If you find yourself just north of Townsville on the third Sunday of the month, White Hat suggests you might like to have a lazy picnic in the Rotary Park and wander around the Raintree Markets. It is also a great park for the kids to have a run and play. The market is set under an impressive group of raintrees and features fresh local produce, bric-a-brac, snacks, coffee, tropical plants and local craft.

A bustling produce market that also offers a variety clothing, jewellery and bric-a-brac. Anyone inteersted in tropical fruits and vegetables is likely to be delighted with this market and White Hat particularly suggests you search out the PNG stalls and talk to the stallholders about how they use the food they have on offer.

This picturesque market has the mountains and the Coral Sea as a backdrop offers local fresh produce and hand crafted goods. White Hat advises that his market is officially a ‘Cotters Market’, thereby ensuring that goods offered for sale are made by the stallholder.

With over 70 stalls and a range of food court options, the Cairns Night Markets are a major tourist shopping hub in Cairns. The market is under cover and operates every day of the year.

Known by a number of names - Kuranda Original Markets, Original Kuranda Rainforest Market, etc - Kuranda is definitely a market town, and the markets are definitely aimed at tourists. If this is your cup of tea, White Hat suggests you allow yourself a few hours to take in what is on offer.

The Mission Beach Markets offer a wide range of goods and are held under the trees on the scenic beachfront. It is always worth a visit to Mission Beach and the market offers a good excuse. White Hat reminds you that the beach markets are different from the Monster Markets Mission Beach which are also organised by Rotary.

Glide above the canopy of the ancient rainforest in purpose built gondolas that offer a sustainable birds-eye view of North Queensland’s living natural wonder whose prehistoric ancestry is some 60 million years older than the Amazon. Alternatively take the railway journey through the same landscape. You may choose to mix and match the two for a round trip. This tourism experience has won and continues to win numerous international awards. Details at Skyrail

For garden and flower lovers, White Hat strongly suggests that when you in Mackay that you visit the stunning orchid display at the Ken Burgess Display House.

Set amongst the cooling trees and tropical gardens of Queens Park,  The Orchid House contains a range of beautiful and bizarre looking exotic and Australian native orchids. The collection includes some ground-living orchids but consists mainly of tree and rock living orchids.

Monday to Friday:  10 to 11am and 2 to 3pm
Sunday: 10am to 2pm
Admission is free.