Cairns
The major centre in Tropical North Queensland is Cairns, a popular gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the vast wilderness of Cape York Peninsula. The city is fringed by lush rainforests and, to the north and south, are miles of white sandy beaches and turquoise oceans teeming with marine life. From Cairns, daily cruise boats and sail boats travel to Green Island, Fitzroy Island and the outer reef. Charter seaplanes and helicopters are also available.
The Great Barrier Reef
The World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef is as diverse as beautiful. Many visitors flock to the reef to experience what is arguably the best diving in the world. Others choose a glass bottomed boat, or a semi-submersible to view the myriad species of coral and marine life. One word of advice: if you want to go to Australia for diving, I’d suggest you stay in Port Douglas and not Cairns. However, if you want to visit the islands and lounge on the beach, Cairns is a better bet. Lauren and I had the opportunity to dive the Great Barrier Reef at the outer Agincourt Reefs. We took a high speed yacht from Port Douglas to the outer reefs of Agincourt. The diving was fantastic and compared to Cozumel and the Grand Cayman Islands (other great diving capitals), the Great Barrier Reef was truly spectacular and not to be missed by any diver traveling to Australia. Unfortunately, my pictures of several reef sharks did not come out so you’ll just have to enjoy my somewhat fuzzy pictures of the coral and fish.
Kuranda Scenic Railway and Skyrail
From the reef to the rainforest and from Smithfield, an outer suburb, take the Skyrail, a gondola sky cableway over the rainforest to Kuranda. Kuranda is a picturesque village on the edge of the Tropical Tablelands. There you can visit a range of unique natural and cultural attractions. For instance, you can go for a cruise on the river, or shop for local art and crafts. And the end of a long day board the famous Kuranda Scenic Rail back to Cairns.
