Cairns Botanic Gardens

The only wet-tropical Botanic Gardens in Australia. You could spend the whole day exploring this tropical wonderland, only 4 km from the City Centre. Palms, gingers, cycads, heliconias, ferns and flowering trees set the scene for a botanical adventure.

In the Visitor Centre you can learn about the local flora and fauna, the history of the Gardens and the evolution of the plant kingdom. All of the Botanic Gardens’ brochures are available from within the Visitor Centre as is information on the Botanic Gardens’ Precinct. Attached to the Centre is a café, open for breakfast and lunch, and a gift shop offering a range of merchandise from local artists and publications on things botanical.

Flecker Garden showcases a diverse and colourful range of tropical plants from the local area and South East Asia, South America and Africa. Within it you will find an Orchid House, Fern House and Aboriginal Plant Use garden. The fascinating story of the Evolution of Wet Tropics rainforest plants is illustrated and explained in the Gondwanan Garden. Flecker garden is also home to the Botanic Gardens Restaurant & Café.

The Centenary Lakes area contains a freshwater lake and a saltwater lake and is full of native flora and fauna. They are connected to the Botanic Gardens by a raised boardwalk that meanders through pristine, lowland swamp forest and melaleuca wetlands.

Adjoining the Botanic Gardens is Mt Whitfield Conservation Park. It comprises over 300 hectares of forested mountain range. Reaching an elevation of 365 metres above sea level, the park offers panoramic views of the local area. It also provides numerous opportunities for nature-based recreation and educational activates along its two major walking tracks the Red Arrow and Blue Arrow trails.

Entry to the Botanic Gardens is free. Flecker Garden is open daily 7 days a week, between 7:30am & 5:30pm. The Visitor Centre is open between 9:00am and 4:30pm on week days and between 10:00am and 2:30pm on weekends.