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Cairns is known as the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. It is a tropical town situated 2000 kilometers north of Brisbane. The population in Cairns and surrounding districts numbers about 100,000 people (plus a few million cane toads). The main industry is tourism, which is gouging as many dollars as possible out of the suckers before they leave. This is achieved by overpricing and overcharging anyone who even vaguely looks like a tourist. There are many scuba diving courses, reef tours, island tours, and tours of the tablelands behind Cairns. Cairns has two seasons, wet and dry. The wet season is sometimes accompanied by interesting weather patterns called tropical cyclones; you do not want to get caught in a cyclone (author's personal experience from a number of them). The wind blows too much, it rains too much, and almost every stream and river floods and it takes ages to fix up your house and garden after a cyclone has been through. A mandatory requirement in winter is a BIG beach towel. It is quite warm enough in winter to swim, while in summer you risk permanent disfigurement or death from the deadly box jellyfish if you swim during that season. The atmosphere of the town is quite casual, although there are the usual problems that occur with a high transient population. A nice feature is the Saturday market known as Rusty's Market, which is two streets away from the centre of town. With careful bargaining and a bit of savvy, the hoopier hitchhikers can pick up some real bargains. Avoid anyone who says this is a one-time-only offer, because when you are out of sight they pick up another duplicate that was made in Korea or Taiwan and put it on display. Cairns has its own international airport and has direct flights from other countries landing daily. The nightlife is fairly limited, although the Playpen nightclub puts on a good show occasionally. Cairns is truly a gateway and that is its most redeeming feature, as it offers tours to almost every part of North Queensland.