deszere

“ Lizard Island Australia’’
(Be warned)

After spending eight days in Cairns we feel we must warn fellow fodorites of some myths concerning this area, which we had read about before embarking upon this once in a life time journey to the land down under.

Warning 1.

We had read Cairns did not have beaches.We stayed at Trinity Beach (a cairns suburb) just 15 mins to the north of the town on a gorgeous beach. Most of the time (especially early mornings) we were the only people on it. Excellent lodgings at the seachange apts right on the beach (across a tiny road) and close to some very good restaurants . We jogged and swam every day.
www.seachange-beachfront- apartments.com


Warning 2.

We had read about terrible weather.
Although we did see a few clouds(again early morning) and then one day we experienced windy conditions on the beach the weather was just amazing. Warm , clear mostly very calm. Greg the chief pilot at www.daintreeair.com.au was a wealth of information with regards to weather, not just in his neck of the woods but was extremely helpful with info on other regions we visited.

Warning 3.

We had read lots about wild animals, stingers, crocodiles, snakes , spiders , bugs and so on. We did see them (at the zoo only) although there was a small reef shark swimming up and down the beach in the shallow water at Lizard Island during day 2.

Warning 4.

We had read here the Lizard Island Day Tour with the company Daintree Air was a cool way to experience the Great Barrier Reef.

Be warned, it’s more than that. It’s addictive.

We went out there twice in one week and both times had totally different experiences. One time we flew with Greg low, low over simply stunning scenery. We spent that day at the blue lagoon and a small beach named trawler beach where we snorkelled for hours without seeing another person.

For our second day on Lizard we organised with Greg to charter a plane to take us out there for the day without any services the company would usually provide. We had our own equipment, packed our own lunch and did not require the services of the guide as we had been there three days before so knew where to go. This alternative was much cheaper than the standard tour.

ENJOY Dezzie. !!!!!

lasalle49

Hi Dezzie
Thanks for the warnings.
We will be at Lizard Island during January / 08.
Can’t wait.

Has anyone visited the Island in January. We understand it’s the rainy time of the year but have been told January can be one of the very best months for snorkelling / diving.

Thanks for any info.
Jeff.

pat_woolford

Yes, lasalle, I have, weather was superb and water warm, super-clear and surface like glass. No guarantees though, wouldn't dare try to stab a guess at weather anywhere these days.

thanks Dezzie for dispelling some of the myths about FNQ; particularly regarding beaches of Cairns. Trinity Beach is a lovely spot, we often eat at L'unico's and Atlantis, guess you did too.

Am glad Cairns city doesn't have a beach, if it did it wouldn't attract the birdlife feeding on the rich mudflats; today the Audubon Society of Portland, Oregon are spending a day birdwatching at Cairns Esplanade in the city; Botanical Gardens and Centenary Lakes; Yorkey's Knob - well within Cairns' suburban area.

bechan

Thanks for the information!

How much did it cost for the chartered plane to Lizard Island? I was planning to do the day tour again, so this is great advice for me.

deszere

Hi Bechan .
We paid $3200.00 for a ten seater for a full day.

As there were 8 of us it worked out to be $400.00 each for the day which is dirt cheap once you take into consideration you have just a 45 minute flight to get out to the Island and then a full 7 hours to snorkel and explore at your own pace.

We had plenty of time for snorkelling Watson’s Bay on 2 separate tides on the second day. Greg had demonstrated to us on the first tour how to navigate through the reefs on a low tide. Swimming through the channels with colourful reef and fish all around you is an amazing thing.

They (Daintree air ) do have smaller two engine planes they use for transferring couples to the lodges and resorts around the place. I imagine they would be cheaper again than the bigger 10 seat plane we used. Send them an email there is no harm in asking.

Have fun.
Dezzie.

mrsmayers

Hi Deszere ,

We also have also been on the daintree air one day tour to Lizard, yes it’s addictive.
So much so we will be back in Australia next July for a longer tour with daintree air through out the North of Australia.
We are planning on seeing the Kimberley’s Arnhemland, Cape York and the Torres Strait Islands.

We can’t wait !!!

Barb.

lasalle49

Hi every one, We just wanted to let you know the weather in Cairns and Lizard Island was pretty close to glorious during our stay. Thank you for the advice.

We experienced torrential rain while driving to Cairns from Port Douglas the morning we went to Lizard Island. That afternoon flying back to Cairns along the rainforest the rain had gone and we flew back in ideal conditions.

The snorkelling was everything we wanted and more, the views of the reefs and rainforests during transit were everything we had read about. The Lizard Island Day tour is certainly a wonderful way to experience the reef.

You can tell by the level of professionalism displayed by the team at Daintree Air they have been doing this for a long time. Every single detail is seen to by the team. We had forgotten towels, when we landed at the Island, alas four spotless white towels appeared from the locker of the plane.

We were washed out of Hamilton Island and actually left early due to talk of a cyclone not far from the Island which by the way did not eventuate.

The rain in the Whitsunday Islands was torrential each day.

The Sydney Hyatt was like a dream come true on NYN with spectacular views of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. We felt as though we could reach out and touch the bridge. Wonderful Hotel in a marvellous position. For anyone contemplating the big splurge to Sydney next NY this hotel comes with high recommendations.
You must book early though.
We were very lucky to get in twelve weeks before the event.

We enjoyed the Blue Mountains especially the hiking at the bottom of the valley after the ride on the cable car. The forests of the Blue Mountains are much different than the forests in the Cairns area. Many more people in the Blue Mountains, in Cairns / Port Douglas we were amazed there were so few others around. You cannot really compare the two as they are so different.

Jeff.