Best Souvenirs from Cairns: What We Bought and Where to Find Them

Shopping was one of the fun parts of our trip to Cairns, Australia.

This time,

I’m sharing the souvenirs we actually bought in Cairns,

where we found them,

and a few things we learned along the way.

Myer: Floral Mugs and Plates

We bought a mug and plate at

Myer

at Cairns Central.

Australia has so many colourful,

decorative tableware designs.

If you love pretty things, it is a very dangerous country for your wallet!!

There were especially lots of floral designs,

so if you love flowers,

Myer is definitely worth looking around.

If your timing is good,

you may also find sale items

at much lower prices.

I bought this mug too♪

Compared with the mugs we normally use in Japan,

it is quite large.

It almost feels like a tumbler, so you can pour in a generous amount of tea or coffee.

Maybe Australians simply like their mugs bigger too.

Read our Myer Cairns shopping guide:
Shopping at Cairns Central & Myer: Fashion, Homewares and Sale Finds

This galah mug was too cute to leave behind,

so we bought that too♪

We found it at the

duty-free shop at Cairns International Airport

before flying home.

There are lots of bird-themed designs in Australia,

so bird lovers may have a difficult time resisting them.

We Used the Plate for Christmas Dinner

When we used the plate for Christmas dinner,

it looked so pretty.

I was really glad we bought it.

In fact,

I wished we had bought more.

These kinds of designs are harder to find in Japan,

so if you see one you genuinely love,

you may regret leaving it behind.

Cairns Central: Colourful Earrings from Lovisa

We bought earrings from

Lovisa,

an accessory shop inside

Cairns Central.

When we visited,

we could buy four pairs for

AUD20,

which felt like a good deal.

Australian accessories often have

bright colours and bold designs

that we do not see as often in Japan.

They also make fun souvenirs for someone who loves colourful accessories.

Kuranda: CAIRNS Logo Tote Bag

I wanted at least one souvenir

that very obviously said,

“I went to Cairns.”

So I bought this large tote bag

with

CAIRNS

written across it in Kuranda.

There were KURANDA versions too,

but I preferred the balance of the letters on the CAIRNS design.

We also saw the same type of bag

in souvenir shops around Cairns,

but

the one we found in Kuranda was cheaper.

There was one small problem.

Maybe because it had been displayed close to the outside,

the bag had a slightly...

outdoorsy smell.

If you are buying one for yourself,

the cheaper Kuranda option may be perfectly fine.

But if it is a gift for someone else,

you might want to check the bag carefully first.

It is cute,

holds a lot,

and even has a zipper.

So if you buy too many souvenirs

and run out of space in your suitcase,

this bag might come to the rescue!?

We still use it as a reusable shopping bag at home.

OK Gift Shop: Children's T-Shirt

We bought this T-shirt at

OK Gift Shop

as a souvenir for a grandchild.

The fish in the animal's mouth

made it especially cute.

OK Gift Shop had lots of cute T-shirts,

including,

of course,

kangaroo and koala designs.

They also sold warm clothing

that looked perfect for colder weather.

We saw some New Zealand-made items too.

There were also souvenirs and artworks

that we did not see elsewhere,

so we thought it was worth visiting at least once☆

OK Gift Shop
61 Abbott St, Cairns QLD 4870, Australia

Store details and opening hours may change, so check the latest information before visiting.

Cairns Central & Coles: Coffee and Tea

Australia is famous for its coffee culture♪

And T2 tea is popular too.

Of course,

we bought some!

We bought

T2 French Earl Grey

at Cairns Central.

It smelled wonderful

and tasted really good.

We also found some T2 tea at Coles,

and

the products we saw there were cheaper than at the specialist shop.

The mint tea was even discounted when we visited.

If you want to save money,

it may be worth checking Coles first.

If they do not have the flavour you want,

then head to the T2 shop,

where the selection was much larger.

There were so many flavours!

We bought Australian coffee from

RainForest Gift

at Cairns Night Markets.

The Moccona coffee on the left

came from Coles.

And this one was

not actually Australian.

I bought it by mistake,

which made us laugh.

Cairns Night Markets: Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo Pouch

We also bought this

sulphur-crested cockatoo pouch

from

RainForest Gift.

Bright, colourful and so cute!

In Japan,

we tend to think of sulphur-crested cockatoos

as birds we see in pet shops.

In Australia,

they can also be seen living wild.

I really wanted to see one,

but perhaps because the weather was bad,

we never managed to find one.

So...

I got the pouch instead!

Cairns Night Markets: MGO 550+ Manuka Honey

When you think of Australia,

Manuka honey!

We bought this one

at RainForest Gift in Cairns Night Markets too.

It cost around

¥8,500

based on the exchange rate in May 2024.

It was certainly not cheap,

but MGO 550+ Manuka honey

is said to have a high level of antibacterial activity.

Compared with the MGO 110+ and MGO 40+ Manuka honey

I had tried before,

this one had a much stronger, almost medicinal taste.

Rather than eating it casually as a snack,

I bought it to take by the spoonful

when I have a cold

or when my throat feels uncomfortable.

I do not often see MGO 550+ products

in the shops I normally visit in Japan,

so I was glad to find one in Cairns.

Cairns Night Markets: Lemon Myrtle Soap

We also bought

lemon myrtle soap

from RainForest Gift.

I love aromatherapy

and often enjoy different fragrances at home,

and

this lemon myrtle smelled wonderful too!

Fresh and relaxing.

Another reason I chose it

was that it was

Made in Australia.

When travelling,

I always want to bring home something made locally.

Coles: Chocolates, Snacks and Jerky

These were some of the

small snacks we bought to give away as souvenirs

plus

kangaroo jerky.

We bought chocolates and gummies at Coles,

while the Manuka honey candies came from

RainForest Gift at Cairns Night Markets.

For the snacks we compared during our trip,

the supermarket was one of the cheapest places we found.

Even Lindor chocolates,

which are popular in Japan,

were cheaper than we were used to seeing at home.

The Coles we visited only had beef jerky,

not kangaroo jerky,

so we bought the kangaroo version

at the

airport duty-free shop.

But...

I personally thought

the beef jerky tasted better.

The kangaroo version was worth trying for the experience,

though.

We also loved the potato chips in Australia.

They make a surprisingly good souvenir.

The only problem is that

they take up a lot of suitcase space

and can easily get crushed.

Still,

they were so good

that I wished we had bought more.

Read our Coles Cairns shopping experience:

Coles Cairns Central: Cheap Meals, Souvenirs & What We Bought

During our trip to Cairns, we visited Coles inside Cairns Central. It is a large supermarket selling everything from vegetables, meat, milk and other drinks to household products such as laundry detergent. Basically, you can find just about everything you need for everyday life. We bought souvenirs here and also picked up dinner for one evening, so I'll show you what we found♪ Everything Looks Bigger in Australia! The vegetables in Australia looked huge! The sweet potatoes and potatoes were so big that I had to take a photo. We really enjoyed fries and mashed potatoes during our trip to ...

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Cairns Airport: OPI Nail Polish on Sale

This has absolutely nothing to do with Australia,

but...

we found OPI nail polish

at a shop in

Cairns International Airport.

At the time,

it was

buy one, get one free,

so naturally,

we bought some.

Sometimes the smaller corners of airport shops

have unexpected discounts,

so if you enjoy finding a bargain,

check everywhere.

Those were the souvenirs

we brought home from Cairns.

Floral tableware,

bird designs,

tea,

coffee,

Manuka honey,

snacks...

and one coffee

that turned out not to be Australian after all.

I hope this gives you a few ideas

for your own Cairns shopping trip!

Read our Cairns Night Markets guide:

Cairns Night Markets Guide: Food, Souvenirs & What to Know

One of the liveliest places we visited in central Cairns was Cairns Night Markets. We bought souvenirs, had dinner in the food court and spent an easy evening looking around. When you hear “night market,” you might wonder: “Will it be tiring if it gets too late?” or “Will I feel comfortable walking around at night?” We only stayed for a relatively short time from late afternoon into the evening, and we found it easy to enjoy even in our 60s. In this article, I'll share what the Cairns Night Markets were really like when we visited, including food court ...

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