by Rabbitz » Friday Sep 19, 2008 8:51 am
I guess it depends by what you mean by "good"?
I was up there last year and didn't find any bars with fancy "unusual beers", all were run of the mill commercial types BUT there are a couple of fun places:
First up is the Cairns Yacht Club, about 100 years old, on the river - has some real atmosphere and a great view over the river. The bistro has a good solid bistro menu. It is an old waterfront timber building, really nice, unfortunately council and developers want to get rid of it to build a new upmarket concrete edifice - I was dumbstruck when the barman told me.
Next in the town centre is a place called "Apres-Surf" or Apres-Sun" or something like that. It is decorated like a European ski lodge (hence the Apres xxx name). It has the widest variety bottled beers (that I found in our short stay) with quite a few 'international' brands. I guess they are hoping to attaract tourists who want a beer from home. The food is good pub-style.
Finally, and during the day only (it is a doof doof club at night) is the Courthouse Hotel. Unlike most pubs called the "Courthouse" which are near the courts, this used to be Cairns Courthouse. The beer is all standard commercial, the atmosphere during the day is nice, with a great beer garden and an excellent kitchen.
I hope this is of some helps
Rabz
"Alcohol, the cause of and solution to all of lifes problems"
H.J. Simpson