| Population: 129,000 Tropical, wild and rugged, Queensland's Far North is a stunning destination and tourist mecca. Though geographically small, the region contains the richest pocket of bio-diversity in Australia, if not the world. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park offers spectacular reefs, and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area contains ancient rainforest and pristine white-sand beaches. Cairns, distinguished as an international and domestic player in both tourism and business, is the center of tourism for the region and is packed with hotels, restaurants and shops catering to the tourism industry. Additionally, this region is renowned for its myriad of day tours and adventure activities - white water rafting, bungee jumping, scuba diving, bush walking, trail riding and much more. Inland from Cairns is the picturesque Atherton Tableland, teeming with waterfalls.  Cairns is the site of the AustraLearn Program Introduction for all semester and year abroad programs.
Source: Australia. Lonely Planet, 2004.
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