What's on in Cairns (Great Barrier Reef), Australia through the year

Busy — Summer holidays in Australia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in January.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Quiet — one of its worst months for weather

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Busy — Autumn / Easter break in Australia, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)

Busy — Dry season

• Season

  Dry season

  1 May – 31 OctCrowded

  May to October is the settled half of the year: the reef boats run most days, the roads to the Daintree and up to the Tablelands stay open, and the town is at its busiest.

Still on: Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May)

Peak crowds — Dry season, Winter (July) break in Australia

• Nature

  Dwarf minke whales

  1 Jun – 31 Jul · usuallyWhale seasonBook early

  Dwarf minkes turn up on the Ribbon Reefs north of here for June and July, the only place in the world permitted to snorkel with them. It takes a liveaboard, not a day boat.

Still on: Dry season (1 May – 31 Oct)

Peak crowds — Dry season, Winter (July) break in Australia

• Festival

  Cairns Indigenous Art Fair

  9–12 JulMajor festival

  Four days of Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art, fashion and dance on the Esplanade, with the galleries in town programming around it. Source ↗

Still on: Dry season (1 May – 31 Oct), Dwarf minke whales (1 Jun – 31 Jul (usually))

Busy — Dry season, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Dry season (1 May – 31 Oct)

Peak crowds — Dry season, Spring break in Australia

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Dry season (1 May – 31 Oct)

Peak crowds — Dry season, Spring break in Australia

• Nature

  Coral spawning

  25 Oct – 10 Dec · usuallyDive season

  The corals release on a few nights after a full moon in late spring, inshore reefs usually ahead of the outer ones. The dive boats run night trips on an educated guess.

Still on: Dry season (1 May – 31 Oct)

Shoulder season — an ordinary month

• Hazard

  Stinger season

  1 Nov – 31 MayInsect season

  Box jellyfish and irukandji are in coastal water from November to May. The northern beaches have netted enclosures, the reef boats hand out suits, and the city lagoon needs neither. Source ↗

• Hazard

  Cyclone season

  1 Nov – 30 Apr

  November to April is the cyclone half of the year. The rain that comes with it cuts the inland roads for days at a time, and reef trips stop when the swell gets up. Source ↗

Still on: Coral spawning (25 Oct – 10 Dec (usually))

Busy — Summer holidays in Australia, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Coral spawning (25 Oct – 10 Dec (usually)), Stinger season (1 Nov – 31 May), Cyclone season (1 Nov – 30 Apr)