Cairns is the gateway to
North Queensland, an international airport provides visitors immediate access to a most diverse and appealing holiday destination. Cairns was originally another centre of the sugarcane industry of the north, but today, tourism is a major employer in the region. It is both a cosmopolitan and transient place, as many a new resident is not coping well with the hot and humid climate. The
Royal Flying Doctor Base is well worth a visit, as is the ride on the world-famous
Kuranda Scenic Railway which takes visitors from Cairns to the rainforest village of
Kuranda in the cool and temperate Atherton Tablelands west of Cairns. The
Foreshore Lagoon is a masterpiece of city planning; during the tropical summer, it is not possible to swim in the ocean, but the huge lagoon has become a water playground for young and old alike.