Best free things to do this weekend

It’s the second weekend of the winter school holidays and Cairns is humming. But with cost-of-living pressures still biting, data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows household spending in Far North Queensland remains 3.2 per cent below the national average, the best things to do this weekend won’t cost a cent.

Start Saturday morning at the Cairns Esplanade Lagoon. Free outdoor yoga kicks off at 7am, run by Cairns Regional Council in partnership with local instructors. The session runs for 45 minutes and is suitable for all levels. Bring a mat or just use the grass. The lagoon opens at 6am and the water temperature this July has hovered around 22 degrees, warm enough for a dip before the sun climbs high.

Art trails and hidden gardens

After yoga, walk two blocks to the Cairns Art Gallery at 40 Abbott Street. Entry is free for everyone every day. Right now the main exhibition is “Tidal”, a collection of works by 14 Indigenous artists from Cape York and the Torres Strait, exploring how the moon shapes marine life. The gallery is open from 9am to 5pm Saturday and 10am to 2pm Sunday.

Just behind the gallery, off Lake Street, lies the Munro Martin Parklands. This refurbished heritage garden has new boardwalks, a play area for kids, and shaded picnic tables. On Sunday at 10am, the Cairns Bushwalking Club leads a free guided tour of the park’s native plants. Meet at the main entrance near the corner of Sheridan and Minnie Streets. No booking required.

Beachcombing and a space-age surprise

If you’ve got transport, head north to Palm Cove. The beach there has been in the global headlines this week thanks to the so-called “space balls”, two metallic spheres that washed ashore on Wednesday. Scientists from the Australian Space Agency confirmed they are debris from a 2020 SpaceX launch. Locals have been flocking to the spot near the jetty to see them before they’re removed on Monday. The beach itself remains open and clean; the spheres are cordoned off but visible from the sand.

Back in the city, the Botanic Gardens at Collins Avenue offer a free guided walk at 11am Saturday. The 38-hectare site includes the Flecker Garden, a Gondwana-themed section with cycads and ferns that date back to the time of the dinosaurs. The guided walk focuses on edible rainforest plants, expect to taste a Davidson’s plum or two.

For families, the Cairns Library at 151 Abbott Street runs a free Lego club on Saturday from 2pm to 4pm. It’s open to kids aged 5 to 12. Parents can browse the latest magazines or borrow one of the 150-plus books on local reef ecology. The library also offers free Wi-Fi and printing of up to 10 pages per day, handy if you need to print a copy of your photo of those space balls.

Sunday afternoon brings the weekly Esplanade Markets from 8am to 3pm. Stalls line the foreshore between Florence and Aplin Streets. You don’t have to spend money to enjoy it, local musicians perform near the playground from 11am, and the Rotary Club runs a free sausage sizzle for kids under 12.

Wrap up the weekend with sunset at the Pier. The boardwalk behind the casino is a favourite spot to watch the sun drop over the Great Dividing Range. Take a blanket, a thermos of tea, and the good feeling that came from a weekend that cost exactly zero dollars.