chunder down under

One of the best features about Cairns is the recently designed artificial lagoon. As the city lacks a beach (instead having suspiciously smelling mangrove swamps and mud flats) and due to the fact that for 6 months of the year it is dangerous to swim in the sea (box jellyfish and crocodiles) an artificial beach was created. It has no connection to the sea, although it is saltwater, and is mainly full of micturating toddlers and backpackers checking out the talent. You can't beat using one of the free barbecues scattered around it on a balmy tropical night while watching the sun setting over the rainforest covered hills as the fruit bats fly (and watching the talent).