Cairns (pronounced ‘cans’) is the gateway for Far North Queensland and the Great Barrier Reef. You can expect to come across crocs, delicious seafood, the most perfect palm trees, natural waterfalls and tropical islands whilst adventuring up here and one thing you won’t be short of, is instagrammable pics. And backpackers. Everywhere.
(Not that life is about the gram, but it’s always nice to get a few good shots)
I was lucky enough to live there for a few years so have experienced the best of FNQ. So here’s my top spots to get the gram shot.
Heads up – most of these photos are pics of me from my CurvySam Insta taken with my iphone. I will include some other peoples highly filtered shots probs taken with a fancy camera. But at least I’m going to tell you EXACTLY where to go.
Walsh’s Pyramid
Put this exact address in your GPS ‘383 Behana Gorge Rd, Aloomba QLD’
I took this photo at 10am, have seen other people get some amazing shots at sunset. If you have a drone you would get the COOLEST footage.
Side note – there is a river on the right with some amazing fresh water swimming spots.
Be mindful of crocs especially during the wet season. A 3.5m was spotted in Jan 19.
Prawn Star
Thala Beach Nature Reserve
The GPS address is ‘5078 Captain Cook Hwy, Oak Beach QLD 4877’
You will see a sign for ‘Thala Beach Resort’ on the right and the pretty palm tree field is before the resort. Best lighting is at the end of the day after 3pm. (this pic was taken with my iphone at 1pm so the lighting is harsh)
Port Douglas – Rex Smeal Park
It’s Rex Smeal Park which runs along Wharf Street, Port Douglas.
For the ultimate shot without other people there I would be there for sunrise.
Palm Cove
GPS address is 1 Veivers Rd, Palm Cove QLD 4879
It’s right out the front of two of my fave restaurants, Chill Cafe (good for breakfast) and NuNu which is moreso fine dining. It can get busy in the afternoons, morning pics would be the best. NuNu can set you up a private dining space on the beach during sunset which is an amazing experience and perfect for pics.
Kuranda Railway
Millaa Millaa Falls
GPS Millaa Falls Road, Millaa Millaa QLD 4886
This is around 2 hours from Cairns and can be accessed either by driving North or South. It’s a circuit – I think its best to do Palm Cove, Port Douglas then back to Kuranda and the waterfall drive which brings you out at Gordonvale (right near the pyramid). This is a great location to swim, there’s toilets and changerooms on site too.
PS. You may recognise this location from Peter Andre’s shampoo commercial. He grew up on the tablelands.
Davies Creek Falls
Davies Creek Road turnoff is 21km past Kuranda. You’ll drive on a gravel road to get there. There is no phone reception here & you will need to bring all food and drinks with you because its in the Wooroonooran National Park.
Behind where this guy is sitting is a waterfall, swimming hole and a small infinity like the picture below. Access wise you can park right next to the area, it’s around a 10 min walk down the path to get to the swimming spot.
Windin Falls & Infinity Pool
I haven’t been here personally, that’s because its a 90min hike each way in the tropical heat through the Wooroonooran National Park. Lots of people go there for this iconic shot.
Friends have given me these instructions.
1) Drive to Lamins Hill Lookout 2) Drive past Lamins Hill Lookout 3) Drive for around 4km until you see a sign for Windin Falls 5) Park and then walk about 5 minutes until you get to a large metal gate 6) Hike for around 50 minutes until you get to a little falls sign and an orange ribbon on a tree 7) Turn right and walk for another 15 minutes until you approach Windin falls. Access via the Old Cairns Track
Please watch out for snakes on the path all year round. Not even kidding.
Nerada Tea Factory
Approx 90kms from Cairns. (also close to Millaa Millaa Falls)
You can visit the Nereda Tea Fields between 9.00am-4.30pm *closed Sat
Theres a cafe on site.
So apparently there are a few more tea fields close by which are on a hill so you can get better shots than this one. (I was standing in the mud in the tea)
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Both of these photos were taken in the same location.
The concrete archway can be seen from the road & its next to a pond with ducks.
(I would park here) It’s technically the start of the Zhanjiang Friendship Garden.
This is a large area that has wetland pathways that connect to the Cairns botanical gardens which is a 20min. . The jungle like photo is only a 5 min walk down the elevated pathway. In this pic I’m wearing my work uniform because I’d go for walks during my lunch break.
I have linked a map here
Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island is a 45min ferry ride from Cairns. It’s a good spot for the classic palm tree / looking out towards the ocean shots. Ya know these are the shots you send to your friends back in rainy cold Melbs right?!
You can do a day trip there but to get the full value of the island I recommend staying there a night as you can only get on and off the island twice a day.
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The lagoon has to be the most photographed spot in Cairns. It’s right on the esplanade.
Go early morning if you want to get the shot because there’s always lots of people around. It’s pretty much the sleeping grounds for backpackers during the day.
So that wraps up my list of instagrammable Cairns spots.
For tourism info visit
Thanks for the location, good inside..