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The Cairns Botanic Gardens

 

 

 

These gardens are huge, encompassing 38ha.  The main part of the gardens are the Flecker Gardens and Watkins Munroe Martin Conservatory. Near here are also the Tanks Art Gallery.

Admission to the gardens are free and it is  open from 7.30am to 5.30pm.  Other parts of the gardens do not close.  We really recommend walking the Rainforest boardwalks to Centenary Lakes, Nature playground and the Chinese friendship garden.

There are also guided walking tours available.  

At a Glance

WARNINGS

WATER Warning: There are water features and lake in partsof the gardens Mosquitoes and Sandflies: Unfortunately these can sometimes be a problem, you will need to bring along repellent.

Highlights of the Cairns Botanical Gardens

Conservatory

Located near the entrance of the  Flecker Botanical Gardens is the Watkins Munro Marin Conservatory.

The conservatory houses an incredible array of tropical plants and butterflies.

 

Rainforest Boardwalk

Located across the road the boardwalk is a lovely walk through amazing plant life and huge trees. 

 

Bamboo collection

Located on the other side of the Flecker gardens (across the road) you will find the Bamboo collection

Kids look so small next to the bamboo!

Friendship Garden & Saltwater Lake

Located off Greenslopes Street, or you can walk from opposite the main gardens, through the boardwalk or paths to the Chinese Friendship garden and the saltwater lake.  Pelicans, ducks, turtles and fish can all be seen here.

Nature Playground

Located on the other side of the gardens you will find Centenary Lakes and the Nature Playground.

This is quite a walk, but you can also drive here too, with access off Greenslopes Street.  

The Centenary Lakes Nature Playground is a wonderful play environment for young to older children. 

Children can explore their surroundings and interact with all the features, which are set in nature and incorporate creative play elements.

DIG

There are designated digging areas here, with clues of where to find hidden treasures and dinosaur bones.  Perfects for letting kids’ imaginations run wild

Fairy and sensory gardens

Can you find the fairy’s garden, complete with a little doorway.  There is also a sensory garden here, with plants known for their bright colours, smells and textures.

SLIDE

The playground has a couple of slides for the  kids to enjoy – a single and a double slide

Balancing

There are stepping stones, balancing logs and a large long winding snake to walk around on

Rope Climb and Crawl

There are many areas here where kids can climb ropes or navigate the rope obstacle course.

Have a PICNIC

There are many picnic tables set up here, making it an ideal spot for a family picnic.  There are also toilets here too.

Centenary Lakes has pelicans, ducks and turtles, and makes a wonderful addition to a visit here.

Centenary Lake Cairns

Recognised as Queensland's top playspace in 2018

The Centenary Lakes Nature Play took out the Playspace Award (projects greater than $500,000) at the Parks and Leisure Australia Queensland 2018 Regional Awards of Excellence in Brisbane. Describing the playspace and welcoming its recognition, Cairns Mayor Bob Manning stated “there are dinosaur bones to uncover, ropes to climb and play huts to build “It’s designed to be a place for kids to get their hands dirty and let their imaginations run free.”

Getting There