sarahbellum

We will be in Melbourne on business from Jan 13-Jan 19. The original plan was to then go to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef from Jan 20 - Jan 25, but I've read here that the conditions might not be so great in January? We are not really bothered by high temperatures, but I have seen mention of beach closures due to stingers as well as problems with flies.

I would really appreciate ANY advice that you all have. I'm overwhelmed with this trip planning, and I've not even started. I would love to hear what you would do with those six days (less two for travel?) if you could do anything you wanted.

Thanks in advance,
Sarah

Angelblue71

IMHO if I could do anything in those days, i would either go to the Whitsundays(probably Hamilton Island as it's reasonably priced) or go to Port Douglas.

We went to the GBR last January and just took the advice of the tour operators and wore stinger suits-we had no problems. This is something not to be missed(even being very sea sick didn't take away from the experience).

IMHO I personally prefer other places to Cairns(before I get slammed-this is only my opinion and that is what sarah is asking for)

As for the flies, I can't say that I really noticed but maybe it's all relative, the only places I have found flies to be more of an issue is in outback towns.

Enjoy your trip.

dave_261

We're making our first trip to Australia this month, and have included Cairns/GBR on our itinerary (actually Jan. 21-24).
Yes, it will be hot, and yes, it will probably rain. But we're willing to put up with that to get out to the reef.
We're not planning on swimming off of the Cairns beaches, so the jellyfish are less of a concern for us.

pat_woolford

sarahbellum; who knows what the next couple of weeks will bring but right now reef conditions around Cairns are ideal. Just a light breeze, good underwater visibility, no rain, which is great for reef viewing but bad for the rainforest and farmers. Its 31c today; same as Sydney and Canberra forecasts and less than Brisbane's at 34C. It is summer in Australia, so it'll be warm in most parts.

Marine stingers are a problem from November-June in tropical coastal waters. This includes Hamilton Island in the Whitsundays. There's a recent discussion here - if you do a search for "irukandji" it should come up.

Flies are not a problem, I think you're getting confused with summer outback areas, where they often are.

pat_woolford

sarahbellum; I just brought the last postings on irukdanji stingers to the top for you - search didn't work for it as was mis-spelt in posting heading.