Palm Cove Beach
Palm Cove Beach
Palm Cove Beach offers visitors and locals a relaxed beachfront village vibe which effortlessly blends relaxation and sophistication with its palm-fringed beach and massive, but majestic Melaleuca trees.
Palm Cove Beach Accommodation
Palm Cove beach offers a wide selection of beachfront Holiday Apartments, trendy Palm Cove Spas, international class Resorts and family friendly Holiday Homes within easy walking distance to the beach.
Palm Cove beach caters to a wide array of visitors - Couples enjoy the relaxed elegance of Palm Cove, with a selection of Day Spas, beachfront dining to the sounds of the ocean, with a tropical cocktail in hand. With the beachfront playground, easy dining options and range of day trips available from Palm Cove, Palm Cove beach is also a popular holiday destination for families with kids, couples, weddings and extended family holidays.
Palm Cove Beach Day Tours
Day Tours from Palm Cove depart daily to experience the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforests - with tours offering pick up from Palm Cove. Palm Cove beach makes a great base with day tours going to the Great Barrier Reef with Palm Cove optional transfers, and day trips to Kuranda and the Daintree & Cape Tribulation to explore the world heritage rainforests.
Palm Cove Beach Dining
Palm Cove beach boasts a large selection of award winning beachfront restaurants, chic cafes, to take aways, fish & chips, ice creams - a true foodies tropical paradise!
Visitors will be amazed that the waters off Palm Cove’s beach remain warm and inviting all year long, and that the soft sand is a pleasure to get between one’s toes.
Palm Cove Beach Location
Palm Cove is the northernmost beach in a trilogy of Cairns beaches including Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach and Clifton Beach, approximately 25-30 minutes drive from Cairns airport. With a sprinkling of islands on the horizon and a romantic Jetty, Palm Cove is both alluring and charming, and many consider it an idyllic Queensland holiday spot in its own right.
Palm Cove a great base to explore the natural attractions of Tropical North Queensland.
Palm Cove Beach Attractions
Melaleuca Trees
Gigantic and ancient Melaleuca trees shade almost the entire length of Palm Cove. These native Australian trees are over 500 years old and infuse unique character to the cove.
Buildings in the area are built around the trees according to strict rules that enforce their preservation.
Rock Formations
At the northern end of the beach are rock formations. Notice how the rocks have been shaped by the constant southeasterly swell. Walking on these rocks is permitted, but wearing shoes is advisable because the tips of the rocks are very sharp.
Pipis
These tiny creatures are fascinating and can keep children occupied for hours. Pipis are small, shelled sea animals similar to mussels that are found on the area of beach where the water laps at the sand.
They are approximately the size of an Australian ten-cent coin and can be used for Fishing bait or made into a seafood meal if you are very hungry and haven’t caught any fish. At Palm Cove, the most pipis are found at the southern end of the beach in front of the Alamanda Resort & Spa.
Mangrove Creek
A small mangrove creek is located at the northern end of the beach at the dog exercise area. During some high tides seawater will form a small canal between the ocean and the mangroves to create a small billabong.
Don’t bother swimming or fishing in this water — crocodiles are present. Even though no crocodiles have been seen for many years, visitors are advised to refrain from entering the water. A series of small tracks lead through the mangroves and it is safe to explore this unique type of forest.
Hiking Track
Among the rocks at the far northern end of Palm Cove is a rough track that winds between the rocks. After a short distance the track disappears as rocks take over the landscape, but if you keep travelling for approximately 200 metres along the rocks, you will soon reach a small private beach interspersed with large boulders.
It is surrounded by a steep hill and there is no other access except than via boat. Be careful on the slippery rocks if rain has fallen or if the tide has washed over the rocks.
Dune Revegetation
A fence has been erected along the dune area of Palm Cove to prevent people from walking through the dune. This area is very important for the prevention of erosion so it is vital not to walk on these plants or remove them.
Special types of grasses, creepers, shrubs and trees are found on frontal dunes. Some of the grasses and creepers trap sand blown from the beach so that the dune grows wider and higher. Established plants prevent the dune being blown away by strong winds.
Palm Cove Beach Dog Area
On the northern side of the Palm Cove jetty is an area of beach reserved for dog walking. In this zone, dogs are permitted to run free under owner supervision. Read more about Palm Cove pet friendly holidays.
Palm Cove Beach Swimming Enclosure - Net
During the warmer months (November to May) it is important to swim inside the swimming enclosures as they are the best patrolled swimming zones at the beach.
The nets are constructed of a robust floating tube that defines the swimming area. Hanging from this floating tube is 25mm square mesh that descends to the ocean floor and is weighed down by chain. The swimming nets at Palm Cove are designed to prevent large box jellyfish and large segments of box jellyfish tentacles from entering the enclosure.
Did you know that Tropical North Queensland is a world leading destination in ocean safety and that Box jelly fish are found the world over but Australia seems to be the only nation who take preventative measures to protect visitors?.
If you have heard about Irukanji jellyfish there is a great fact filled article from the famous researcher Dr Lisa Ann Gershwin
Palm Cove Beach Safety Information
- Do not swim if you are unsure of your ability to handle the sea conditions
- Do not swim for at least 20 minutes after eating
- Do not swim when under the influence of alcohol
- Do not swim at night
- Always swim with a buddy — keep an eye on each other
- Never run, jump or dive into shallow waters at the beach
Donate to Queensland Surf Life Saving
Palm Cove Beach Weddings
A beach wedding is the dream of most brides and there are no more popular places for a beach wedding than in Palm Cove Queensland Australia.
Palm Cove is a quaint little beachfront village only 35 minutes drive north from the Cairns International airport.
The beachfront esplanade is lined with cobble stone paving and the beach is fringed by palm trees with views out over the Great Barrier Reef to Double Island and the surrounding mountains fringing the scenery left and right.
On the opposite side of the beachfront esplanade the street is lined by majestic ancient old Melaleuca trees that tower above everything making a very dramatic scene.
Construction of resorts, holiday apartment accommodation and shopping facilities has been carefully integrated into the scene gently to not overpower the serene ambience of the natural beach setting Mother Nature has provided.
The year round tropical weather combined with the dramatic scenery ensures Palm Cove beach is a very much demanded north Queensland beach wedding location.
Palm Cove also proudly boasts the only purpose built beachfront wedding chapel at the Alamanda Resort and Spa.
The chapel faces to the south east with views across the beachfront, ocean and the mountains beyond creating dramatic scenery for your wedding guests and of course your wedding photography.
The Palm Cove beachfront wedding chapel is managed by South Pacific Bridal and bookings need to be made many months in advance to secure your place and time for your dream wedding.
If you are thinking about a Queensland beach wedding then just make sure Palm Cove is on the top of your list and that you also consider Port Douglas as a wedding location as they offer the beautiful St Mary's wedding chapel that over looks the Port Douglas waterways and inlet from the beautifully restored white wedding chapel.
Another important thing is to make sure you Register Your Wedding first as the wedding coordination team at Register Your Wedding can simplify all of your wedding arrangements and introduce to the professional local wedding planners and suppliers in the Cairns, Palm Cove, Trinity Beach and Port Douglas region.
Wedding Images © Posh Photography www.poshphotos.com.au
Palm Cove Beach Friendly Advice
We are happy to assist you with any facet of your Palm Cove holiday, so if you require further information on Palm Cove’s great value private let holiday accommodation of resorts, hotels, holiday homes and private apartments in all of Palm Cove Location, please contact us on 07 4059 5959 or 1300 780 806.
Palm Cove Beach - Clean Beach Awards
PALM COVE CONSTANT WINNER IN FAR NORTH QUEENSLANDS CLEANEST BEACH AWARD!
Welcoming locals and a sense of community spirit have clinched two Queensland titles for Palm Cove at the Keep Australia Beautiful Awards.
In the past Palm Cove has tied with Whitehaven Beach as Queensland's Friendliest Beach and received the Partnerships Award in conjunction with Federation Walk on the Gold Coast. Tourism Palm Cove President John Astle was in Brisbane for the Queensland awards ceremony where he spoke about the hard work carried out by businesses, the community and Cairns Regional Council to ensure Palm Cove was the ideal tropical beach destination.
"Sometimes it's not what you see, but what you don't see that gives a place its appeal. Palm Cove has no high-rise and there is no proliferation of advertising signs, so the natural beauty of the destination and the friendly atmosphere can be soaked up by the visitor," he said.
"Tourism Palm Cove is enthusiastic about entering next year's Clean Beach Challenge and we are already working on additional ways to keep our beach clean and friendly. Volunteer clean-up days will be held on a regular basis and we will target cigarette butts which continue to be the greatest litter problem on beaches."
Palm Cove has a long history of success in the competition being named the 2009 Tropical North Coast Cleanest Beach, Australia's Cleanest Beach in 2003, Queensland's Cleanest Beach in 2002, Far North Queensland's Friendliest Beach in 2000 and 2005 and receiving the Community Action Award FNQ Region in 2006. Since then we continue to win awards for our little village of Palm Cove.
The Queensland Beach Challenge is a fun, competitive program, run by Keep Australia Beautiful Queensland and is designed to keep Queensland's world class beaches clean, litter-free and environmentally sustainable.
Palm Cove Receives Another Cleanest Beach Award
Palm Cove was awarded with the title of the Cleanest Beach in Far North Queensland and the Litter Prevention Award! With the hard work of local community members, businesses and travellers this environmental achievement was made possible. To win the Clean Beach Challenge it takes far more than just a tidy beachfront.
Geographical, environmental, cultural and economical considerations are all measured when judging Keep Australia Beautiful’s Cleanest Beach and Litter Prevention Award; proactivity of local participants as well as the efficiency and effectiveness in which they use the resources to maintain their beach in immaculate condition is evaluated.
Environmental protection, litter prevention, resource management, youth initiatives, visitor friendliness and community partnerships and action are some of the key features that have seen Palm Cove Beach excel over other beaches in Far North Queensland.
Not only does this tremendous community effort create a visually attractive beach for the enjoyment of visitors and locals but it also reduces vandalism through youth participation, increases interaction among various groups, promotes public awareness and education, maintains pleasant and attractive beaches, protects the environment, improves resource management, increases pride and moral, improves health standards, promotes tourism and prevents litter.
The announcement of Palm Cove’s success at this year’s Cleanest Beach Awards is great news for locals who cherish this lovely 2km strip of sand and also for the visitors who travel from all over Australia and the world to stay at Palm Cove.
It is comforting to know that the destination you have selected for a holiday has been recognized for its cleanliness, environmental concern, friendly locals and remarkable spirit.
The social and environmental concern shown by everyone who participated in the maintenance and cleanliness of Palm Cove Beach is to be commended. It is because of these people the popularity, beauty and sustainability of Palm Cove Beach can be continuously enjoyed year after year.
The path to becoming one of Australia’s most popular wedding destinations was an easy one for Palm Cove, having won accolades from across Australia for its cleanliness and friendly, relaxed attitude. Artists and photographers are attracted to Palm Cove, and enjoy capturing its beauty.
The beach is extremely well maintained by residents and local government authorities, and it continues to impress visitors with its pristine standard.
The awards won affirm Palm Cove’s status as the premier beach in Tropical North Queensland. Palm Cove has been recently named “The Spa Capital of Australia”, boasting world-class spas. We have included below some interesting and unusual things about the beach at Palm Cove.
