10 great free things to do in Cairns

1. Freshwater swimming: Popular spots for a dip include Crystal Cascades, Babinda Boulders, Stoney Creek, The Rocks at Redlynch and Goomboora Park (with your puppies if you like). Find more swimming spots in and around Cairns for a dip.
2. Soak in the atmosphere at the Esplanade: Great at sunset and definitely not just for tourists. The Esplanade has something for everyone from the beautifully-natural 'figtree park' in the south to the Funship in the north. Along its picturesque 3km length, you'll find the free Lagoon pool, a climbing park, skate bowl, gym equipment, barbecues, basketball and beach volleyball courts, several cafes and plenty of selfie-worthy public art and natural backdrops. You can even run inside a giant hamster wheel at Muddies Playground.
3. Climb, ride or drive up a hill to find a great view: Cairns is a beautifully mountainous place. We have walking and cycling tracks winding to most of our peaks and pieces of higher ground. The Arrows walking tracks near the Cairns Botanic Gardens just in the inner suburb of Edge Hill are hugely-popular. The Park is a 300ha forested mountain range, home to rainforest, eucalyptus and grasslands through which wind the Red, Blue, Green and Yellow Arrow walking tracks. There are drives and lookouts too if you're not feeling quite so energetic.
4. Take a beach wander: Find a rope swing, dig up pippies on the water's edge, or sit under a shady tree and look out to the horizon. Closest beach to the city is Machans Beach, which is a great place to throw in a line. Within 40 minutes' drive minutes, there are seven patrolled beaches to the north of the city. From south to north, they are: Holloways Beach, Yorkeys Knob, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Clifton Beach, Palm Cove and Ellis Beach. And Bramston Beach to the south is great for a short road trip (1 hour drive) or a weekend camping getaway.
5. Explore the Kuyurru Games Trail at Yorkeys Knob. The Kuyurru Games Trail is located on land that is originally the home of the Yirrganydji people, an Indigenous rainforest and coastal culture belonging to the Djabugay language group of Far North Queensland. Yorkeys Knob is around 20 minutes north of the city. Along the trail, find out about traditional games that were played by Indigenous children in many different parts of Australia to learn skills they needed later in adult life like hunting.
6. Find a park to play in: Use Cairns Regional Council's park-finder to discover the perfect place to climb, scooter, BBQ, explore nature or let your puppies play off the lead.
7. Go birdwatching or butterfly-spotting at Cairns Botanic Gardens or Cattana Wetlands: The Botanic Gardens Conservatory in Collins Avenue houses palms, bromeliads, cycads, aquatic plants, orchids, carnivorous plants and more. Butterflies add an extra splash of colour and add to the visitor experience. Come to the Cairns Botanic Gardens on a Tuesday morning and you can join in on a free bird watching tour. At Cattana Wetlands, around 15 minutes from the city in Smithfield, you will find 80ha nature conservation park with a 420m boardwalk through feather palm forest, freshwater and salt water lakes and abundant plant and birdlife.
8. Take in local art or history at Tanks Arts Centre: Tanks Arts Centre is an innovative contemporary arts facility housed in three converted World War II naval oil storage tanks, set amidst a lush rainforest backdrop in the Botanic Gardens precinct in Edge Hill. Tank 4 is a dedicated art gallery.
9. Try out an Active Living class. The Active Living program offers free exercise and wellbeing classes delivered by qualified trainers.  Classes are held on the Cairns Esplanade and in Brinsmead, Edmonton, Gordonvale, Manunda, Trinity Beach and Yorkeys Knob.
10. Spend some quiet time in Cairns Libraries: Find a book, learn a new skill, use the internet or read to your little one in one of the Cairns region's eight libraries.