Cairns Lagoon

Cairns Lagoon

Sunburned tourists in Cairns lagoon

Cairns was occupied by Allied troops during World War II. Troops dredged the city’s harbor and left the beach muddy and dirty. It was the only beach we saw in Australia that didn’t have long stretches of sandy beach. A disappointment.

A sandy beach around the perimeter

But to give citizens a place to swim, they built a lagoon and added modern sculpture, lawns, palm trees, and benches. It wasn’t a real ‘beach,’ more like a pool at a resort.

It was so inviting, we swam in the lagoon several days, sometimes cooling off after walking around town, or just lounging in the afternoon. The water was pleasantly warm, the lagoon shallow, with a sandy beach, and only 5 feet deep.

Resort -- or public pool?

All day, helicopters flew tourists out to the GBR from a helipad nearby. Sailboats, yachts, cruise ships, and dive boats sailed in the harbor and docked at Cairns marina.

Cairns harbor in background

Sculptured fish

On hot and muggy afternoon, we’d walk to the lagoon, throw down a towel on the lawn, and walk in the sandy beach and dive into the warm water. So refreshing and clean, seagulls flying overhead, children splashing in the water, and a near cloudless sky overhead. A typical February ‘summer’ day in Cairns.

Sunburned and happy in the lagoon

Look, a mermaid behind us!

Cairns lagoon was just one other reason we thought the town had so much charm; great ethnic restaurants, shaded parks, quiet streets, and beautiful views in all directions. We walked everywhere, from Heather’s Queensland style home (classic wooden one level house on stilts) into town, to the marina, shopping, and arranging dive trips.