Most roads in the Cairns and Far North Queensland region are easily accessible by cars and other transport, but some roads are for four wheel drives only. This region can provide some of the best self drive tropical holidays available. Travel through world heritage listed rainforests and some of the most beautiful beaches in Australia. Find the Great Tropical Drive, the Cairns tourist information centre will be able to supply you with maps and ideas for your far north Queensland self drive holiday. The Great Tropical Drive takes in 2079 kilometers of tropical Queensland. This includes 13 Discovery Trails, showing some of Queensland, and Australia’s most beautiful scenery. Some of the attractions you will be able to drive to; the Daintree Rainforest, Cape York, Gulf Savannah and Mission Beach, but these are just a few. If you don’t want to take the full Great Tropical Drive, break it down into sections and do a section at a time. Take advantage of the smaller Discovery Trails to enjoy the region in shorter driving sections.

The Bloomfield Track is a four wheel drive Safari. The Bloomfield Track runs between Cape Tribulation and Cooktown and is a unique four wheel drive adventure. The track has very little gravel and involves unimproved creek crossings and steep climbs. The condition of the road varies depending on the weather conditions. The Bloomfield Track can be anything from an easy four wheel drive tour to almost completely impassable. Check with the tourist information center before heading off on your adventure to ensure your safety. The track is unsuited to towing trailers, and requires commonsense when being traveled on. In the wet weather you will find a minimum of four challenging creek crossings. In the wet some creeks become raging rivers and will require experienced drivers to complete the crossing successfully. Check with the tourist information center for advice, and take a look at daintreecoast.com for suggestions and safety information for your drive. Find the right vehicle for the task at carhirecairnsairport.com.au. Choose from a large selection of car hire companies and car types. This comparison website can help you find exactly the kind of hire vehicle you need quickly and easily.

While researching our self drive holiday in the Cairns region, I discovered the Southern Heritage Drive. The drive can take as little as around four hours and stretches over one hundred and eighty kilometers. Beginning at the Cairns City Councils Administration building in the center of Cairns the drive will take you to many sites around Cairns. Cairns Regional Council has produced maps and brochures available to those wishing to take the Southern Heritage Drive, pick up a brochure from the Council Chambers, the Cairns Historical Society or one of the Cairns Tourist Information Centers.

Cairns has a wonderful tropical climate which can be categorized into just two seasons. The first is the wet season, which is summer. Summer begins in November and the wet season ends in May. Winter is the dry season, it will rain a great deal less in the cooler months, but it is still tropical north Queensland, so the cooler months do not get cold. Most of the rainfall for this region occurs between January and March. North Queensland has a Cyclone season that lasts from December to April. Cyclones are severe weather conditions that include fierce winds and heavy rains. Some coastal areas will also experience flooding if a cyclone occurs during high or king tides. Marine stingers are also present in the ocean waters from November to May. Queensland’s winter months are a very nice time to travel to Cairns. When planning to tour Cairns pick up your hire car from the airport. Great hire car deals can be found at carhirecairnsairport.com.au, by comparing the main car rental companies using one website. It can be a little disappointing to have the weather spoil your holiday plans, by visiting Cairns during the cooler dryer months you will have more chance of avoiding the disappointment of that happening. Choose the kind of touring car you prefer with carhirecairnsairport.com.au.

When construction began on the Kuranda Scenic Railway in 1882, no one could ever have imagined how difficult a feat this would be. The line is thirty four kilometers long and includes fifteen tunnels; the line also includes thirty seven bridges and viaducts. Original plans for the Scenic Railway included nineteen tunnels however four were changed to be deep cuttings. The tunnels range in length from sixty meters to four hundred and thirty meters, this was no simple task. Several fatal accidents occurred while the Scenic Railway was being constructed. After much tragedy and difficulty, the Kuranda Scenic Railway was opened in 1891. The railway is a monument to the men who worked so hard to see it come to fruition.

The Kuranda Scenic railway has been described as one of the worlds most beautiful short train trips. It is impossible to describe to you just how beautiful and exciting this train trip is. You will come up on Stoney Creek station about half way up the climb to Kuranda Station. Kuranda Station at the end of your journey is an exciting part of this adventure. The Kuranda Station was constructed in 1915 and has become a beautiful garden at the end of the Kuranda Scenic Railway line.

A great feature of the Kuranda Scenic Railway is that once in Kuranda there are markets to enjoy everyday, except Christmas. Find something exotic and unique from the local artists and crafts people. Good food and entertainment can be found while wandering the markets of Kuranda. Traveling in Cairns, hire your car using the carhirecairnsairport.com.au service. This site enables you to compare and book car hire from the Cairns Airport using local companies.