Barbeques - Cairns Esplanade

A potential first-time overseas visitor to Cairns told us recently, with some amusement, that a certain “joker” had told him that there are free-to-use electric barbeques along Cairns Esplanade and some other locations.

Well, er, it’s not a joke but a fact!

They’re usually cleaned every single day and are free to use. In some locations, if you’re having a larger party or gathering, you can reserve the barbeque for a small fee.  It’s a great and very popular pastime around here.

True, the “Bar-B” is a great tradition all over Australia but up here in Far North Queensland they’re given a slightly different twist by our regional cuisine.  Just look at some of the local ingredients you can experiment with, notably some fantastic fresh seafood including:

• Banana Prawns;
• Bugs;
• Mud Crab;
• Stripey Seaperch;
• Redthroat Emperor;
• King Snapper.

Whether you’re staying in our Port Douglas, Palm Cove or Cairns accommodation apartments, barbequing is widely available and it’s a pleasant way to pass a few hours.

This shouldn’t be news to visitors from other parts of Australia but in many of the forests and parks here, open fires and barbeques are permitted but only in specified and officially-approved locations.  Note also they may be prohibited at some times of the year or in certain weather conditions.

Do note also that you’ll need to take your own firewood with you, as locally even dead branches and wood are protected and their burning is prohibited.

There are some excellent online guides for good open-country fire and barbeque practices in Queensland and they’re well worth reading.  If you have any doubts at all about what is or is not permissible outside of provided barbeque locations, just ask us.

There’s not much, if anything, on that subject we don’t know. It might be faster than looking it up and it’s absolutely free!

See you soon!