Part 2 of my Australian Mini Break……

Well hopefully you’ve read my previous blog about the first half of my short trip to OZ………..hopefully you will agree Melbourne looks like a fantastic city to visit pre or post cruise if you get the opportunity.

So Day 3 started early with a 7am pick up to take us to the airport for our flight to Cairns, the gateway to Queensland’s tropical north.  Just shows how big Australia is as this was a 3 hour flight! The first thing I noticed was the heat, very very hot about 35 degrees and 100% humidity but I soon got used to it!  Tonight we were staying at the Thala Beach Nature Reserve,  the only deluxe Port Douglas resort located on a private headland between Cairns and Port Douglas.  This place is literally in the middle of the Rainforest with luxury log cabins/bungalows located amongst the jungle or above the jungle canopy with spectacular views.

Here the Rainforest backs onto Thala’s private beach, which was completely deserted.

One thing which may put you off are the ‘locals’, spiders as big as my hand…….not poisonous apparently so I was told by the staff.

There were many other creepy crawlies and snakes all around and I have to say the sound of the jungle at night is amazing.  All in all I loved this place, luxury in the heart of nature……..pity we were only there overnight!

Day 4 – Probably the day I’d been looking forward to the most – the Great Barrier Reef.  We got picked up from the Thala Beach at 9 and were transported to Port Douglas marina to join our Quicksilver catamaran to take us on the hour and hour journey to the reef.  I was booked in for an ‘introduction to scuba diving’ lesson and a helicopter above the reef……AMAZING!   After my safety briefing en route to the reef I was ready for action…….yet still very nervous!  It wasnt long after we arrived at the platform on the reef that we headed for our boat to take us to the helicopter.  It’s hard to believe how big the reef is, 2900 kms to be precise!  What an amazing experience that was.

Next up, scuba diving.  I collected my stinger suit (as its jelly fish season) and met up with Hong my instructor.

He got me my oxygen tank etc and I was ready.

I was shocked how heavy it all was!

After final checks I was off and i must say it is something I dont think i’ll ever forget.

I’ve put a few photos on here to give you idea of the colours you get experience on the reef.

 

Even after scuba diving I just had to go snorkelling, after all how often do you get to swim over the barrier reef.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What an amazing day that was!  That night we stayed in Port Douglas but didn’t really get a chance to see Port Douglas as we dined in our hotel and had another early start the next day.

Day 5 – another full day out to Kuranda but first Discover where Australia begins at Tjapukai. We got to explore the rich history of the world’s oldest living culture, dating back over 40,000 years. Part of the tour enabled us to see indigenous performers and watch demonstrations of how they lived many years ago.  We were then able to have a go at spear throwing which was very difficult and then have a go at throwing a boomerang…….surprisingly I was able to get mine to come back to me!    After a few hours at Tjapukai we headed over to the Skyrail for a cable car journey gliding above the forest canopy to Kuranda a ‘village in the rainforest’.  Here we went to Kuranda Koala Gardens, a kind of mini zoo where you get to hold a koala bear.  I didnt realise in certain parts of Australia this isn’t allowed, but good to know all the money goes straight back to the gardens for the animals.

Instead of using the skyrail back you have the option to take the Kuranda Scenic Railway to Cairns. Again this is a great experience, very oldy worldy! The journey passes stunning waterfalls and into the Barron Gorge for some stunning scenery.

 

 

 

So this was our final night and we were staying in the centre of Cairns.  We had a few drinks that night.  The morning was free to relax and do a bit shopping before we were being picked at 2pm before our marathon flight home from Cairns to Melbourne (3hrs), Melbourne to Dubai (13hrs) and Dubai to Heathrow (7 hrs).

So that completed the itinerary, we packed in so much in such a short space of time, yes I was shattered on my return but it was well worth it and would certainly do it again if given the opportunity.  I must say a huge thank you to Travel2 and Qantas who hosted this trip.

If you’re looking at an Australian / New Zealand cruise I would recommend a stay pre or post cruise if you can fit it in. Not just Melbourne or Cairns but I can arrange Sydney, Brisbane or Perth if it suits.

As always please get in contact if you have any questions.

Haydn