Great Barrier Reef day trips from Cairns - which is best?

[petra000]

Would be great to hear any information about the day reef trips to great barrier reef from cairns, am going there later in the year, there are many options but don't know which to choose! also any other info. on what to do or not do in cairns region would be much appreciated thanks

[ini_niki]

Hey there,

There are a huge number of reef trips to choose from in Cairns ... you can go on the larger, therefore cheaper, engined boat that can take you to either Green Island or Fitzroy Island, or to an outer reef pontoon.

There there are the smaller, more expensive, trips like Synergy Sailing or Passions of Paradise. These generally go to less visited areas and you'll get a more personalised experience.

Green Island is quite built up with boardwalks, swimming pool at lovely resort, bars, cafes, restaurants and absolutely fantastic Crocodile zoo ... you can watch them be fed and they've got the largest one in captivity.

Green Island also has the oldest underwater observertory in Australia ... it's really retro. The best thing is the sand ... Green Island has nice white sand whereas Fitzroy is more rough coral on the main beach and real hike to get to nice beach sand.

Green Island also has more 'wilderness' areas -- you can walk around the whole island and it will be deserted on the far side.

Fitzroy is much bigger and has a lighthouse, hills and great walking tracks. There's going to be a resort opening there soon and I think you can still camp there.

Both islands are Marine National Parks.

If you want to learn to dive you can do that in Cairns ... there are some great PADI courses and they'll include at least an overnight on the reef -- night diving is awesome if you're not scared of the dark

Some of the better dive companies are Down Under Dive, Mike Ball Dive Expeditions and Tusa Dive. There's a great website that's got heaps of info on this stuff ... I think its done by the Cairns Post newspaper ... just do a Google search for The Cairns Post and you should get the link. the site is something like cairns.com.au I think. Pretty sure there's a .au at the end.

If you aren't in to diving there are heaps of nice trips to the reef on sailing boats etc that can take you to the reef just for snorkelling or cruising ...

There are also 'underwater walking' machines that are kind of like diving bells and you can see the reef without having to learn to dive etc.

I hope I've covered the main points

If there are any other specific questions just ask ... and try to check out that website ... it's got heaps of info ... I think they've even got some kind of stories from people who've actually gone on these trips and written about them ... ie. a personal experience

oh ... when to come ...

The best time is in September / October ... it's not too hot but hot enough to want to get into the water

Towards the end of October / begining of November it starts ramping up to the peak tourism season ... so it could work out a bit cheaper in October. Early in the year -- January / February / March ... it's stinking hot -- up to 40 degrees C -- and you also get cyclones. The boats don't go out when there are weather warnings.

Ok ... hope that helped

Cheers
ini_niki

[ini_niki]

Sorry ... forgot the info on other things to do ...

The other 'hot' things to do in Cairns are visiting the Daintree World-Heritage Rainforest ... if you like trees and nature and hippies and camping and travelling around ... this is the thing for you.

There's also really great fishing -- especially if you head north to Cape York. Lots of empty isloated beaches and right at the tip there's a fantastic dedicated fishing 'resort' ... rough but has all the food / booze / gear you need. Have a look at the website again ... pretty sure they had stuff about fishing.

You can also go white-water rafting ... although you should wait until the wet season gets going around the end of the year ... otherwise the rivers are a bit low and it can be dangerous ... someone died recently.

You can also go bungy-jumping over a rainforest surrounded pool; hot-air ballooning, sky-diving, skiing on lakes or at the Cable Ski place ... heaps of really nice beaches

oh ... and the Atherton Tablelands are really different and quite charming. Lots of little country villages with devonshire teas and cows and quirky shops ... some really great B&Bs and fantastic natural things like crater lakes and the Curtain Fig Tree -- awesome huge tree with roots that look like a massive curtain growing in the air.

Palm Cove beach and Port Douglas further north are really ritzy spots with super-stylish food and bev and great hotels ... they've had heaps of movie stars stay in Port Douglas and Bill Clinton even visited once!

Umm ... so ... heaps of stuff to do ... still the best time of the year is end September / October / November ... too much stuff to write ... check out that site

Cheers
ini_niki

[petra000]

Hi, thanks for all that great info! will be there end of october/beginning of november. any best restaurants you would recommend?

[ini_niki]

hey ... no problem ... glad I answered your questions.

On that website I told you about there's 'dining guide' ... I think it's in the Entertainment section ...

But ... some of the best are ...

Seafood -- obviously one of the best things to eat in Cairns ... in the Pier shopping centre that's right on the waterfront and next to the Reef Fleet Terminal where all the reef trips leave from -- is a number of great restaurants ... Water Bar & Grill does great steaks and mixed seafood grills, Tha Fish is all about seafood .. they do a great coconut tempura fish ... then there's Mature Yogo -- only regular degustation menu in Cairns with a French modern twist -- very expensive though.

For a great Asian meal try Tamarinds in the Reef Hotel Casino -- it's on the Abbott St side -- this is modern fusion Asian with seafood, and great romantic ambience / stylish decor.

there's also heaps of cheap good Asian, especially Japanese (heaps of Japanese visitors), in Orchid Plaza (enter from Abbott St or Lake St at the southern end) is a really great Korean place, the only Onigiri place (rice balls) and a couple of good chinese noodle bars, there's a sushi train -- but not the best one, I'll talk about that later -- and a shabu shabu place.

The best sushi train is on Shields St, just up from the corner of Abbott St ... it's at the begining of the mall. It's absolutely the best in town.

Other great spots ...
For a fusion Aust / Med meal try Salted Vue -- on the Esplanade in the Manta hotel ... you enter via the lobby ... go upstairs. These guys do a kind of set menu where you can choose from a variety of entres, mains and desserts first up, one of each for a set price. The food is great but the desserts are to die for as are their tropical cocktails. and you can sit on a balcony and watch the Esplanade. They also do a set lunch, a bit cheaper but often packed as it's popular with offic workers in the area. Very stylish ...

The guys who own this also run the best little cafe in town ... Chocolat is downstairs in the same building and have THE best coffee in town. The owner is a former 5 star pastry chef and choclatier hence the name and the divine chocs and cakes in the cafe. They also have great light meals -- thai chicken burger is the best -- and fruit salad / museli and fruit toast for breakfasts.

If you're a vegetarian there's a couple of good cafes -- Lillypad in Grafton St (south end opposite Gilligan's Backpackers) also has nice meat stuff ... then there is Fusion Organics also on Grafton Steet (north end near the City Cinemas).

If you're a meat lover you've got to try the Bushfire Flame Grill -- this is a Brazillian style restaurant that's all about meat ... you choose the size etc and people come around offering you beef, chicken, pork, lamb on great big swords, they slice off a pile and off you go. There are some sides provided like potatoes etc and they do these fun donuts where you get to inject your own fillings. Not cheap but not stupidly expensive either. It's on the esplanade in the bottom of the Pacific Hotel (corner Esp and Spence streets, south end).

Cairns has also got Indian, Thai, Mexican, heaps of Italian, maccas, KFC etc ... but the ones above are great choices.

If you're at the beaches there's a great sunday brunch at Palm Cove's Sebel Reef House ... the Reef House restaurant is also a great spot for dinner.

Port Douglas is full of great places ... for a great counter meal the Courthouse Pub on the end of Macrossan St is good value.

Atherton Tableland is full of cute little cafes and devonshire tea spots ... and also local's takeaways ... the Malanda Takeaway does awesome, massive burgers and chips

The Swiss Restaurant at Yungaburra is a bit of an odd institution ... but fun to check out

Up Daintree way you want to always carry some munchies with you ... restaurants and supermarkets are few and far between

So ... hope that helped ... try that dining guide on the cairns.com.au website ... or post back if you've got more specific questions

Cheers
ini_niki

[johnny_mac]

That's some pretty detailed info. Glad you posted this. Thanks!
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[backpackin]

Wow that was some helpful info!

A few years back I went with Quicksilver which docked at a pontoon and it was a great experience. We took it out of Port Douglas so Im not sure if you can get it from Cairns.

Good luck sorry I'm not as much help
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[supertrooper]

Try to avoid going in April/May as the sea can be very choppy and rough at that time of the year. Also, try to pick a Catamaran boat as we went out on an old fishing boat and to say everyone was ill during the trip is an understatement!
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[chocaholic]

We also used Quicksilver about 4 years ago. They were excellent, very well organised and very helpful.
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[supertrooper]

Sounds much better than the glorified fishing boat I took the trip on!
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[johnny_mac]

I want a whack at that sushi train
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[kevin91380]

Try to make a stop on white haven beach, the white send there is truly amazing!

[rickcarl]

With loads of sunshine, warm seas, refreshing sea breezes and a warm climate all year round, Tropical North Queensland weather is hard to beat.

The region has two distinct seasons; a winter period of warm temperatures and low rainfall, and a summer period of balmy temperatures and higher rainfall.

Winter, or the 'Dry' season, begins in May and ends in October offering sunshine, fresh breezes and low humidity. Summer, or the 'Wet' season, extends from November to April and refreshes the region with tropical downpours of an afternoon and occasional dramatic electrical storms.

By Air - The main gateway to Cairns is its airport, which has international, domestic and general aviation terminals, and is serviced by major international, national and state carriers. International visitors can fly direct to Australia with Cairns as their point of entry. Within Australia, Qantas, Qantas Link, Virgin Blue and local charter companies provide regular flights from major southern cities and regional Queensland towns.


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