Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
both make trips to Green Island from Cairns. Expect to pay around A$65
(US$42) for a half-day trip with snorkel gear or a glass-bottom-boat cruise. A
full-day trip can be as much as A$96 (US$62), but Big Cat makes a day trip for
as little as A$60 (US$39). Big Cat's boat is slower, but you still get 5
1
⁄
2
hours on
the island. Great Adventures also has transfer-only rates of A$50 (US$30), which
also gives access to the island's day facilities. Both companies pick up from hotels
in Cairns, the northern beaches, and Port Douglas for an extra cost; Big Cat also
runs to the island direct from Palm Cove.
FITZROY ISLAND
Scenic Fitzroy Island is a rainforested national park 45
minutes from Cairns, offering good diving. You can rent windsurfers, catama-
rans, and canoes; hike to the mountain-top lighthouse; view coral from a glass-
bottom boat or take a short boat trip from the island to snorkel it; take a
beginner's or certified dive; and swim in the pool. A day trip is simply the price
of the round-trip ferry fare at A$36 (US$23) for adults, A$18 (US$12) for kids
4 to 14, or A$90 (US$59) for a family. Departures from Cairns are daily at 8:30
and 10:30am, and 4pm, returning at 9:30am, and 3 and 5pm. Make reserva-
tions at
&
07/4030 7907,
or through
Raging Thunder Adventures
(
&
07/
4030 7990;
www.ragingthunder.com.au). Raging Thunder also runs guided
sea-kayak expeditions around Fitzroy Island. The trips include 3 hours of kayak-
ing, snorkeling gear, lunch on a deserted beach, and a rainforest walk to the
lighthouse. The full-day trip costs A$115 (US$75), but you must be age 13 or
over. You can also stay on the island for as little as A$31 (US$20) per person per
night in a multishare bunkhouse accommodations (See “Where to Stay,” later in
this chapter).
EXPLORING THE WET TROPICS RAINFOREST
The 110-million-year-old World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest, 2 hours
north of Cairns, gets most of the attention (see the “Port Douglas, Daintree &
the Cape Tribulation Area” section, later in this chapter), but tracts of rainforest
closer to Cairns are just as pristine. These rainforests and the Daintree are part
of the Wet Tropics, a World Heritage area that stretches from Cape Tribulation
to Townsville. This dense, lush environment has remained unchanged by ice
ages and other geological events, and the plants and animals here retain primi-
tive characteristics. Within the tract's mangroves, eucalyptus woodlands, and
tropical rainforest are 65% of Australia's bird species, 60% of its butterfly
species, and many of its frogs, reptiles, bats, marsupials, and orchids.
Because so much rainforest wildlife is nocturnal and often difficult to spot,
consider joining
Wait-a-While Rainforest Tours
(
&
07/4098 7500
) on one of
their afternoon-into-night trips into Daintree and Cape Tribulation national
parks. The tours cost A$265 to A$285 (US$172-US$185) and are designed to
maximize your encounters with the wild things.
A SIDE TRIP TO KURANDA, A RAINFOREST VILLAGE
Few travelers visit Cairns without making at least a day trip to the mountain vil-
lage of Kuranda, 34km (21 miles) west of Cairns near the Barron Gorge
National Park. Although it's undeniably touristy, the cool mountain air and
mist-wrapped rainforest refuse to be spoiled, no matter how many tourists clut-
ter the streets. The shopping in Kuranda—for leather goods, Australian-wool
sweaters, opals, crafts, and more—is more unusual than in Cairns, and the
handful of cafes and restaurants are much more atmospheric. The town is easily
negotiated on foot, so pick up a visitors' guide and map at the Skyrail gondola
station or train station (see below for how to get there) when you arrive.
