Markets in Cairns

Cairns markets run on tropical produce that simply is not grown further south. Mangoes, pineapple, papaya and bananas are local here rather than freighted in, and the growing calendar is close to the inverse of the southern one: the dry season through the middle of the year is when the region is busiest.

The Tablelands are the other half

The Atherton Tablelands sit an hour inland and a good deal cooler, and they grow what the coastal lowlands cannot. Several of the better produce markets in the region are up there rather than in the city, so it is worth looking past the Cairns postcode if you are shopping rather than sightseeing.