Cairns Botanic Gardens

In the suburb of Edge Hill, the Cairns Botanic Gardens grow one of the richest collections of tropical plants in Australia, thriving in the wet-tropics heat. The historic Flecker Garden holds an Aroid house dense with rainforest species, avenues of palms, and a boardwalk through remnant lowland rainforest alive with birds and butterflies. Across the road, the Centenary Lakes and the rainforest and freshwater sections extend the walking, and the Red Arrow circuit climbs into the hills behind. Free and open daily, the gardens are the best introduction to the flora of the tropical north.