OVERVIEW

Spend time on a spacious pontoon moored atop the Outer Reef and discover the exquisite beauty waiting below in the world’s richest marine habitat. Your adventure begins with a scenic 90-minute sail by luxury catamaran to the Marine World activity platform on one of the Outer Great Barrier Reef’s most pristine and versatile sites. You’ll enjoy about four hours on this floating resort, dividing your time among several inclusive activities that showcase this breathtaking environment. Perhaps you’ll take a ride on the semi-submersible to observe the reef’s intricate coral gardens and colorful fish without getting wet. Or slip into the inviting aquamarine water with provided snorkel and mask to explore the reef al fresco. Optional scuba diving and escorted snorkeling tours are also available at an extra charge. The comfortable Marine World platform has multiple decks with sun lounges up top, ample undercover seating, freshwater showers and changing rooms, and its own Underwater Reef Viewing Observatory. Reef life is just meters away, making this a suitable choice for guests of all ages and swimming/snorkeling abilities. Morning and afternoon tea complement your day aboard, and an extensive hot and cold buffet lunch will be laid out for you.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a leisurely 90-minute sail to the Outer Great Barrier Reef by luxury catamaran.
• Arrive at a pontoon atop the world’s lushest marine habitat, your playground for the next few hours.
• Choose from a range of activities offered – semi-submersible ride, independent snorkeling, onboard underwater viewing chamber, optional scuba or escorted snorkeling, and more.
• Experience breathtaking views of colorful reef fish and intricate coral gardens.
• Graze an extensive buffet lunch with soft drinks included; bar drinks are available for an additional cost.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear comfortable clothing and/or swimsuit with cover-up.
• Flat, rubber-soled walking shoes are strongly recommended.
• Bring a hat, towel from the ship, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.

OVERVIEW

Enjoy a unique after-hours tour of the Cairns Aquarium and then dine at its restaurant, whose large windows present views into a massive saltwater tank. The aquarium exhibits are grouped by themes such as river monsters, barrier reefs and freshwater fish, allowing you to easily focus on the underwater wonders that inhabit the ecosystems. What makes this experience so unusual is that the nocturnal species will have sensed the onset of dusk and emerged from their daytime lairs. You will likely observe all sorts of large predatory sharks, rays and groupers that are mostly active at night. Terrestrial animals are also on display in the aquarium and the nocturnal ones will have left their burrows to hunt for food in the safety of the shadows. You will have plenty to discuss over a three-course meal at Dundee’s Restaurant. As you might expect, the menu features a variety of seafood.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Browse the Cairns Aquarium after hours when it is closed to the general public.
• See a variety of nocturnal creatures that aren’t typically active during the day.
• Observe both marine and terrestrial animals, many of them indigenous to Australia.
• Dine in the aquarium’s restaurant, whose windows look out over a large saltwater tank.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear comfortable clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Spend a full day enjoying Queensland’s natural beauty, culminating with a magical evening at Paronella Park, which will be beautifully illuminated for dramatic effect. A walk through the rainforest to Babinda Boulders will serve as an introduction to bush medicines and the Aboriginal people as you will hear about their Dreamtime story of the Devil’s Pool. Etty Bay Beach will present a different look at the natural world. Besides being a gorgeous stretch of sand, it is inhabited by southern cassowaries, massive flightless birds that can run as fast as 30 miles an hour. Following tea at the secluded beach, you will travel to nearby Paronella Park, a botanical wonderland that Spaniard José Paronella opened in 1937. The family’s original stone home remains as well as a castle, bridges, and tunnels. The setting is mesmerizing, especially at night as you sit under the stars for the light and sound show.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Behold the natural beauty inland and along the coast of eastern Queensland.
• Delve into the Aboriginal culture and learn about rainforest bush medicines.
• Observe massive southern cassowaries walking around Etty Bay Beach.
• Explore Paronella Park, an unusual tropical garden that opened in 1937.
• Watch a spectacular light and sound show at the park after sunset.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a hat, towel, and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Float down the Mulgrave River in an inflatable tube and enjoy an exhilarating ride as the river winds through the rainforest. On the drive inland, you will get a glimpse of the area’s natural wonders, which are plentiful. The landscape will become even more beautiful and lush as you approach the river, whose source is runoff from the Bellenden Ker Range, Queensland’s highest mountains. Consequently, the water is clear and abundant. After a briefing to ensure that you maximize the experience, you will ease into a circular river tube and begin floating along with the current. You can expect to ride through gentle drifts, over moderate rapids, down fast runs and through the swimming hole at Behana Gorge. The rainforest grows right to the riverbanks, offering shade at times and a naturally beautiful setting the entire trip. Keep an eye out for turtles and tropical birds such as lemon-bellied flycatchers and scarlet honeyeaters.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ease into an inflatable tube and float down the meandering Mulgrave River.
• Enjoy the serenity of the rainforest and the thrill of riding the rapids.
• Pass through dense rainforest that comes right to the water’s edge.
• Look for wildlife, especially colorful tropical birds.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a hat, towel, and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Become immersed in the Aboriginal culture on an enlightening Dreamtime walk through the rainforest of Mossman Gorge. Your guide will be a member of the Kuku Yalanji people that have inhabited this land for thousands of years. After a “smoking” ceremony to ward off bad spirits, you will begin walking a gently sloping trail through the lush woodlands. Along the way, you will gain an appreciation for the deep respect that the indigenous people have for nature and their spiritual belief in Dreamtime, when mythic ancestors formed the earth. You will pass bark shelters known as humpies, visit a sacred ceremonial site, learn about native bush foods and see how certain plants are traditionally used. It will be an authentic, eye-opening experience, especially when your guide demonstrates the ancient art of making bush soap and ochre painting. Afterwards, you will be served herbal bush tea and damper, a thick bread typically baked in campfire coals.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Walk through the rainforest in Mossman Gorge with an Aboriginal guide.
• Discover how the indigenous people have lived in harmony with nature for millennia.
• Learn about the Aboriginal belief in Dreamtime, when the earth was created.
• See traditional shelters, learn to identify bush plants and watch ochre painting.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a hat, towel, and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Natural wonders take center stage on this remarkable adventure that highlights the region’s stunning beauty and provides a cultural perspective. While stopping for tea at Babinda Boulders in the shadow of Queensland’s tallest mountain, you can’t help but appreciate the serenity of the boulder-strewn creek and the surrounding rainforest. The guide will regale you with the Aboriginal Dreamtime story of the Devil’s Pool and teach you a bit about bush medicine and bush foods. After passing through the Art Deco town of Innsifail, you will stroll the sugar-white sands that rim Etty Bay. Keep an eye out for southern cassowaries, huge flightless birds said to resemble dinosaurs. The scenery will become even wilder in Wooroonooran National Park, where you will follow the guide through another dense rainforest and on to the tiered cascade Josephine Falls. Along the way, you will learn about the area’s biodiversity and cultural significance to the Aboriginal people.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Behold the natural beauty of eastern Queensland’s rainforests and boulder-strewn creeks.
• Delve into the Aboriginal culture and learn about natural bush medicines.
• Look for wildlife ranging in size from teeny butterflies to huge southern cassowaries.
• Walk to Josephine Falls in a rainforest of cultural significance to the Aboriginal people.
• Enjoy enlightening commentary during the scenic drives between attractions.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing with a swimsuit underneath.
• Bring a hat, towel, and sunscreen.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Enter an aviary fluttering with butterflies, mingle with free-roaming wallabies, and tour a colorful township nestled in the very heart of Tropical North Queensland. Just about a half-hour inland from Cairns is the mountain village of Kuranda, surrounded by World Heritage rainforest and sporting a frontier history dating back to the logging and mining heydays of the 1800s. Your brief orientation drive through town will reveal much charm and also a distinctly artsy modern character. At the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, the art has wings – of every imaginable color. This walk-in aviary is a naturally recreated habitat with a running stream and over 1,500 iridescent residents, including the electric blue Ulysses butterfly and yellow-green Cairns Birdwings. All are local rainforest species, and a few have surprisingly elaborate behaviors, including courtship dances and battles over territory. Shifting to another branch of the animal kingdom, you’ll visit the Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary, where you can wander among kangaroos and wallabies, visit a curious nocturnal environment, and encounter that most adorable of Down Under icons, the koala.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Travel by coach to rainforest-surrounded Kuranda and enjoy an introductory drive through this charming mountain township.
• Step inside the natural aviary at Australian Butterfly Sanctuary to meet its colorful residents; wear something bright and they might land on you.
• Encounter kangaroos, wallabies and irresistibly cuddly koalas at the Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary.
• Catch great Coral Sea and Green Island views on the way down the mountain and back to Cairns.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.

OVERVIEW

Lean back and relax on this panoramic coach tour of friendly, tropical Cairns – set spectacularly between the mountains and the Coral Sea. Your driver/guide will provide informative commentary about this cosmopolitan city that’s perhaps best known as the gateway to the northern rainforests and the Great Barrier Reef but has ample attractions of its own. You’ll travel past some of them right in the bustling town center and others as you head out into some of the suburbs including Bungalow and Manunda, which feature charming old Queenslander-style houses – not too different from the 1920s bungalows of California and other warm climes. A stop at lush Cairns Botanic Gardens provides a refreshing opportunity to stretch your legs and breathe in some very fresh air. Back on the road, you’ll pass views of the Centenary Lakes while en route to the northern beaches and the exclusive suburb of Palm Cove. This trendy beachfront retreat, besides being well-appointed in fronds, is home to elegant boutiques and chic cafés – both of which you can graze at your leisure during free time here. Eventually, you’ll reboard for the return drive, traversing Redlynch to Brinsmead Gap for lovely views over Cairns along the way.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a panoramic coach-driven survey of Cairns and its surrounds, with a few stops along the way.
• See the landmarks and get the lowdown from your driver/guide as you tour busting downtown Cairns.
• Leave the city center behind and visit leafy suburbs where the Queenslander bungalows are beautiful.
• Admire lush Aussie flora – and perhaps some fauna – on a stroll through the botanic garden.
• Drive by the northern beaches and spend awhile grazing the chic boutiques and cafés of Palm Cove.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.

OVERVIEW

Ride a gondola over Australia’s World Heritage-listed tropical rainforest canopy and explore a delightful mountain village nestled in the heart of all that green. It’s a short drive by coach to the starting station of the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, a chain of see-through gondolas that glides over untamed Queensland terrain for nearly 5 miles – traveling just a few feet over the treetops. The immersive Skyrail journey provides an intimate sensory experience, where you can see, smell and become part of the tropical rainforest – one of the most botanically fascinating and diverse environments on earth. The cableway has two mid-stations where you can step off on the forest floor to learn more what you’re seeing. Walkways at Barron Falls station lead to lookouts offering breathtaking views of Barron Gorge and its thundering cascades; a state-of-the-art Rainforest Interpretation Center is here as well. Your Skyrail journey ends in Kuranda, where you’ll enjoy a brief overview drive of the town, then have time to take in its delightful color independently. Established during Queensland’s 1800s heydays of logging and mining, this was an outpost where you could stock up on goods and enjoy some culture and sophistication. It still is today.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Experience a thrilling treetop-level glide over miles of World Heritage rainforest on Skyrail Cableway.
• Be immersed in the sights, smells and wonders of one of the earth’s most vibrantly alive environments.
• Take time at two mid-stations to walk the forest floor and discover dramatic Barron Gorge lookouts.
• Disembark in Kuranda, a historic township with a distinctly artsy vibe, nestled in the heart of the forest.
• Explore this colorful village at your leisure, browsing its markets, cafés, galleries and shops where opals and aboriginal crafts are among the offerings.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, insect repellant, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.

OVERVIEW

This fun, informative tour calls on attractions where Cairns’ nature and culture both take center stage. A scenic 45 min ride by coach brings you to Rainforestation Nature Park, where you’ll board an amphibious World War II Army Duck for a tour like no other. Piloting the vessel through the rainforest over land and water with equal ease, your Duck Captain will identify and explain fascinating plants and wildlife as you pass by. Don’t be surprised to see scaly goannas soaking up the sun, a python slithering up a tree or eels swimming around the Duck. That rollicking ride is followed by a visit to the park’s amphitheater for a show performed by indigenous Pamagirri Aboriginal dancers who depict animals, food-gathering and hunting though spirited music and dance. Still more local color awaits at Kuranda, a delightful village nestled in the heart of the rainforest. Established in the 1800s during the region’s logging and mining heydays, this was an outpost where you could stock up on goods and enjoy some culture and sophistication at a frontier hotel. Today, Kuranda is still a haven for shops, cafés and local culture. After a brief town overview, enjoy time to explore at leisure here.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Take a wild, amphibious tour of extraordinary Rainforestation Nature Park via WWII Army Duck.
• See and learn about the flora and fauna that live in this unspoiled, World Heritage-listed jungle.
• Watch indigenous dancers perform a fascinating live show at the rainforest amphitheater
• Spend some free time in Kuranda, a remote mountain township with markets, cafés and shops where artwork, opals and crafts are sold.
• Enjoy fine Coral Sea and Green Island views and a panoramic spin through Cairns on the way back.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Wear casual, weather-appropriate clothing.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, insect repellant, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.

OVERVIEW

Go all-out Aussie as you journey aboard the Kuranda Scenic Railway, explore Rainforestation Nature Park, and ride on a WII Army Duck. This truly memorable experience begins with a drive out of town to the Freshwater Railway Station, where you’ll board the heritage Kuranda Scenic Railway for an incredible 90-minute journey, ascending 1,076 feet, passing magnificent waterfalls, transiting 15 tunnels and crossing 40 bridges as you traverse an ancient rainforest reserve. Arriving in colorful Kuranda, you’ll head for Rainforestation nature park to be properly introduced to the jungle’s flora and fauna as your Duck Captain splashes his amphibious vessel along the water’s edge. Don’t be surprised if you see scaly goanna lizards soaking up the sun, a python slithering up a tree or eels swimming around the vessel. You’ll also visit the Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary within the park, where you can wander among kangaroos and wallabies, see crocs and wombats, visit an exciting nocturnal environment, and encounter adorable koalas. After this immersive excursion, you’ll be inspired to protect the rainforest more than ever.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Experience an unforgettably scenic 90-minute journey through the rainforest by heritage railway.
• Pass by waterfalls, cross 40 bridges, enter 15 tunnels and ascend over 1,000 feet to arrive in Kuranda.
• Explore Rain forestation Nature Park via WWII Army Duck, with great commentary by your captain and slithery jungle fauna all around you.
• Visit the Koala and Wildlife Sanctuary, encounter free-roaming kangaroos and wallabies, and meet some irresistibly cuddly koalas.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Flat, comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen as needed.