Adventure in the Far North

In Search of Adventure

Do you yearn to jump out of a perfectly good aeroplane? . . . or dive to the depths of the ocean? Have you always wished to ride a horse through the rainforest or along a tropical beach? . . . or search the waterways for huge crocodiles? Does the romance of sailing to the Great Barrier Reef on a balmy tropical day, aboard a classic wooden pearl lugger, or the chance to leave footprints on a deserted sand cay grab at your heart? Have you always longed to tread on the most northerly tip of the Australian mainland? Have all your adventures been viewed on Discovery Channel from the comfort of your armchair?

If your idea of the perfect holiday is less relaxation and more excitement, then Far North Queensland - Australia's playground - is the place to come out and play!

Here in Tropical North Queensland, you can float over the Atherton Tablelands at sunrise in a hot air balloon or dive in the depths of the outer Barrier Reef at midnight in November to watch the coral spawning. Rappel down a ravine, raft a foaming river, bungy jump in the rainforest, or race across the outback into the setting sun on a wilderness trailbike safari.

There are many 4WD excursions for a day or a week to explore the rainforest, or see it from the rainforest cableway above its green canopy on your way to or from Kuranda. Naturalists will love the outback or rainforest evening spotlighting tours to see the nocturnal native fauna.

There is a tremendous choice of excellent day tours featuring an old pearling lugger or the most advanced wave-piercing catamarans, luxurious yachts, helicopters, historic tiger moth biplanes or seaplanes, well appointed coaches, safari style 4WD or minibus offering itineraries which include the region's diverse attractions.

Perhaps the most exhilarating feeling is to experience the adrenalin rush of jumping out of a plane with the wind rushing at your face. Now, that's the way to get a view!

Skydive Cairns is the premier tandem skydiving company in Australia and specializes in skydiving for both the novice and the professional skydiver.

Australia's largest tandem skydive operation, Skydive Cairns, boasts a 5 star training centre and customer lounge situated in the centre of Cairns. No experience is necessary, and with spectacular views thrown in and departures four times daily there is no excuse! Freefall at an amazing 200kmph for up to 1 minute before parachuting gently to the ground while taking in breathtaking views. Tandem skydiving is the safest and easiest way to skydive; and the professional and highly experienced instructors are trained to international standards and equipped with the latest modern parachutes and backup automatic deployment computers. If you are a certified skydiver, a solo jump can be arranged over beautiful tropical rainforest.

If you do yearn to be above the crowds, but your desire is for something a little quieter, you can glide above the rainforest canopy with Skyrail.

Skyrail departs from the Carvonica Terminal near Smithfield and takes you on a journey just metres above the rainforest canopy in silent six-seater gondolas with views to Cairns and the Coral Sea before leveling off over the MacAlister Range with infinite views to the west. Stops at Red Peak Station and Barron Falls Station give the visitor time to learn about and experience the rainforest from ground level, before continuing on to Kuranda.

The perfect combination of tours for a day to Kuranda is to take the Skyrail one direction and the return trip by Kuranda Scenic Rail (or visa versa). On the world famous Kuranda Rail experience, you can discover the pioneering history of the tropical north from way back in the late 1800s, be astounded by a magnificent engineering feat and explore some of the great characters involved in the construction of this great railway.

Should you wish to snorkel or dive on the Great Barrier Reef, the number of operators and rows and rows of brochures at tour desks can be confusing.

The award winning Down Under Dive offers you a choice of cruise and diving experiences, has been successfully operating for many years; and now includes 4WD adventures to Cape Tribulation.

The Reef locations are carefully selected for the clarity of water and the abundance and diversity of the marine life. Every moment spent exploring the magnificent array of colourful coral formations and swimming with the brilliantly coloured fish is one of discovery, often exciting, sometimes breathtaking; and can be recorded by underwater camera rented from Wet Rez Cameras.

If you have never dived before and have always wished to experience first hand the beauty of the underwater world and come face to face with schools of tropical fish. now you can! One of the Down Under Dive professional dive instructors can take you on your first SCUBA dive, no experience necessary. All you need to do is pass the onboard medical questionnaire and participate in the dive briefing.

But, once you've had a taste of what Australia's Great Barrier Reef has to offer, you may yearn for more. As a beginner, you will be surprised how easy it is to SCUBA dive. After a four or five day course in Cairns and on the reef, you can obtain your open-water certification, which is an internationally recognised Diver's Licence. For divers already holding open-water certificates who wish to continue their dive education, increase their confidence and gain further knowledge of dive skills, advanced courses including three days and two nights on the Reef commence daily.

The first company to visit the outer reef daily was Quicksilver, operating out of Port Douglas. The stunning Agincourt Ribbon Reef system is one of Quicksilver's famous destinations where the water is clear and pure and teeming with exotic marine life. Wavepiercing catamarans take visitors to spacious reef activity platforms moored in sheltered lagoons where swimmers and non-swimmers alike can enjoy their personal reef discovery.

Quicksilver's Silver Series dive and snorkel adventures and Pro Dive Cairns will satisfy the most adventurous. With Pro Dive, you'll be able to play and stay on the reef for an exciting 2 day and 3 night adventure of a lifetime.

Sailing to naturally formed islands on the Great Barrier Reef, the huge Ocean Spirit catamaran yachts are a wonderful choice and set the standard for luxurious cruising to the Great Barrier Reef, with a 20 year record of quality & safety and highly trained crew and snorkel/dive instructors. Quieter and perhaps a more leisurely pace, Ocean Spirit captures the spirit of the Great Barrier Reef visiting Michalemas Cay, Oyster Reef & Upolu Reef to experience the multi coloured coral and fish species.

For an outstanding evening adventure discover the delights of their Dinner Cruise, savouring the sights of the city lights set against the rainforest clad mountains, while enjoying an award winning gourmet tropical feast.

Ocean Spirit Cruises has a high crew to guest ratio of 9:1, informative and interpretive snorkel and dive tours conducted by a marine biologist, and award winning gourmet cuisine on all reef cruises and dinner cruises with chefs preparing the feast on board.

But the romance of sailing to the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns aboard the classic Australian pearl lugger Falla, is hard to beat. Owned and operated by Doug Meyer, an "old salt" of 50 years experience on the water, your day aboard Falla will be the most wonderful day of your holiday. The overwhelming water clarity and beautiful fish at Coral Gardens will take your breath away. You are free to swim, snorkel or dive; and after a tropical smorgasbord lunch, the choice again of exploring the reef around the second location of Upolu Cay, sunbaking or stretching your legs on the pristine sand cay is yours, before a leisurely sail home, entertained by seafarers' tales.

But on the topic of romance, have you ever thought of taking that special person to a deserted sand cay by seaplane for a private lunch and reef experience.

Imagine, you're skimming the water as you leap into the air and pass gently into the sky above beautiful Trinity Inlet. As you gaze down through the amazingly clear waters below you can see the white tops of the waves and perhaps even sight turtles or humpback whales during the winter months, not to mention the spectacular colours of the Great Barrier Reef stretching on to the horizon.

After just a few minutes flying at 500 feet above the water and a smooth yet exhilarating landing, your Cairns Seaplanes pilot grins and points out your very own pristine tropical cay, with just a glimpse of the mainland in the distance and a short paddle to the most amazing reef in the world.

At the end of your exhilarating flight with Cairn Seaplanes you will be presented with a commemorative certificate to show off to your friends together with the fantastic photographs that you have taken of the Cairns Inlet, Green Island & the World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.

Back on dry land, Australia's wildlife is always fascinating and exciting; and midway between Cairns and Port Douglas and located within a World Heritage area, Hartleys Crocodile Adventures will always set the heart racing. Crocodiles leap from the water to take food offered by the keepers as you cruise the waterways of this multi-award winning eco-tourism accredited attraction. Daily presentations include turtle, fish and waterbird feeding, cassowaries, snakes and other reptiles, as well as the crocodiles of course!

Set amidst 200 acres of dry savannah, where the outback of Australia meets the rainforest just west of Kuranda, Cairns Wildlife Safari Reserve is an adventure in itself. Packed with action and close encounters of the animal kind, you will feel like you really are on safari in Africa. There are three large wetland lakes to attract the local wildlife, a vast savannah where you can come face to face with African lions, or spot the cheetahs, ostriches, hippos, monkeys and lemurs.

Whether your perfect adventure involves just yourself, a loved one, son, daughter, grandma, or the whole family; whatever you can imagine, chances are you can do it in Queensland's Tropical North. Our tour operators are some of the most innovative and professional in the world!

Book direct with each the tour operators for great deals, or check with your tour desk or receptionist. Most operators pick you up directly from your hotel and drop you back there at the end of the day. As you may want to do more than you have time for, some activities can be combined into one fun-filled day of adventure.

Day touring in this region is so easy - there are over 600 trips to choose from, and our tourism industry and infrastructure is designed to ensure you, the visitor, will have a truly memorable holiday.

Remember: When in the Australian sun, apply a good quality sunscreen, wear a hat and avoid dehydration by drinking plenty of water!