Local Information
TABLELANDS TOURISM Tourism visitation to the Atherton Tablelands is estimated to be in the order of 500,000 to 550,000 per annum. For overnight and longer staying visitors, the Atherton Tablelands are traditionally a popular destination for Townsville and country Queensland residents from the inland and drier parts of the broader North Queensland region.
Current visitor accommodation stock is mainly hotel /motel style, with the more recent development of ‘bed and breakfast’ properties which are low capacity, but generally high quality properties.
Popular arts and craft markets are also held on a regular basis, attracting Cairns residents, as well as domestic and international visitors staying in the region.
Farm visits particularly to coffee plantations and fruit orchards are becoming more popular with other attractions of high quality are being established across the area.
TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND Tropical North Queensland which has a population of over 230,000, is located on the north-eastern coastline of Australia, in the State of Queensland. The region covers an area of over 278,000 square kilometres (107,000 square miles) and contains a vast array of natural assets, including the Great The coastal plains and farms soon meet the rainforest clad mountains where rushing rivers and  waterfalls of pristine quality abound. The famous Barrier Reef and World Heritage listed tropical rainforests are easily accessible from here. The lush green of the eastern seaboard quickly changes to Australia’s famous Outback landscape some two hours drive west from the regional centre of Cairns. Cairns International Airport is the fifth busiest airport in Australia for international passengers and the sixth busiest airport for domestic passengers. The domestic terminal is currently being upgraded at a cost of over $200 million to provide a state of the art facility able to easily handle anticipated increased flight patterns. Despite being a relatively small regional city, Cairns, as the | gateway to a region that now experiences 2.3 million visitors per annum, is a cosmopolitan international centre with all facilities expected in a major western city. The region has also become a major destination for conferences and conventions with the establishment of the Cairns Convention Centre in the mid-1990s. In 2003, the Cairns Convention Centre was rated as the fourth most popular convention centre in the world. (Source: International Association of Congress Centres, Belgium, July 2003). Large shopping complexes, diverse restaurants, bars and night clubs as well as active theatre and concert activities have steadily evolved to become more sophisticated and are important contributors to visitors’ holiday experiences. Restaurant cuisine now encompasses a wide variety of tastes, as well as evolving its own distinctive tropical style.
Cairns is a garden city. Its streets, avenues and roundabouts have been landscaped with tropical plants, flowering trees and palms. There is an abundance of public gardens and parks including the renowned Flecker Botanic Gardens. The local architecture varies from modern to traditional ‘queenslander’ and provides somewhat colonial feel to the city and suburbs. |
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