TBJ TRAVELS CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA 6: Palm Cove Side Trip + Shopping In Cairns + Australia Hauls

For my final day in Cairns, my friend took me to a side trip at sunny Palm Cove for lunch and spent the entire day shopping!

Palm Cove is a beach community located 30- 40 minutes from the city. It's the nearest beach to the city, but travel time is just the same as taking a boat to Green Island. It's a hip upscale town where some of Cairns's luxurious hotels are located.

Local souvenir shops that sell fashion items. There's a salon here too!

Villa Paradiso, one of the posh hotels in the area.

Palm Cove has a relaxed vibe; even more relaxed than the city and upscale; I loved the vibe here so much; it's so chill that I can literally waste time just lounging around or hanging out by the beach. It's so good for the mind and soul.

Say hi to my friend, Charlene, who's now based in Cairns. Thanks Char for taking me around!

We had a hearty burger lunch at Palm Cove before heading back to the city to have coffee and shop. More about my food adventure in Cairns in the last post of this travel series!

First stop for our shopping spree: Cairns Central. This is the biggest mall in the city where you will find local and international lifestyle brands.

TIP: Malls close at 5pm. Every Thursday, they close at 10pm!

Shot of the department store inside Cairns. There are lots of brands to discover here, both local and foreign; also, if you're looking to shop for popular makeup brands, this is the place to be.

Ooohhh...K Mart! K-Mart is a lifestyle store where you can get affordable clothes, accessories, and home stuff. There's also Target in Cairns Central!

My friend took me to Strandbags for affordable and diverse selections of bag brands. Perfect because I was looking at purchasing a new Jansport bag for the gym and luckily, Strandbags was on sale!

For beauty products, we crossed all the way to Chemist Warehouse, just across Cairns Central. Every person who's been to Australia or who's a certified lover of beauty products knows that Chemist Warehouse is the place to be for VERY affordable beauty finds.

As the name implies, it's a warehouse so you'll get everything at warehouse prices. Not to miss are the perfumes; they're genuine and SUPER affordable - almost 50-70% off of retail prices in the Philippines, plus the selection is huge too!

To those who have been regularly following my travels, you all know that I love visiting supermarkets when in another country. In Cairns, I loved Woolworths because of the selections, the cleanliness, and the freshness of the food.

TIP: Don't miss out on Australia's fresh produce! If you're going straight home and not going to country hop or travel for more than 24 hours, be sure to take home dairy and fruit products. Australian dairy is the best because they have their own standards and produce their own and produce such as berries that are expensive in countries like the Philippines are very affordable in here. I took home raspberries, cheeses, and blueberries.

TIP: Pack food items in your check- in bags. Food packed in hand carry bags will not be allowed inside the plane. If you live in the Philippines, travel time is around 8 hours only. I did this and when I got home, the food I bought were still okay. Just refrigerate them right away when you get home!

Cairns Night Markets is a great place to visit if you're looking for local souvenirs. It's conveniently located in the entertainment area of the city and closes at 10pm.

Weaving through the night markets. I shopped mostly for small souvenirs like shirts and key chains in here.

Australia is known for Lanolin and Emu Oil products. They're great moisturizers so if you have dry skin, be sure to grab some.

Found this genuinely Australian souvenir: real Kangaroo paw back scratchers. Le gasp!

Lots of charms and accessories at Cairns Night Markets that are great for giveaways!

So here's my haul from Australia:

A backpack from Jansport which I got at a really affordable price; it's the latest design and costs approximately P1,200 only, sale price. I got perfumes for friends and Redwin Sorbolene Cream to try; apparently, Sorbolene is the moisturizer of choice in Australia. Will review this one guys.

Shirt for the boyfriend, fridge magnets because it's a signature memento of mine that I buy whenever I visit a certain country, restocked on Lucas Papaw, Rainforest Honey that I bought in Kuranda, and Nyal Cold Sore Cream because I have cold sores and I'd like to try if this will be a good remedy.

Supermarket hauls! Lots of chocolate and some makeup products from Woolworths!

TIP: Don't miss out on chocolates too. Australia's chocolates are some of the creamiest I've tasted!

Went back to Chemist Warehouse for some pabilis from friends and to get some Christmas gifts for the family.

That's all for this post. Hope you enjoyed it! For our last post, let's check out the best restaurants to try in Cairns, Australia!

**Total is based on PHP-AUD exchange rate during my time of visit. It may be cheaper or more expensive during your time of visit.

**Incidentals such as food, drinks, transportation, and shopping expenses are not part of the breakdown.

*CORRECTION: Our Outer Barrier Reef tour was arranged with Reef Magic Cruises

Philippine Airlines flies to Cairns, Australia 4x weekly. Please visit PHILIPPINE AIRLINES on Facebook for inquiries.

Check out my other Cairns, Australia travel posts:

TBJ TRAVELS CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA 1: YOUR CHECKLIST BEFORE HITTING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF

TBJ TRAVELS CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA 2: WELCOME TO THE GREAT BARRIER REEF + CITY GUIDE

TBJ TRAVELS CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA 3: GREEN ISLAND TOUR + ITINERARY + GUIDE

TBJ TRAVELS CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA 4: KURANDA VILLAGE TOUR + ITINERARY + GUIDE

TBJ TRAVELS, CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA 5: OUTER BARRIER REEF TOUR + ITINERARY + GUIDE