Cairns Chinese Friendship Garden

The Cairns Chinese Friendship Garden is a small Chinese garden tucked inside Cairns Botanic Gardens. It sits right on the banks of Freshwater Lake and was built in 2015 to celebrate the sister city connection between Cairns and Zhanjiang, China. The garden may be small but it is very photogenic. Four red entry pillars lead you in, and from there the paths split to let you explore the whole area. The highlight to the garden is the red pavilion sitting surrounded by the lake. Carved granite dogs guard the pavilion entrance. The lake itself is also quite photogenic with water lilies and lotus covering the surface. Light wise late afternoon is your best window. The warm light comes in low across the water and really makes the colours pop, so aim to be there from around 4:30pm onward. Morning works too if you prefer softer, cooler light. It is also a great spot for wildlife photography since you will regularly see waterbirds feeding along the banks. One thing to know: this is tropical Far North Queensland, so mosquitoes come out strong in the late afternoon. Entry is free and the garden is open daily from 7:30am to 5:30pm. You can park on Greenslopes Street and walk straight in. (Edge Hill, Queensland, Australia)