On-site, we loved firing up the BBQs around the camp kitchen on our first night, sitting under the palms with the cicadas in full song and the pool lit up just metres away. Self-catering is the easy default here, and the shaded picnic tables make breakfast feel like part of the holiday.

For coffee and a relaxed bakery breakfast, head five minutes down the hill to Redlynch Central Shopping Centre, where you'll find a Coles for stocking up and a handful of casual cafes. We made a habit of grabbing pastries and a flat white before heading off for the day's adventures. The bakery counter sells out quickly on weekends so we'd suggest going early.

A short drive into Stratford lands you at the iconic Barron River Hotel, a classic Queensland pub with cold beers, schnitzels the size of dinner plates and a friendly local crowd. It's our pick for an easy weeknight dinner when no one feels like cooking.

For a proper night out, the Cairns waterfront is only fifteen minutes away. We treated ourselves to dinner at Salt House on the marina, where the wood-fired pizzas and cocktails come with sunset views over the boats. If seafood is calling, Prawn Star on a working trawler at Marlin Marina is the only place to go: buckets of prawns, mud crab and Moreton Bay bugs, eaten with your fingers on the deck. We rolled up around 4pm to beat the queue and it was worth every minute.

The big draw is right on your doorstep. The Crystal Cascades walking track starts barely a kilometre up the road, with a shaded, mostly flat path leading to a string of rock pools and waterfalls. We walked up most mornings before the heat set in, swimming kit slung over a shoulder, and had the cooler pools almost to ourselves. Pack a picnic, watch for turtles and keep an eye out for the resident azure kingfishers darting between the ferns.

For the more energetic, a steep walking trail climbs from the cascades up to Lake Morris and Copperlode Dam, where there's a small cafe with sweeping views over the catchment. The kids will likely beeline back to the park's saltwater pool the moment you return, then the playground and tennis court will keep them going until dinner.

A twenty-five minute drive takes you to Kuranda via the rainforest, or you can make a proper day of it on the Kuranda Scenic Railway up and the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway back down. Gliding above the canopy at Barron Gorge is a quietly magical experience that even teenagers tend to put their phones down for. In the village, browse the markets, sample tropical fruit ice cream and meet a koala at the wildlife sanctuaries.

Cairns city is fifteen minutes south, with the free Cairns Esplanade Lagoon for a swim, the Saturday morning Rusty's Markets for tropical produce, and the marina as your launchpad for a Great Barrier Reef day trip. North of town, Hartley's Crocodile Adventures is a brilliant family half-day, and the Northern Beaches at Palm Cove and Trinity Beach are perfect for a sunset stroll and an early dinner.

We found the rainforest setting creates its own little microclimate, so mornings can feel cool and misty even in the tropical summer, and a light layer for early walks made a real difference.