How likely is it to be stung by jelly fish in late December in Cairns?

Question

Me and my partner want to travel there from the 22nd to the 30th for our xmas holiday but arent keen if the jelly fish are going to get us as a beach was a must for me. Also what beaches does anyone recommend as I dont know if I want to stay right in Cairns CBD but i dont want to stay in Port Douglas :)

Answer 1

There are many beaches throughout Cairns - in fact there are more than 30 beaches between Cairns and Port Douglas alone, and most of them past Ellis Beach are practically deserted.

Main beaches are Trinity Beach, Clifton Beach and Palm Cove.

They likely hood of you getting stung by jellyfish is about the same as walking out on the street and getting hit by a bus.

Swim in the nets provided.  Out of the reef you have no worries as the stingers come near the coast line.

Also the life surfers 'scoop' in the swimming enclosure every morning to see of there are any present, if there is, the beach will be closed that day.

Cairns has a great Lagoon in the CBD - only 3 years old and getting a make over as we speak -  free access to large lagoon swimming are right in town! http://www.cairnsesplanade.com/gallery.h... you are spoilt for choice of restaurants on the main strip there also.  Cairns Central Mall is a 10 min walk from the Esplanade for your shopping

Answer 2

Even though it is technically wet season I would say that normally true wet season is January to April. So box jellyfish may not even be about in December but there cannot be a guarantee.

I will be blunt though, sorry I do not wish to offend at all but just to be honest.

If you want a beach holiday then why Cairns? The Great Barrier Reef and thousands of islands protect the Queensland coast hence no surf beaches north of Agnes Water. This protection leads to the existence of mangroves, swamps and silt build up. The box jellyfish populate the mangrove and pop out in wet season but stick to the mainland coastal regions, not the reef itself. Of course any ocean has an element of danger but this particular danger is not evident on the reef other than extreme rare cases. The plus side is absolute wonderland of marine creatures not seen in traditional beach area.

Swimming in the ocean on a hot humid day is like taking a warm bath. So even without the box jellies swimming in the ocean would still not be as popular as southern beaches.

Some beaches are very pleasing to the eye, Palm Cove and Mission beach spring to mind but overall I would not considered Far North Queensland a beach destination. Even these picture postcard locations most people on the beach are walkers, not sunbaking or swimming.

The tourist most suited to visit Cairns and /or surrounds would be asking, what is the best reef? , best dive boat, best liveaboard, where can I swim under a waterfall in the rainforest? where can I do a really good hike? Any good cays or islands to visit? Where can I see aboriginal rock art? What outback experience is there near Cairns? What are the best natural spots on the Atherton Tableland? Then when they figure out what they want to do then they ask...where would I stay if I am doing .........etc, etc.

If you do the reef. islands, cay, waterfalls etc you spend so much time in the water you never miss the beach anyway.

So for me if someone asks where to stay for a good beach as a priority I think they are heading to the wrong place for their needs. Perhaps Sunshine Coast would be a better destination, beautiful area. Or thousands of other spots around the world to be honest.

Answer 3

Sorry to say but December is box jelly fish and irikanji time.They do have stinger nets up on most beaches in Cairns and I recommend a full stinger suit.

Usually if you go out to the reef they should not be any jelly fish out there.Also December is the wet season.This means that it might rain a lot and would most probably rain every day.Regardless Cairns is a beautiful place and I highly recommend it.I am just not sure about your timing.

Answer 4

likely, try Port MacDonnell, South Australia! =]

Answer 5

You should stay in port douglas its such a nice place to stay i loved it i stayed at the Mantra Tree tops resort beautiful place great service as well... or you could go up and stay at Cape Tribulation witch is amazing!!!

Best place to stay when you goto Cairns is port douglas though.

And you a very likely to get stung by box jelly fish during the summer i suggest either stay out of the water or go down to the Mossman Gorge beautiful fresh water lake or rive not sure with a gorgeous waterfall right next to it with beautiful fish at the bottom ten times nicer then the beach....

cairns is the best place to holiday in Australia i loved it and will be going back again this year!!!!