Up here in North Queensland, we are favorable enough to have some of Oz’s most impressive white water rafting river rapids within an hours drive. In fact there isn’t another place in Oz that can state that they have commercial rafting tours operating on 4 local rivers.
The rivers that are located at hand are the Barron, Tully, Johnstone and Russell Rivers, as well as numerous seasonal streams that only run in the wet season. This definately must make White Water Rafting in Cairns something unique. The Barron River Whitewater rafting and Tully River Whitewater Rafting run using whats commonly referred to as scheduled release. This is when the water is released at a set time from a dam or Power Generation Station. 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 exciting grade of 3 to 4 and even 5 if it rains enough.
The Johnstone River runs seasonally, but offers wilderness Rafting camping trips with up to Grade 5 rapids. This activity is kind of exclusive.
The Russel River has blow up 2 man sportsrafts, which is a little different from the 8 man inflatable rafts, they are still heaps of fun and easy to learn. This river does unfortunately have a short bushwalk in to the launch zone through some thick rainforest. The Russel River has rapids in the range of grade 2-3 with maybe a few grade 4′s if it rains enough.
All rafting takes place under the friendly guidance of highly qualified river guides, and all tour operators hold the neccessary official certifications and Insurance. So there is nothing to fret about if you want to have a go at some white water rafting while on your break in Cairns.