Even Australians consider Cairns about as far away from home as you can get. This strange little tropical town sits by the ocean, behind the reef on the northern most tip of Australia's eastern seaboard.

As soon as you leave the airport, you can tell you're a long way from anywhere. The Esplanade is the main strip running parallel to the waterfront, full of scuba gear, boomerangs, German, Japanese and American backpackers, and an odd mix of seedy bars, smart restaurants and relentless heat (in the summer). Cairns (pronounced 'Cans,' as in the plural of the film festival) is the hopping off point for Aboriginal country,  the obligatory Great Barrier Reef and the even more spectacular Daintree Rainforest. It  also shares close proximity to some swank resorts, including the very South-Florida-like Port Douglas.

Queensland is immense, with wonderful tall palm trees and old wooden houses built on stilts. If you want to see the reef, it's best to go with top flight operators such as  Great Adventures (Phone 07-4052-7855, Fax: 07-4044-99550). which offers class-act cruises and helicopter  tours as well as a combo for about $250. Expect to spend about 5 & ½ hours  on the boat, enjoy a respectable buffet lunch and snorkel, swim or see the great-below from the round windows in the pontoon. In our case, gale winds prevailed and added the additional attraction of a boat load of sea sick Japanese tourists, who for some mysterious reason, neglected to take the gratis seasick pill offered by the attentive staff.

The food in Cairnes ranges from fast food dives to some surprisingly excellent restaurants. Recommendations include the surprisingly good Dundee's Restaurant (29 Spence Street, Phone +61 7 4051 0399;  Fax +61 7 4031 4292). This clean and attractive restaurant is centrally located and specializes in the  flavor of Australia,  including crocodile, kangaroo, buffalo, emu,  fresh local seafood and sashimi.

Don’t fail to sample the local fish, barramundi, served with  a selection of  special sauces. Also interesting, was Camel Balls (Not What You're Thinking!):  Minced camel meat served with Dundee's dipping sauce;  Possum Cannelloni, Noodle rolls filled with minced Tasmanian Possum topped with mornay sauce, was not threatening; HOT ROCKS PREPARATIONS ARE STARS:

Australian prime fillet steak or Kangaroo steak is served with a selection of Dundee's special sauces and cooked at the table (by you) on burning hot rocks. Don’t be put off by a dish including a fresh selection of scallops  & bugs. The “bugs” are actually a delicious local shellfish similar to langostine. Dundee’s is definitely the best restaurant in Cairnes, followed by Red Ochre Grill (43 Sheilds Street Cairns - Phone: 61 7 4051 0100 - Fax: 61 7 4051 0025  Email: redochregrill@internetnorth.com.au), which serves up its version of new-Australian cuisine. It utilizes the abundant and, until recently, untapped traditional native foods, and showcases the best of Australian wines and beers, which live up to reputation and are world class. The cuisine out of the outback (somewhat gussied up) includes fresh local seafood, yabbies, kangaroo, emu, beef and game combined with the likes of Lemon Aspen, Bunya nuts, Kurrajong seeds, pepper leaf,  macadamias, wattle seed and Kakadu plums. Red Ochre has several branches (Adelaide and Alice Springs) and sells Australian cookbooks, T-shirts and dining paraphernalia.

We stayed about 10 minutes outside of Cairnes at The Rihga Colony Resort (18-26 Canon St, 07-4053-5111). Set in magnificent tropical gardens, with a surprisingly good restaurant (Jardines), here is the most spectacular property in the area. Unfortunately it needs a major player such as Starwood or Hyatt to get in and restored it to its potential.

In Port Douglas, We enjoyed Radisson Treetops Resort (Port Douglas Rd., (617) 4030 4333). Built in the middle of its own rainforest, Treetops features a lagoon style pool, 306 modern rooms, lily ponds and a mostly American clientele. It is an ideal point to hop off to the breathtaking Daintree Rainforest, the most spectacular in the area. The hotel can arrange a walking tour (by day or night) that can be personalized to your age and/or capabilities, and is  a high point in a land of high points.

Allow at least 3 days in Queensland and be advised, although it is subtropical, it can be rainy and somewhat chilly off season  remember our summer is Australia’s winter.

Cairnes and Queensland, rate A Plus on my International Travel Report Card.

I'm J. Walman & my reviews are available & have been seen on the Internet <http://punchin.com/punchin>, The Culinary Gourmet of New York <http://culinarygourmet.com>, Broadway-On-the-Net <http://punchin.com/punchin/broadway.html>, Dinner’s On Us <http://www.dinnersonus.com> Or Click here to see the review on the worldwide web <http://punchin.com/punchin/wevd/oz3.html>.

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