Up here in far North Queensland, we are blessed with some of Australia’s best white water rafting rivers within easy reach. In fact there isn’t another place in Oz that can claim that they have commercial rafting operations running on 4 local rivers.
The runs that we have locally are the Barron River, Tully River, Johnston River and Russell Rivers, as well as numerous smaller runs that only run in the wet season. This definately has to make White Water Rafting in Cairns something special. Both the Barron River Whitewater rafting and Tully River Whitewater Rafting operate using whats commonly referred to as controlled release. This is when the water is released at a set time from a dam or Power Generation Scheme. These two are easily our most popular rivers with both full and half day tours happening daily. The Barron River has grades 2-3 rapids while the Tully has a more challenging grade of 3 to 4 and even 5 if it rains enough.
The Johnstone River runs in the wettest months, however offers wilderness Rafting adventure trips with up to Grade 5 rapids. This trip is quite exclusive.
The Russel River offers inflatable double sportsrafts, which is a little bit different from the standard inflatable rafts, they are still lots of fun and simple to learn. This river does unfortunately have a short hike in to the commencement point through some spectacular rainforest. The Russel River has rapids in the range of grade 2-3 with possibly a few grade 4′s during the wet season.
All rafting takes place under the friendly guidance of highly trained river guides, and all tour operators hold the mandatory official licensces and Insurance. So there is nothing to fret about if you want to experience some white water rafting while on your adventure in Cairns.