As a large region with a lot on offer, we’re here to help make your decision simple. Working our way through the alphabet, we’ve taken 26 reasons why Cairns & Great Barrier Reef can be the home of your next GREAT event!
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A-Z of GREAT Events: 26 reasons to choose Cairns & Great Barrier Reef!
Rafting on the Barron River
Rafting on the Barron River
Throw a boomerang at Rainforestation Nature Park
Throw a boomerang at Rainforestation Nature Park
A is for adventure, like white water rafting on the raging Barron River or tubing through tranquil rainforest streams for up to 200 delegates with Cairns Adventure Group. Adventure is the new team building with Destination Cairns Marketing with plenty of choice for tours and activities to keep everyone connecting.
B is for boomerangs that come back around (or not!) when you learn how to throw at Rainforestation Nature Park in Kuranda! Small and large groups can learn this age-old skill during a visit to the park.
cruising the tropical waters with Spirit of Cairns
cruising the tropical waters with Spirit of Cairns
disDiscovery of the rugged northern land with Adventure North Australia
disDiscovery of the rugged northern land with Adventure North Australia
C is for cruising the tropical coastal waters with a wine in hand aboard Spirit of Cairns for your Welcome Function or weaving the scenic Great Barrier Reef Drive that you can see with the help of Pioneer Travel Services on your way to your post-conference activity.
D is for discovery of the rugged northern land with Adventure North Australia and the colourful coral sea with Great Adventures Reef & Island Cruises. Your conference activity day has never looked so swell!
Cairns Convention centre exhibition
Cairns Convention centre exhibition
Fresh food prepared by hand by talented chefs from Tropic Spirit Catering
Fresh food prepared by hand by talented chefs from Tropic Spirit Catering
E is for exhibition spaces that draw in the crowds at the award-winning Cairns Convention Centre, supported by NQ Exhibitions’ world-class service and sustainable eco-boothing that looks after your event and the environment.
F is for fresh food prepared by hand by talented chefs from Tropic Spirit Catering for all your tasty event or tour needs. Or delicious seafood served beside towering fish tanks at Dundee’s at the Aquarium (not from the tanks though, we swear!).
Guided Tours with Down Under Tours
Guided Tours with Down Under Tours
Historic Venue in Cairns
Historic Venue in Cairns
G is for guided tours and transfers with a personal twist, escorted by friendly local experts from Down Under Tours that can take you wherever you’d like to go, catering to all size groups, great and small.
H is for historic venues that tell a story and provide the perfect backdrop for stunning events, like the city’s original shipping shed turned into Hemingway’s Brewery Cairns Wharf‘s magnificent waterfront craft brewery or the renewed 1920’s banking centre transformed into The Chambers‘ selection of perfect intimate function spaces for stylish gatherings.
Fitzroy Island conferences
Fitzroy Island conferences
Bundy jumping with AJ Hackett
Bundy jumping with AJ Hackett
I is for island conferences and barefoot functions in the coral sand in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef at Fitzroy Island Resort for up to 120 delegates, or mix up your meeting day at Green Island Resort with onsite boardroom and reef activities nestled on the only rainforest inhabited sand cay.
J is for jumping head-first into new experiences with Australia’s ONLY bungy platform at AJ Hackett, Cairns. Catering can be providied in the beautiful rainforest grounds whilst watching your colleagues plunge over the edge of the 50-metre high tower. Then take the leap on a zipline over Goliath, a monster crocodile inside Cairns ZOOM & Wildlife Dome, to get your adrenaline pumping and your team bonded after a hard day in the meeting room.
Visit Australian Animals in Kuranda
Visit Australian Animals in Kuranda
Luxury sunset sail with Wavedancer Sailing Yacht
Luxury sunset sail with Wavedancer Sailing Yacht
K is for Kuranda Village, the welcoming rainforest home of spectacular wildlife attractions the Kuranda Koala Gardens, Birdworld Kuranda and the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary. Only 30 minutes from Cairns CBD makes this the perfect day out for delegates and can be combined with other nearby tours and activities for the ultimate nature experience.
L is for luxury with a sunset sail for your Welcome Function on the Coral Sea aboard Wavedancer Low Isles sailing catamaran, or a scenic transfer (imagine arriving at your Gala Dinner in such style!) above the Great Barrier Reef or Wet Tropics Rainforest with Nautilus Aviation.
Mouthwatering catering creations from Orchre Restaurant
Mouthwatering catering creations from Orchre Restaurant
NightFire dinner experience at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
NightFire dinner experience at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park
M is for mouthwatering local catering creations made using fresh local produce from the Coral Sea, Atherton Tablelands and surrounding regions with Ochre Restaurant & Catering. Dine in their waterfront restaurant or offsite on a local Cairns cane farm, inside a WWII Naval oil tank or amongst one of the many tropical rainforest hideaways scattered along the coastline.
N is for night-time cultural fire demonstrations with Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park’s Night Fire experience. Amaze and educate your delegates about the world’s oldest surviving Indigenous culture with an authentic bush tucker dinner, giant fireball and interactive stage show, or take a break from conferencing to catch a glimpse of what goes ‘bump’ in the night with Wildlife Habitat‘s new nocturnal exhibit, showcasing the habits of some furry night-time critters in a controlled simulated environment.
O is for onboard marine-biologist presentations by certified Master Reef Guides aboard Calypso Reef Cruises and an up-close reef experience at the Reef Magic Cruises floating activity pontoon, taking up to 250 delegates out to experience a day of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef.
P is for private dining in tropical luxury at Salt House, an expansive waterfront venue perched on the Cairns Marina with a luxury Moet private dining room for up to 20 delegates. If you have a few more in your dinner party, enjoy fine-dining artistry at the award-winning Chef-Hatted Tamarind Restaurant, located within the Pullman Reef Hotel Casino, with a section all to yourself.
Q is for quiet serenity as the sun sets on the Great Barrier Reef with Sunlover Reef Cruises‘s overnight experience, Sunlover by Starlight, providing intimate groups with the ultimate team building experience. Or that first transformational ‘quiet’ moment when diving down to see the colourful coral, taking in the vibrant underwater world wonder.
R is for rainforest dinners under towering trees and crystal chandeliers at Flames of the Forest. This unique outdoor venue features a six-course local menu for up to 850 delegates that will leave them with memories to last a lifetime after a big day of exploring, connecting with and learning about the World Heritage rainforest with Active Tropics Explorer, the experts in boutique wilderness adventures.
Spectacular shows at Hartleys Crocodile Farm
Spectacular shows at Hartleys Crocodile Farm
Traditional owners of the Daintree rainforest
Traditional owners of the Daintree rainforest
S is for spectacular shows that make you hold your breath, like the live croc attack demonstration at Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures where daring animal handlers get knee deep in croc-infested waters. Delegates can enjoy a guided lagoon cruise with boat-side croc feedings, hands on visit with many native furry friends and onsite events catering for up to 400 delegates. Who will be the first to taste kangaroo or crocodile?
T is for traditional owners of the Daintree rainforest that will guide you along a cultural journey and share ancient stories at the Mossman Gorge Centre. Designed to deliver intimate cultural experiences, they will stagger tours for larger groups to ensure all delegates receive a personalised experience from the moment you’re welcomed in traditional Kuku Yalanji language.
Underwater at Cairns Aquarium
Underwater at Cairns Aquarium
Views at Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Views at Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
U is for UNDERWATER adventures while keeping dry on-land at the award-winning Cairns Aquarium. Step behind the scenes to meet rehabilitated sea turtles at the on-site care centre or host spectacular offsite functions under the Oceanarium tank for up to 150 delegates, surrounded by River Monsters for groups up to 60 or intimate functions for 20 underneath the curved glass aquarium.
V is for VIEWS that cameras just don’t do justice, like gliding above the world’s oldest tropical rainforest in a private gondola with Skyrail Rainforest Cableway or above Barron Falls, raging in wet season. The 2-hour return journey can be packaged with other activities or the main event for your pre or post-conference itinerary
Waterfront view at Nunu restaurant Palm Cove
Waterfront view at Nunu restaurant Palm Cove
Freshest local produce in Cairns
Freshest local produce in Cairns
Cane Field event Cairns
Cane Field event Cairns
W is for Waterfront Views and barefoot beachfront dinners in the sand enjoying the mouthwatering flavours of Nu Nu Restaurant using fresh, local ingredients at their Palm Cove restaurant or for a tantalizing waterfront fare in Cairns CBD, Ollie’s Italian Restaurant is Cairns’ most recent competitor for the most delicious local seafood marinara.
Providing exquisite catering for offsite events at your venue of choice, from Port Douglas’ heritage-listed Sugar Wharf shed or on a working cane farm.
Skydiving with Skydive Australia
Skydiving with Skydive Australia
Activity at Kurcow Barnwell farm in Kuranda
Activity at Kurcow Barnwell farm in Kuranda
X is for Xtreme altitude adventures with Skydive Australia from two tropical locations. Take off from Cairns to free-fall above the coastal city and heritage-listed mountains, taking in views of the Coral Sea before your champagne landing. Take the leap above the Great Barrier Reef landing with your toes in the sand two hours south of Cairns in the paradise hideaway of Mission Beach.
Y is for Yeehaw welcomes on horse-back by real Aussie cowboys and cowgirls as you arrive at KUR-Cow Barnwell Farm, nestled amongst rainforest on the Kuranda hinterland. Combine the ultimate half-day of real farm-life activities, including horse riding, ATVs and the favorite tractor-driven haybale ride, with a picturesque offsite venue for up to 1000 delegates overlooking golden sunsets behind rolling hills.
Cairns coach transfers with Tropic Wings
Cairns coach transfers with Tropic Wings
Comfortable seating with Cairns coach transfers at Tropic Wings
Comfortable seating with Cairns coach transfers at Tropic Wings
Z is for Zero emissions with Tropic Wings state-of-the-art, fully electric coaches with luxury interiors, seating up to 50 delegates for stylish transfers around Cairns, the Atherton Tablelands, Port Douglas and beyond. Founded in 1981, the locally owned and operated Tropic Wings Cairns Tours & Charters is the longest established coach operator in Cairns.