IT WAS a pair of Swedish cheeks that raised a few eyebrows across the Cairns CBD. Wicked Campers have always been a company that pushed social boundaries: but are they pushing them too far?

As backpackers look to save a few dollars, local tourism operators are offering deals and discounts in return for a flash of flesh on everything from a beer to hiring a van.

Wicked Campers have always been a company that pushed social boundaries, but when two naked Swedish girls were spotted perched on a van outside their office on Saturday, one resident was beyond surprised.

"I was absolutely shocked. You don’t often see naked girls on the street," Cairns man Harvey Rich said.

"Maybe it was offensive to some people, I don’t know."

The national van-hire company offers backpackers one day’s free hire – worth about $40 – if they are prepared to present themselves naked in the office.

The Scandinavian pair apparently took the offer quite literally, sashaying starkers into the Sheridan St office on Saturday to hire a van.

"Some people take it a little more literally than others," Cairns-based Wicked manager John Laughton said.

"They all want to take advantage of cheap rates and if they can get a bit more off they’re going to do it.

"We get an equal mix of guys and girls (going nude)."

And apparently if the bottom half remains covered, it is all perfectly legal according to Cairns police, albeit a slightly grey (or is that blue?) area.

"It (going topless in public) could possibly be classed as public nuisance, but technically it’s legal," a police spokesman said.

If a discounted van isn’t what you’re after, there are other temptations in the city.

A host of drinking venues across Cairns offer drink discounts for ladies willing to show a little more, including wet
T-shirt competitions at both Gilligans and the Woolshed, along with table-top dancing at PJ O’Briens alongside their "Coyote Girls".

But rumours of free bungee jumps if people are prepared to strip off are pure speculation, AJ Hackett general manager Luke Johnson said.

"We don’t offer anything for free," Mr Johnson said.

"But the product is about people reaching their dream, so if someone wants to do a topless jump, they can do it.’’

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