Cairns History Walking Tour

A wonderful and informative morning! What impressed me most was the breadth of history covered. I came away with a much deeper appreciation of Cairns and its history and rich cultural heritage, as well as the significance of the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest as World Heritage Sites. Peter is an excellent guide - knowledgeable, engaging, and exceptionally good at bringing the city's history to life. I particularly enjoyed discovering the stories behind historic buildings such as the Bolands Centre and Hides Hotel, as well as learning about the role of Cairns during World War II. My only regret is that I didn't take this tour on my first day in Cairns! I would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the region. Whether you're staying for a few days or longer, this is an excellent way to understand and appreciate Cairns beyond its beautiful scenery. Thank you, Peter, for a great walking tour!

This tour was a good overview of the CBD with a knowledgeable guide. We appreciated his historic insights.

Our Cairns history walking tour with Cairns Urban Walking Tours was terrific! We learned so much about the history of Cairns and saw so many interesting things around town that we probably would not have noticed on our own. It was a great way to get oriented to the city. Be sure to check out their blog for great recommendations for restaurants and other things to do.

Peter was very knowledgeable and passionate about Cairns history which made it a great and informative tour. He was friendly and professional and gave us some great recommendations. Would recommend.

Just fabulous, interesting history and stories. Thanks for sharing

We wanted to learn more about the city of Cairns so we booked this walking tour. Our local guide, Peter, was great! We walked around the city center for 90 minutes with multiple stops at key areas. Peter shared so much interesting history about Cairns and clearly loves where he lives! The weather worked mostly in our favor but the small amount of rain we did encounter, did not hinder the great experience we had!

Had a very informative tour with Peter this morning. He is very knowledgeable of the city and Australian history. A very kind , talkative gentleman This was a slow paced relaxing walking tour around beautiful Cairns. I highly recommend!

This is the number one thing to do when you arrive in Cairns. We were fortunate enough to have Peter as our guide. He pitched the tour perfectly as he had our two jet lagged teenagers to contend with and grabbed their attention! We received a lovely welcome to Cairns and enjoyed the respectful range of original settlers heritage spanning to 20th/21st century more recent social, cultural, economic and architectural aspects. We met a lovely Australian lady who is on a domestic holiday so we gained an insight into current Australian life in general. A huge thanks/go raibh maith agat to Peter (who we think reminds us of Craig McDonald Ottawa Walking Tours owner) an absolute gent from four appreciative Irish tourists: Denise, Barry, Kevin and Rory

We thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour of Cairns with guide Peter. He was knowledgeable and personable. Thanks. Recommended

Lovely way to appreciate the history of Cairns especially if you are short on time. The guide, Peter was very personable, knowledgeable and friendly. The content was well researched and delivered in a down to earth manner. Very enjoyable.

This was an Excellent tour of downtown sites & history. He weaved in ancient and recent history of many sites. Most impressively and usedukky, he had a mn iPad with pictures of what the town and historical figures looked like and how they impacted Cairns. This was so helpful and greatly enhanced our tour and our understanding. It now makes me surprised other tour guides don't use such devices as well. Very well done.

Feel more familiar with Cairns and more at home here The tour guide shared his knowledge of Cairns, the area and Australia and its history

Amazing Tour! We recently joined Peter for the Cairns History Walking Tour and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Cairns. Peter was warm, friendly, engaging and most importantly knowledgeable and passionate. The tour was done at a great pace, and was extremely insightful and the use of the i-pad to give perspective on some buildings and areas was a great touch. If you are visiting Cairns, I would highly recommend doing this tour, you will no regret it.

I had an amazing experience on the Cairns History Tour and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the area. The tour was incredibly informative and engaging, offering a fascinating look into Cairns’ past. Our guide Peter was knowledgeable, passionate, and a fantastic storyteller. The pacing of the tour was perfect, with plenty of time to take in each location, ask questions, and enjoy the atmosphere. Even if you think you know Cairns, you’ll come away with more insight. Overall, this tour was one of the highlights of my visit & the Cairns History Tour is absolutely worth it.

A really interesting and informative time learning about cairns, from a very well-informed and enthusiastic guide. If you have the time to spare I thoroughly recommend it. 5pm as a meeting time was good too.

An excellent walk despite the rain. Peter was very knowledgeable about Cairns. I am a local and he taught me a lot about my own town. Highly recommended.

My sister and I really enjoyed our tour with Peter. He had a very good knowledge of the history of Cairns and shared some interesting stories of the people who helped Cairns to become what it is today. Highly recommend.

Joining together for an evening stroll around CAIRNS learning about the history of the area. Also good places to eat and shop.

A great tour to take at the start of your visit to Cairns. Great overview of the history of the town and many informative additional details about where to find good food! Book it for your first day and you will have a good base for a great visit.

Excellent walking tour of Cairns. Guide exceptionally knowledgeable about the area and its history. Would highly recommend.

I rate this 90 minute walking tour of Cairns inner city very highly and would put it as a must do. Our guide Peter is able to convey an immense knowledge of history, architecture styles and local foke lore over the course of an easy walk. The style is very much like a conversation in delivery with added “old photos’ to view from his tablet. Peter opened our eyes to Cairns. We commenced a 5pm walk on a 35deg 75% humidity afternoon, but the pace ensured no hardship at all - due mostly to the fascination of the sites and stories. My wife and I did this on our last day - hindsight says do this on day 1 or 2 (our guide will smile at this - he says 90% say this). I have no hesitation in recommending Cairns Urban Walking Tours at all. (Jan30, 2024)

Good general interest tour. Gave a lot of background history. The guide was very friendly and informative

Amazing experience would highly recommend for anyone looking for a history tour I gained so much knowledge

Peter was a knowledgeable and friendly host. The 90 minutes passed very quickly. We know a great deal more about the history of the city

A great walk with guide Peter. He talked about a lot of different topics and is clearly knowledgable. Knows a lot of details and is real enthusiastic sharing the stories. My only critical note: I would have liked to hear a bit more about the time before the European settlers.

The knowledge of the guide was wonderful Combining history , architecture , stories , culture etc making it a fascinating tour

This was a great overview of Cairns history. There were a lot of interesting things to learn from the tour guide. Best to go in a small group.

Peter was an excellent tour guide! Very knowledgeable about Cairns. We truly had a lovely time walking around the CBD. Great tour to find your way around and learn the history of Cairns!

Peter gave us rollicking yarns, revealed the intrigue and a window into the history of Cairns, much more than we could ever have researched without spending a lot of time online or in libraries. It illuminated our understanding of both the city and restoration projects on the reef. A must do for visitors wanting to enjoy this city.

Peter was an excellent guide and took us to many interesting places. He had an excellent knowledge of Cairns and knew a lot about the Great Barrier Reef.

This was a fantastic way to learn the history behind Cairns, our guide was informative and told the history in a way that was easy to follow and remember. I would highly recommend this tour to family and friends. When I am back in Cairns I will be doing the other two tours our guide offers.

A great taste of the history of Cairns and its buildings.Peter was very knowledgeable and answered any of our questions. I would recommend this 90minute walking tour at the beginning of your stay in Cairns as it gives you a good feel for the city.

Peter was knowledgeable and interesting and the time flew by. An easy walk with lots of fun facts and stories - would recommend

We had a ‘private’ history tour with Peter due to another group cancelling at short notice (lucky for us) - it was a lovely balmy morning and Peter talked his way around Cairns town sharing good stories and pointing out beautiful buildings and sites with great background tales. Peter is a nice easygoing guide and the tour was very enjoyable - highly recommend - thank you!

Such a great introduction to Cairns and the region. Peter is a lovely guide and we enjoyed a beautiful winter's walk around the city.

Very interesting and entertaining tour with Mr. Peter. No question was to much for him. Perfect timing for us, 90 min. of learning a lot about Cairns history.

Great walking tour, lots of interesting places to see and our guide was very knowledgeable. Very enjoyable.

The guide was knowledgeable and easy to listen to. I learnt a lot about Cairns through his story telling.

We very much enjoyed our walking tour with Peter. It was just the 3 of us so it was great. Peter was a fountain of knowledge about the history and buildings of Cairns city. I looked up further details later about some of the things he mentioned to us. It was a great way to spend an hour or 2 in the city. The walk was not strenuous and probably covered a few kilometers. We would recommend.

Highly recommend this tour to orient yourself to the city centre and learn a diverse range of facts and stories - makes you appreciate the city and think about all the things that occurred here. Lots of fun facts and shared in an interesting and entertaining way! :-) Colette (Melbourne)

Fabulous 90 minute easy walk around the main streets of Cairns. Great insight into the history legends and the modern day Cairns. I have visited Cairns a few times ...Peter's enthusiasm and knowledge brings the history alive and enthusiastic to explore further.

Fantastic, plethora of information, based on a broad range of factual topics from the arrival of the first aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over 40,000 years ago, their shields with the depicted return boomerang on top. Coral reef, the environmental damage and reef conservation. Cairns heritage buildings and architecture and infamous monuments of the likes of Dr Koch who was the first to discover the link between Malaria and mosquito and patented the first treatment consisting of a mixture of quinine and diluted sulphuric acid........the list goes on.......oh, and I can't forget George Lawson, otherwise known as 'Yorkey' a bech-de-mer fisherman from you Yorkshire UK, who had his hand blown off whilst fishing with dynamite and then treated by the aforementioned Dr Koch, who amputated it and attached a hook......but the story does not end there...............

The tour guide didn’t arrive. I had to call them and they tried to say I wasn’t booked then they found the booking and said sorry they just forgot about us.

Peter was very knowledgeable on the history of Cairns and presented it in a very interesting and entertaining manner. We look forward to doing the food tour when we are next in town.

I thoroughly enjoyed my guided walk around the historic centre of Cairns. Peter's commentary of early adventurers and settlers, life in town and on the bay, old buildings of significance, the war years, made Cairns' past come alive. A great way to learn about this fascinating town's history.

Peters knowledge of the history of Cairns was fantastic. His enthusiasm kept us engaged all tour. The tour has given us a real appreciation for the history of the area and has enriched our holiday. The walk is easy and wheelchair friendly, anyone can do this tour and it’s well worth it.

Was a great way to get a real feel for the town.... I did not know a lot about the history so enjoyed all the fun facts. Peter very interesting guy, and well informed. Also have some good tips for local bars and restaurants.

Definitely worth doing if you have a spare 90 minutes in Cairns. As a born and bred North Queenslander, I was surprised at how little I knew about the region’s history. Good to see how Peter also incorporates local First Australian history and landmarks in his tour.

Interesting, informative and guide Peter is a lovely guy to match. We would highly recommend this tour.