Cairns Botanic Gardens’ peaceful landscape and quiet surroundings draw bikers, joggers, and walkers. Clearly printed labels, informational brochures, and audio guides make it easy for visitors to become their own expert, but some city tours of Cairns do include guided walk-throughs of the grounds. Indigenous birding tours are also offered. Explore the site’s extensive orchid collection and its wide range of tropical flora, including exotic species of palms, gingers, bamboos, vines, aroids, and fruit trees. Plus, see rare plants such as the Amorphophallus titanum, which–due to the odor it emits–is also known as the corpse flower.
The Cairns Botanic Gardens are located on Collins Avenue between McCormack Street and MacDonnell Street, about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from the center of Cairns. On-street parking is available along Collins Avenue and Greenslopes Street. There’s also a bus stop on Collins Avenue, directly outside the Flecker Gardens area.
Cairns Botanic Gardens’ Flecker Gardens, including the Watkins Munro Martin Conservatory, is open from early morning until early evening every day, and the Visitor Information Center is open Monday through Friday from morning until late afternoon and on weekends and public holidays until early afternoon. It’s closed on Christmas Day.
For those looking for more natural attractions, head to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary in Kuranda, about 30 minutes away by car from the gardens. Here, you’ll be able to spot more than 2,000 butterflies, including the vivid electric blue Ulysses. This aviary also boasts a breeding lab where visitors can witness the birth of new butterflies.
