Robert La Bua visits Cairns, where getting high twice in one day is only part of the fun.
If you’re up for traversing the continent, the Far North Queensland outpost slash metropolis of Cairns is an appealing town for gaysbian travellers, despite having few attractions within the city limits (Notable exceptions: gourmet seaside restaurants, deluxe duty-free emporias and fab art exhibit at the Cairns Regional Art Gallery). Though the town proper is more a haven of backpackers and hypersocial types who welcome fellow imbibers with big smiles, the outlying beaches such as Ellis Beach, Trinity Beach, and Palm Cove are the places where Queensland’s relaxability quotient realises its maximum potential. North Queensland is also the only place on the planet where two World Heritage sites – The Great Barrier Reef and The Daintree Rainforest – converge.
These two great natural wonders can be visited in the same day. Appearing a superficial tourist trap on the surface, Skyrail is actually far from it and allows the opportunity to view the Australian coastal rainforest from above in a cable car as part of a genuine effort to bring the forest to the people with minimal disturbance to the ground. The 7.5km-long route gives a fantastic overview of the forest, transporting passengers from sea level 550 meters upward to kitschy-quaint Kuranda in the Atherton Tableland. More than a ride, Skyrail offers a nature experience with guided tours led by beefy rangers (the males are, too) who reveal the forest’s secrets, such as the antiseptic fluorescent yellow tree sap that is useful as an emergency elastic bandage – handy knowledge for knees and elbows scraped on the forest floor.
The Great Barrier Reef is the Earth’s largest living organism and may also be seen from above. When poolside supination gets to be too taxing, give a call to International Coaches & Tours, whose daytrips manage to put the best of the region into the indulgent Cairns In A Day Tour. The tour takes in the Kuranda Scenic Railway up to the Tableland and Skyrail back down in the morning, then a helicopter ride to the outer Great Barrier Reef followed by lunch, time for snorkelling, and a cruise back to town to finish the day with enough time for sundowners back at the hotel.
Accommodation suitable for queens in their land can be found at Shangri-la The Marina, the town’s slickest accommodation option located right on the waterfront. Shangri-la hotels are always tops, but bottoms too will enjoy the artsy decor of the Horizon Club rooms and the attentive service of the friendly staff. Other travellers may prefer the genteel charms of the fabulous, gay-managed Whitfield House in Cairns’ trendy Edge Hill section. Located between Flecker Botanic Gardens and the avant-garde Tank Arts complex, Whitfield House has a privileged position in a jungle of lush vegetation concealing it from the outside world. The oversized spa tubs and the outstanding service of this home away from home make for a special getaway where no detail goes unnoticed, as witnessed by the custom-made leadlight windows with WH cleverly represented by flowers. If you prefer to stay totally gay, the welcoming Skinny Dips urban resort will do just fine. While not plush like the five-star wonders, the conviviality of Skinny Dips serves for a relaxing escape from the armoired life.
A car will serve you well in reaching the local sights, most of which involve shedding clothes and entering water. The beaches to the north are postcard-pretty tropical settings and their dramatic sunrises make a nice change from the sunsets of WA. To the south is Babinda, where The Boulders make for a pleasant dip in the water despite the number of single men believed to have disappeared in its waters. Aboriginal legend has it that a young woman who died in The Boulders’ rapids takes young single men to keep herself company in the watery depths. You go, girl.
For trips further afield, there is the rather contrived Port Douglas and the rather gorgeous Mossman Gorge, home of the superb Silky Oaks Lodge; if you don’t stay here, at least go for lunch and try the imaginative, world-class cuisine. Silky Oaks’ fabulous Healing Waters Spa will have you crying for more when time’s up and you hoist your tenderised body from the massage table.
Virgin Blue flies from Perth to Cairns with one easy connection in Brisbane. Given the ersatz state of emergency at airports these days, Virgin makes its passengers feel as comfortable as possible right from check-in through to arrival with friendly faces and a bit of levity.
For more information, check out www.tropicalaustralia.com.au.
