well-curated galleries covering the history of Cairns and Far North Queensland in pictures, exhibits and local…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "australia/queensland/cairns/attractions/cairns-botanic-gardens/a/poi-sig/425217/362361",
      "destination": "Cairns",
      "continent": "Australia-&-Pacific",
      "country": "Australia",
      "region": "Queensland",
      "city": "Cairns",
      "position": "superzone"
    }