We are about to leave Cairns and we have not posted our opinion about the city yet. How come? Well, it is mostly because we are trying to get off the beaten track. Cairns is dedicated to tourism and that is sufficient reason to explain why we have not really liked the city itself (unlike its neighbour Port Douglas). Cairns surrounding areas are really amazing: the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics of Queensland just to name a few. But here is what you can really expect to find or to do in Cairns:

• Tourists, a lot of tourists (and not necessarily the high-class ones),
• Hotels, hostels and many more accommodation, to accommodate all these people (Cairns Waterfront Backpackers is to be avoided while Gilligan's seems absolutely brilliant),
• Restaurants, to feed all these people (and not necessarily those in which food is good but where one can relax in a good atmosphere sometimes),
• Shops, to make all these people spend their money (and not necessarily those in which products are of good quality),
• Bars and nightclubs, to entertain them (it has not worked for us),
• Tour operators in abundance, to embark all these people on Great Barrier Reef tours and scuba diving trips,
• No swimming beach, but an artificial lagoon located on the Esplanade (photo).

In other words, Cairns is a little bit like Disneyland. By comparison, Western Australia's coastline is just as magnificent (if not more) with a more authentic atmosphere, in Coral Bay for example.

What do you think? Have you been disappointed by Cairns? What are your recommendations on things to see or do in Cairns? Which Cairns attractions need to be avoided? Let us know in the comments below!

The City of Stirling is located in the heart of the Sunset Coast, only 20 minutes away from Perth central business district. There, Scarborough Beach is probably one of the best beaches around Perth. It offers all the advantages of the perfect beach. It is equipped with changing rooms including showers and toilets. There are also picnic areas with barbecues and children's playgrounds (caution snakes!). Once you are done with sunbathing and surfing, you can visit one of the many bars and cafes overlooking the ocean. Ideal to enjoy the sunsets! Scarborough is also known to have a wide range of accommodation. From a room in a hostel to five-star apartments, you will find the right option to suit your budget. Finally, during the warmest months of the year, you can enjoy live performances and events at the only amphitheatre on the beach in Western Australia.

Coober Pedy is ideal if you are looking for a completely different experience in Australia. The most unusual part of the city lies in its underground life. Indeed, more than half the population of Coober Pedy lives underground. Even churches are buried! This is certainly something you would not find in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney. It seems to be the soldiers returning from the trenches of the First World War, who imported this idea. The miners of Coober Pedy then promptly adopted this concept to protect themselves from extreme summer and winter temperatures. Underground, the temperature remains constant at around 24 ° C, regardless of outside temperature. We could not visit Coober Pedy without spending a few nights underground. So we tried the Bedrock hostel. This establishment was founded by Faye Nayler, a legend of Coober Pedy, who was the first to offer underground accommodation to tourists. It is ideally located in the heart of Coober Pedy, adjacent to the Opal Cave showroom. You cannot miss it, it is in the huge parking lot that hosts a memorable Mad Max relic. Small kitchen, shower, this is basic for a backpacker but it is more than enough for this initiation! To extend the experience, do not forget to visit Faye's Historic Underground Home & Mine.

For other unusual activities in Coober Pedy, you can:

• Try the Coober Pedy Opal Fields Golf Course, a course with no lawn, where the greens are black. This is the only one in the world having a reciprocal agreement with the prestigious Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in Scotland;
• Try your luck at noodling for opals;
• Explore the wonders of nature in the surroundings and have a look at the world's longest fence.

iPhoneography Oz was a guest of Opal Cave.