Cairns: Things to see and do (Reef etc)

emg

I went to Daintree rainforest and Cape Tribulation with a company called 'Didjuno' (or something like that). It was an excellent day trip with guided walk in the rainforest and at the cape, 4wd in between, we swam in the rainforest and ate fresh coconuts on the beach. The guide was really knowledgeable and it was a small group (about 8 people). They also did overnight trips.

Liverbird

Can recommend the Quiksilver trip. Not too many people onboard and they dock at a pontoon near the reef ... its lovely to see all the fish coming in when they see the boat......looking for dinner! You can go diving on the reef or snorkling in a roped off area beside the pontoon. They also had a mini submarine, where you could go down and see the reef.
Another good day out is white water rafting on the Daintree. I was terrified at the thought of it, but thoroughly enjoyed it.

nearlyrich

martindow wrote:

Personally I found the Karunda train/cable car trip pleasant but very expensive.

Here is the price list for Skyrail who operate the cablecar, you can get train up cablecar down packages from this site.

Not sure what the rate of exchange is but it seems about the same price as when we went almost 3 years ago.

Martin did you book a package from Cairns or some other resort and the fees including transfers were expensive? We thought it was really good value for money when we went. Don't forget to get off the cablecar at each station as they have bush tours with guides explaining the wildlife and plants which is a bonus.

john.xs

quiksilver were good imho
we hired a mini moko jeep for next to nothing
crocodile attack show near port douglas was good
have lunch at working mens club in port douglas
the food/views were fantastic and apparently anyone can sign themselves in .you do not have to be a fully fledged member.
toad racing nights in certain pubs are a laugh too!

martindow

I think when we went we bought each half separately - it worked out at about 50 pounds a head and this was about 5 years ago. The return prices on the link from nearlyrich seem cheaper than that and the Aus dollar is weaker against the pound than it was then. Perhaps I was just having an off day when I went to Karunda!

I'd recommend hiring a car or a camping van for a few days as you can get to Daintree and also inland to the Atherton Tablelands and Chillagoe where we spent several days camping.

laughing_cow

I went diving with Calypso - a nice bunch of staff, good food, not too big a boat and great diving (shark :eek: and turtles). I also heard good things about Posiedon - again boats not too big. If you're booking with Quiksilver, check which boat you're going on - one of them is absolutely massive. Also worth noting that diving in Queensland is stricter these days. If you only have a Padi Scuba Diver certification like me, rather than the full Padi Open Water, you will not be allowed to dive here as a qualified diver - you will have to do one of the try dives. I didn't find this a huge problem though, there was still plenty to see.

I did a rainforest and Cape Trib trip with Tony's Tropical Tours ( http://www.tropicaltours.com.au/ ) based around Port Douglas after reading good things about them on tripadvisor. The trip also included a Daintree river boat trip for a bit of 'croc spotting'. I don't think they were the cheapest but the service was excellent - our guide's knowledge of the rainforest was first rate and there's just 6 of you on the trip. It was pouring down when I went to Cape Trib so we spent some time in the bat orphanage there - bit scary meeting those huge fruit bats up close, especially when one tried to climb on me. :eek:

If you're spending any time in Port Douglas, I'd recommend having a Kodo massage at the Hibisicus Gardens Hotel + Spa - cost less than £40 (v.v.nice place - equivalent London price would have been £80). It was the best massage I've ever had, I floated out. There's lots of restaurants in Port Douglas for all different tastes and budgets - all the usual Italian, Thai, Fish, brasseries, cafes etc. If you want to push the boat out try Nautilus (where Bill Clinton goes when he's in town). On The Inlet is a nice, mostly fish, restaurant and bar in the harbour with a lovely deck where you can watch all the boats come back at the end of the day.

For those needing bus transfers in the area I can recommend Sun Palm Coaches ( http://www.sunpalmtransport.com/ ) who have coaches running up and down the coast to hotels between Cairns and Cape Trib. Try and do this coastal journey in daylight - it's a lovely road trip. I paid about £23 for a return trip between Cairns airport and Port Douglas. You need to book tickets but there's a desk at the airport if you forget like I did! On my transfer back to the airport I was the only person on the 21 seater so the driver gave me a 'guided tour'. Occasionally he would stop the bus to show me a spectacular view or some crocs and offer to take pics. He was full of great stories, like so many other Aussies I met.

Hope you have a fab time!

Party_Animal

Sorry for hijacking thread but some great info on here. We're spending 5 nights in Port Douglas in december before the Ashes series. We've got a car too and we had 3 days planned; reef trip, Cape Tribulation and Kuranda. I am a qualified diver ( SAA) but haven't dived for a while.
Thanks again for all your help

nearlyrich

Party_Animal wrote:

. I am a qualified diver ( SAA) but haven't dived for a while.
Thanks again for all your help

I am not sure how old you are or how fit you are ! but check if you need a doctor's certificate to prove you are fit to dive as it would be dissappointing to go all that way and not be able to.

The website for your chosen dive company should give you any info you need.;)

laughing_cow

Party_Animal wrote:

...... We're spending 5 nights in Port Douglas in december before the Ashes series.

I loved Port Douglas. It's a nice little town, fairly smart, ie not backpacker-ish, but still a chilled, laid back place. Most of the hotels seem to be good - I stayed at the Hibiscus Gardens Spa Hotel which was lovely, a real treat - the spa was amazing and the room was bigger than my small London flat If you are there on a Sunday, check out the market - a mix of a farmers market and arts and crafts - lots of nice foodstuffs, clothes, jewellery etc.

I'm sure you will love it - I'd definitely go back.

Reaper

I'd certainly recommend Uncle Brian's Fun Falls and Forest trip.

He'll take you to similar places the other companies go but makes the whole thing very entertaining. Anyone fancy licking an ant's bum?