Beautiful Places to Photograph in Cairns
Perfect white sand beaches, warm tropical water and palm trees, all merging in with lush tropical rainforest clad mountains. This is what Cairns in tropical North Queensland has to offer to travellers. Its abundance of natural beauty makes Cairns the perfect destination for photographers, with everything from palm fringed beaches to idyllic waterfalls surrounded by rainforest. If you’re into your photography, you are sure to leave Cairns with some fantastic shots. Here are some beautiful places to photograph in Cairns.
Cairns Esplanade
A great spot to start is right in the heart of Cairns. The Cairns Esplanade stretches along the seafront where you will find the picturesque Cairns Esplanade Lagoon – a huge public pool which overlooks the water. The esplanade is also home to some amazing restaurants and is one of the best places in the city to eat seafood. It is also close to some of the best hotels in Cairns, making it a nice place to go out at night for dinner. A great time to take photos is around sunset, when the soft light reflects off the water and the sky displays some beautiful colours.
Palm Cove
Located around 20 minutes north of Cairns, the small beach town of Palm Cove is the place to go for those idyllic palm fringed beach photos. Palm Cove is a resort style town, with lots of cafes, bars and boutique style shopping. All of this sits next to a stunning white sand beach which drops slowly into the warm waters of the Coral Sea, and coconut palms line the shore, leaning out over the beach for those perfect shots. Sunrise is a fantastic time for photography here as the sun rises up over the ocean, but sunset will also provide you with some great shots with soft light.
Millaa Millaa Falls
One thing that the mountains around Cairns have in abundance is waterfalls. In fact, there are so many amazing waterfalls that you could head out on an exclusive waterfall photography trip. If you were only to go and see one, however, I would have to recommend Millaa Millaa Falls. Located near the town of Millaa Millaa, around 2 hours south of Cairns, this beautiful waterfall is actually part of the Waterfall Circuit, so you could visit the other waterfalls in the area at the same time while driving through stunning rainforest scenery. Millaa Millaa Falls is one of those perfect waterfalls that just drops over the edge of a cliff into a beautiful pool below, all surrounded by lush tropical rainforest. Use a longer exposure to get one of those perfect smooth waterfall shots.
Fitzroy Island
The Great Barrier Reef is a huge draw card for visitors coming to Cairns and the reef is dotted with picture perfect islands, all making great destinations for photography. One of the closest islands to Cairns, which you can reach in only half an hour, is Fitzroy Island. This beautiful tropical island has amazing white sand beaches, coconut palms and a forested interior, all surrounded by the beauty of the Great Barrier Reef. There are lots of great photography options here, from those perfect tropical beach shots to underwater reef photography.
Mossman Gorge
Located north of Cairns is the ancient rainforest of Daintree National Park. This beautiful forest is full of amazing photography opportunities, but one great place to start is Mossman Gorge. Here you’ll find the crystal clear mountain water of the Mossman River cascading over giant boulders, all surrounded by lush tropical rainforest. There are several short walking tracks that meander through the forest, and you can take a dip in the cool waterholes and enjoy the peacefulness of this beautiful place.
Great Barrier Reef Scenic Flight
The Great Barrier Reef is a true natural wonder and provides some amazing photo opportunities for photographers. One of the best ways to view and photograph the reef is from high up above it, by taking a scenic helicopter flight over the reef. The flight provides you with a unique perspective of the vastness of this huge reef system, stretching out in all directions, dotted with little islands and cays and surrounded by stunning water of different shades of blue and green. Helicopter flights can be booked in Cairns and can last from a short 10 minute flight over the reef, to an ultimate experience of landing on a sandy cay or pontoon to explore all that the reef has to offer.
The incredible natural beauty of Cairns makes it the perfect destination for photographers. Even if you’re new to photography, you are sure to go home with some amazing shots from this beautiful destination.
Article from K Omoro
