It was the first time I had visited this gem of a town in far north Queensland and I immediately fell in love with the balmy weather and laid back feel of the place.

Now, one of the first things I do when I am in any new location I visit is to ask the locals on the street where they shop for their fresh produce.

A little weird, I know, but seriously this would have to be one of the best travel tips ever afforded to me as it allows you to become immersed in the local way so you can really sink your teeth into a place, rather than get caught up in the tourist hype that surrounds so many cities.

And so I was guided by one friendly Cairns local to a marketplace located in the back streets of Cairns, next to a backpackers' inn and down the road from his local pub (these were his exact directions).

Hmmm, not sounding so reputable, but thought I would give it a go anyhow.

I was also told that the best time to go was at opening time, 5am! Not sure if he was just playing with me with that hot tip, but nevertheless I set my alarm for 5am the following morning, bounded out of bed and followed his directions to get to the marketplace to see what Cairns could offer in the way of fresh Queensland produce for my brekkie.

And it surely didn't disappoint.

While it didn't look like much from the street, once I stepped inside "Rusty's Marketplace" I was immediately engulfed by the vibrant, bustling marketplace, with its beautiful sea of colour and delicious aromas of fresh bread and ground coffee.

Stall after stall of beautiful Queensland fresh produce, over 180 stalls in total, all vying to provide the best price on some of the finest fresh produce I have seen.

I was in heaven. There were some awesome deals to be had. Bananas for $0.99/kilo, massive cauliflowers for under $2, and pineapples for $0.49. Wow.

But perhaps the best deal of all was for the large array of avocados littering each fresh produce store.

Now I am a huge avo fan. Can't get enough of them, but unfortunately the price of them often limits my family's weekly quota to four or five at best.

Here at Rusty's I could get five beautifully ripe Hass avocados for $2! I couldn't let that bargain go, so I ended up buying myself five avos to be consumed in only two days.

And so the avo challenge begun.

Avocado on toast, avocado salad, avocado guacamole, avocado mousse and avocados in my morning green smoothie.

Yes, you heard right, for those that haven't tried adding avocado to a smoothie, you must give this a go.

Not only does it make for a deliciously creamy texture, but you up the ante on the health benefits you get out of your smoothie by adding a hit of good healthy fats which will assist fuel your body and keep you feeling fuller for longer.

And the good news is, at the moment even down our way you can get your hands on some avocados for a reasonable price.

So go on give this one a go.

■ Stephanie Meades, wellness coach. For more whole food recipes, visit Flame Tree Co-op, Thirroul or realfoodbites.wordpress.com.