Cairns is largely built on a low, sandy beach system which, fed by sands from the Barron River, has built out up to 4 km into Trinity Bay. Today, the seaward end of the system is fringed by mangroves to the north, bordered by wide Trinity Inlet to the south, while along the Cairns Esplanade is 1.5 km of high tide beach and another 1 km of seawall. The beach is somewhat artificial, as there has been extensive reclamation of the mangroves and tidal flats, and placement of sand to produce a recreational area along the wide foreshore reserve that runs the full length of the Esplanade. The beach is a steep, narrow strip of sand at high tide, and tidal flats up to 1.5 km wide at low tide. It has excellent access and parking along the full length and numerous facilities in the backing reserve. read more