Queensland in December/January
 

My husband & I are touring Queensland for 6 weeks in Dec/Jan and would appreciate any helpful tips on great snorkellig/diving day trips from Cairns thru Townsville. We would also appreciate any suggestions on day trips from the Gold & Sunshine Coasts as well as suggestions for Hinchinbrook & Fraser Islands.

Hi there,

Cairns diving on the reef - go on the Quicksilver boat out into the outer reef. A great tour includes smorgasboard lunch, snorkelling gear, underwater observatory, semi sub trips. Can pay extra for diving or helicopter rides. Strongly recommended.

Sunshine Coast - A trip to the Glasshouse mountains is a great day. Visit Underwater world. Visit Noosa for a day its a really touristy spot.

Gold Coast - Themeparks - Sea World is great, Movie World alike, Dream World if you like the rides and Wet 'n Wild for a fun day in the pool. Spend lots of time taking in the sun on the beaches and take lots of money for the cheap shops. Surfers Paradise is recommended to stay at.

Have a great holiday,
From Lauren, Melbourne Australia.

Hi, agree with all of the above but have a few extra suggestions. Cairns - The sky ride up to Kuranda is great as is day trips to Port Douglas, Mossman Gorge and the Daintree River. All very beautiful. Gold Coast - The weather is very hot at that time of the year so plan some time on trips to the mountains either Springbrook or Mt Tambourine. I live on the Gold Coast and would be happy to provide any further info. Have a great trip.

My husband and I went last dec./jAN. i WILL mail you the name of a great boat we went on in Cairns. Quicksilver is very commercialized and hoards of people gather on a big boat and takes them to GreenIsland or other poulated spots. If you want more privacy and intimacy, I rec. one of the sailboats (private). We had a 65ft boat for 3 days/2nites for about 100$pp. We had snorkeling and scuba gear, we had about 12people plus crew. We had people from all over the world which made for facinating conversation. We anchored in remote areas off the reef away from the hords of people. the daintree and cape trib are worth going. We hired a 4wheel drive and did our own tour and had a great time on our own. Mossman gorge and skyline over Kuranda is cool too. if you want more info e mail me and i can forward specifics.

I went to Cairns for 4 days and since it wasn't enough time to do a thorough dive. I went on a day trip via Big Cat another commercialized boat tour out to Green Island. It was very nice in October. The ocean was like glass. We arrived and went on the sub tour and went to the reef around the island afterwards to snorkel. Incredible! The dive must be wonderful on the cays that Quicksilver can access. I also went on the Tjupakai Sky rail tour. Up by train, Kuranda markets, down by the gondola over the rainforest, and then the Aboriginal cultural park. A full day of activities and worth every cent. Speaking of which Australian money is really heavy in your pockets, Can be used to weight the kids down if it's windy. The 3rd day I spent on the beach in Clifton Beach north of Cairns. Don't walk on the beach at night as salt water crocs like to sleep there at night. Killer Jellyfish Nov-April months. I saw neither, but that doesn't mean there not there.
Gotta love Queensland. Lots of wide open spaces and small towns. Like America in the 40's and 50's no crowds! Australia is the best place I've ever visited in the world.