This is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, where it comes closest
to the Australian mainland (25 km). Snorkelling, fishing and, of course, Scuba
Diving are the things to do.
Keep going west or
even north, towards Cape York, the most northern point of Australia, you'll get
your Outback experience with all its wilderness and space. Visit one of the geological
wonders of the world, the Undara Lava Tubes, 4 hours to the west.
The far northern gateway to the Great Barrier Reef is Port Douglas, a quiet
rural backwater and sleepy fishing village 20 years ago, it is now a vibrant cosmopolitan
retreat for beach and nature lovers from all over the world, although it has managed
to retain some of its original "village" charm. It is a great place to base yourself
to explore further afield.
Attractions in our area apart from the Great Barrier Reef are the rainforest in
the north (Daintree, Cape Tribulation) and (Mission Beach) south of Cairns. The
fascinating variety of wildlife and plants is one reason the United Nations declared
this area to be world heritage. Biologists from James Cook University are still
discovering unknown plants and animals.
How To Get There
- By
Air: The main gateway to Tropical North Queensland is at the Cairns airport,
which caters for international, domestic and general aviation arrivals and departures.
Flights arrive and depart from New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, Papua New Guinea,
Singapore, Malaysia, Europe, The United States, Micronesia and the UK. Within
Australia you can travel by Qantas, Virgin Blue or Sunstate.
- By Sea:
Tropical North Queensland is well serviced with marinas and ports for the boating
enthusiast and an increasing number of overseas cruise ships call at the port
of Cairns regularly.
- By Rail: Two major trains operate between Brisbane and Cairns. "The
Queenslander" operates once a week and "The Sunlander" operates three times weekly.
The journey takes approximately 32 hours. First class passengers have private,
air-conditioned accommodation and the trains have complete dining and refreshment
services. There is a backpacker-style carriage option named the Spirit of the
Tropics on this service.
- By Road: Major coach companies operate
luxury, air-conditioned vehicles with express services between major Australian
cities and Cairns. For those self driving, the main access road is the Bruce Highway.
Climate
All year round maximum temperatures are 25°C to
33°C. When it is "really cold" in Cairns, we have 25°C during the day
and 15°C at night. Rainfall is not more than 100 mm per month from May to
October.
In July and August temperatures are usually lower, but, generally
it is quite windy at this time of the year. Water temperatures drop down to 21°C.
January to March, we have the wet season with lots of rainfall and high humidity,
it is also the cyclone season. Water temperatures are 26-30°C.
In general,
the end of August until January seem to be the best months for diving. "Stinger
season" is from November until April. The dangerous "Box Jellyfish" come out of
the rivers and move along the coast. In that time you can swim only in protective
nets which are provided at all tourist beaches out of Cairns.
The good news
for divers is that the Box Jellyfish are not usually a problem because they don't
come out to the reefs.
Diving
In Cairns you have the biggest choice
for dive excursions. Here the Great Barrier Reef is closest to the main land.
A sizeable fleet of dive boats offer a wide variety of schedules to suit any interest,
level of experience and timeframe.
Your best options to dive the Great Barrier
Reef are Live aboard dive vessels. The biggest advantage is a much better relation
between cruising time and time spent diving.
If you don't have the time, you
can visit the Great Barrier Reef with one of the day boats out of Cairns or Port
Douglas.
Diving areas offshore from this region, or accessible from this region
include:
Hotels, Resorts And Land
Tours
Please refer to our product
index for details of accommodation and non-diving activites for this region,
however accommodation options for this region include the following:
- The
Hotel Cairns, Cairns
- Mantra
Trilogy Resort, Cairns
- Bay
Village Resort, Cairns
- The
Balinese, Cairns
- Cairns
Colonial Club, Cairns
- Coral
Tree Inn, Cairns
- Novotel
Cairns Oasis Resort, Cairns
- Queens
Court, Cairns
- The
Northern Greenhouse, Cairns
- Sebel
Reef House, Palm Cove
- Reef
Retreat, Palm Cove
- Port
Douglas Retreat, Port Douglas
- Club
Tropical Resort, Port Douglas
- Villa
San Michele, Port Douglas
- Sheraton
Mirage, Port Douglas
- Or book directly Cairns
| Port
Douglas
Diving the Great Barrier Reef
is probably the main reason for divers to visit Tropical Queensland. However,
there is much more than diving in this beautiful part of the world. Join one of
the many excellent guided tours that offer everything from 1-day to 12-day excursions.
Tours aren't all that touristy as it might sound. Our selection of guided
tours feature reasonably small groups and your tour guide acts as interpreter
to bring you a little closer to the wonders of Australia's vast open nature. Don't
hesitate to ask if you want to do something that is not listed in our product
index - if it is possible, we can arrange it.
Cairns is the centre of the travel and diving paradise that is Far North Queensland.
About 100,000 people live in this tropical city where the pace of life is more
relaxed and easy going than in other places around Australia. No wonder the enormous
variety of natural outdoor activities demand a different lifestyle. 
Driving away from the coast towards west, you reach the Atherton Tablelands within
20 minutes. This area looks almost like the German Black Forest or parts of Pennsylvania,
just with tropical palms, lots of waterfalls and lakes. 
Independent
