subject: For A Great Family Weekend Away Try Yorkeys Knob Near Cairns In Queensland [print this page] The popular Australian beach resort, Yorkeys Knob, is just 13 km from Cairns, the capital of Far North Queensland. Along with Machans Beach and Holloways Beach, it belongs to a trio of lively beach suburbs. Swimming conditions at Yorkeys are best at the north end of Sims Esplanade. This is a popular area for wind-surfers and kite-surfers.
The beach is patrolled in the summer months by lifeguards and it has a stinger net to protect bathers from the infamous box jellyfish. To ensure your safety, the lifeguards flag the safe swimming areas so ensure you swim between the flags. There have been some unfortunate drownings around the rocks a short distance away.
If you love the sun and the sea, you'll be in your element at Yorkeys. In addition to the gorgeous beach, there are public toilets and showers, as well as picnic and barbecue areas. The beachfront looks just like a picture postcard and is lined with coconut palms, beach almonds, ballnuts, and she-oak casuarinas. There's a lavish clubhouse at the Half Moon Marina which offers alfresco dining under a massive covered deck.
The view from the bay area is magnificent and stretches out to the Coral Sea. The renowned Driftaways Restaurant serves everything from octopus salad to potato wedges with a delicious sweet chili sauce. The restaurant is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, while on Sundays it serves a gourmet breakfast on the deck from 8 to 10am.
Tucked away in a cove close to the Half Moon Marina is the local boating club where guests are welcome. Here, it is possible to dine bistro style outdoors and watch the bustling activities within the marina. It accommodates 200 boats in sheltered berths that can take vessels with a maximum length of 30 meters. The marina is shielded from strong south-easterly winds by a headland that stands 100 meters above sea level.
Arguably Australia's greatest attraction, the Great Barrier Reef, is near Yorkeys Knob. You can swim, dive, snorkel, or wind-surf and see spectacular under-the-sea wonders as well as an array of marine life. For those who can't dive, snorkeling provides the ideal alternative. You can find sections of shallow water where it is possible to easily see the beauty below.
Anyone who enjoys bird-watching should go the golf club. You'll be able to see rainbow lorikeets, kingfishers, masked lapwings, bush stone curlews, and sea eagles galore. A huge colony of flying foxes has made their home near holes 12 and 13. As dusk approaches, they fly out in droves to get food and, during the day, they hang from mangrove trees and make an almost deafening noise.
Many of Cairns' major tourist attractions are very close to Yorkeys. Don't miss a ride in the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway which stretches across an area of 7.5 km. Glide over the unspoiled rainforests and take a descent right into the depth of a forest where there are a couple of mid-stations. Here, you can take pictures and rest before the cable car takes you back. When considering Yorkeys Knob accommodation, there are numerous quality facilities. These include some first-rate and affordable 4-star hotels, penthouses, villas, resorts, holiday units, and holiday apartments.
