Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Then you come to
Cairns,
with
rainforest hills and villages to explore
and a harbor full of boats waiting to
take you to the Reef.
Cairns is a good base, but savvy
travelers head an hour north to the
trendy village of
Port Douglas.
EXPLORING THE QUEENSLAND COAST
VISITOR INFORMATION
The
Queensland Travel Centre
is a great
resource on traveling and touring the state, including the Great Barrier Reef.
Visit the Destination Queensland website at www.destinationqueensland.com
or call
&
13 88 33
in Australia. Tourism Queensland has offices in the United
States and the United Kingdom—see “Visitor Information” in chapter 2.
You will also find excellent information on the
Great Barrier Reef Visitors
Bureau
's website at www.great-barrier-reef.com. This is not an official tourist
office but part of a private company,
Travel Online
(
&
07/3876 4644;
fax 07/
876 4645), which offers itinerary planning and booking services for a wide
range of accommodations and tours throughout north Queensland.
For information on B&Bs and farm stays in Cairns, Port Douglas, Mission
Beach, and Townsville, contact the
Bed & Breakfast and Farmstay Association
of Far North Queensland,
P.O. Box 595, Ravenshoe, QLD 4888 (
&
07/4097
7022;
www.bnbnq.com.au).
WHEN TO GO
Australia's winter (June-Aug) is high season in Queensland;
the water can be chilly, but its temperature rarely drops below 72°F (22°C).
August through January is peak visibility time for divers. Summer is hot and
sticky across the state. North Queensland (Mission Beach, Cairns, and Port
Douglas) gets a monsoonal Wet Season November or December through March
or April, which brings heavy rains, high temperatures, extreme humidity, and
cyclones. It's no problem to visit then, but if the wet turns you off, consider the
beautiful Whitsundays, which are generally beyond the reach of the rains and
the worst humidity (but not of cyclones).
GETTING AROUND By Car
The Bruce Highway travels along the coast
from Brisbane to Cairns. It is mostly a narrow two-lane highway, and the
scenery most of the way is eucalyptus bushland, but from Mackay north you will
pass through sugar cane fields adding some variety to the trip.
Tourism Queensland publishes regional motoring guides. All you are likely to
need, however, is a state map from the
Royal Automobile Club of Queensland
(RACQ), 300 St. Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, QLD 4006 (
&
13 19
05
in Australia). If you are already in Brisbane, you can get maps and motoring
advice from the more centrally located RACQ office in the General Post Office
(GPO) building at 261 Queen St. For road condition reports, call
&
1300/
130 595
(recorded message), or 07/3361 2406. The state's Department of Nat-
ural Resources (
&
07/3896 3216
) publishes an excellent range of “Sunmaps”
When to Visit the Reef
April through November is the best time to visit the Reef. December
through March can be uncomfortably hot and humid, particularly as far
north as the Whitsundays, Cairns, and Port Douglas. In the winter months
(June-Aug), the water can be a touch chilly (Aussies think so, anyway), but
it rarely drops below 72°F (22°C).
Tips
