Your Guide to Shopping Like a Local in Cairns: What You Need to Know
Aioli everyone, we hope you have all been well, as the title of the blog suggests we are going to share with you all some of the top places we feel like the locals go shopping when they are in Cairns. If you are new to this site or haven't been following it for long, we are indeed Cairns locals, we have been living in the Cairns region all our lives, so we are going to give you all the tips and tricks when it comes to shopping in the city.
When we imagine when most people think of Cairns as a destination, they think of an adventure capital, with lots of natural attractions and the man-made lagoon with the metal fish structures, but there is so much more to Cairns than just these attractions, the city and the surrounds have a wealth of culture, history and nature and the shopping precincts defiantly reflect this, not only through local artworks but also through the buildings and the way they are styled and presented.
Depending on where you are in Cairns city, you can defiantly find there is shopping precinct not too far away that can cater to all your shopping conveniences. So, if you stick with this blog, we will share with you all our favorite places so you can go check them out.
Preface
We want to preface this blog by saying we can only share from our own experiences and where we have personally visited or explored, not to say there aren't more places out there that might be a more perfect fit for what you are looking for or need, but these are just the top places that most people will flock to because of their location and needs.
Down below you will find a list of the top 3 precincts that we think people will visit depending on where they are situated in the city. These 3 are the most iconic and well-known precincts in the region.
#1: Cairns Central
Yay, so you are in Cairns, we hope you are enjoying the city and the surrounds, but do you want to do a bit of shopping? Yes! Then the first place we recommend you visit is Cairns Central Shopping Centre.
As the name suggests, this is Cairns's most central mall, it is located close to the heart of the city and is within walking distance of the all the city's big hotels, the Cairns Esplanade Boardwalk, the lagoon and the international shipping terminal. Out of all the shopping precincts we feel this one is the most popular with tourists and locals alike, not only because of its centralized location but because it features most of the big-name chain stores, plus some higher-end retailers as well.
If you take a look at our Instagram account, if you aren't following us there, you can find us under the username @_walkwithwilz_, we have quite a few photos inside the Cairns Central, their username is @cairnscentral. We like to think the design of the building and the way it has been styled, makes it stand out from all the other buildings in the immediate area. At the front of the building, you are welcomed with lots of big pots, and when we say big, we mean big, they stand as tall as us and we are 5ft tall, but they have tried to be inclusive of lots of greenery and tropical feels.
The range of stores also fits the tropical vibes of the area, there are a lot of clothing, jewelry and accessory stores and quite recently lots of delicious food restaurants opening up in the eatery, the most recent being Horang Korean Fried Chicken and Cinnabon. If you are ever in the area, we defiantly recommend a visit, if not for the fashion, for the food at least.
#2: Earlville Shopping Town (EST)
Not to be confused with the EST of WWE, Earlville Shopping Town or if you are long time visitor to Cairns, the mall with a big Marlin statue, is one of the next best malls to visit if you are exploring the city.
Located in the southern part of the city, EST might not have as big store range of that in Cairns Central but in terms of store sizes they defiantly have more store footage. The mall feels a lot more spacious, with more seats where you can sit and relax, and the eatery is bright and open, with a specialty Lantern Lane which specializes in Asian Cuisines.
In general, we feel like this mall is more favored more by older shoppers with the pace being more relaxed and there are more stores geared towards an older influence, for example in EST you can find more health food stores, cooking and fashions geared towards older women.
Out of the all the shopping precincts in the area, we think this this is one might be one of the oldest but unfortunately during bad weather it is prone to flooding having a storm outlet drain on one side of the carpark, but overall, it is a great place to relax and to take a stroll if you have the time.
#3: Smithfield Shopping Centre
Located in the north of the city area, Smithfield Shopping Centre, is located closer to the larger James Cook University Campus and in recent years has undergone a major upgrade featuring a new cinema precinct and lots of new delicious eateries, one of our favorites being Annee's caphe, which specializes in Vietnamese coffee,
While we don't frequent the Smithfield Shopping Centre as often, as we are more located in the south, but since its upgrade it has defiantly increased in size and store variety. Before the upgrade, we used to like to think of it as more a lifestyle mall since it had a lot of home decor stores but now that it has a greater range of stores, we think that that would appeal to a younger, suave crowd.
But if you ever find yourself north of the city, perhaps visiting all the Cairns local beaches, it is defiantly a great stop to check out.
#4: Conclusion
If you ever get the chance to visit Cairns, or one of these shopping malls, please let us know about your experience in the comments, we would love to hear how you got on and if you enjoyed your time there. But if you are in Cairns, what are some of your favorite places to visit in the city? we would love to get everyone's consensus on their fave places in and around the city.
#5: External Links
That is Wilz for now, take care, travel safely and let's keep walking on this journey called life, peace out.
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