Frommer's Australia from $50 a Day 13th Edition - To Parent Directory

QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF 249
million cattle roam among the gum
trees, and at local pubs, steak sandwiches
and barbecued snags (sausages)
are always on the plat du jour.
Throughout the region, the wonders
of the Great Barrier Reef are within
easy reach.
Traveling north along the coast, you
will be drawn along by one tropical
island after another until you get to
the 74 islands of the Whitsunday and
Cumberland groups.
Then you will enter a land where
tropical islands, lush rainforest,
rugged mountains, and romantic
rivers unite. Green sugar cane fields
are everywhere—Mackay is the largest
sugar-producing region in Australia.
This attractive city has its own beach,
and the harbor is a departure point for
cruises to the Great Barrier Reef and
the Whitsunday islands. The Whitsundays
region is on the same latitude
as Tahiti, and for my money is equally
lovely. The idyllic island playground is
laced with coral reefs rising out of
calm, blue waters teeming with colorful
coral and fish, and it’s warm
enough for swimming all year round.
North of the Whitsundays is popular
Dunk Island and the rainforest settlement
of Mission Beach. The
delights of the tropics are apparent
everywhere in this area of Tropical
North Queensland. From islands dotted
with palm trees to Wet Tropics
Rainforest, the region is populated
with friendly, laid-back people. The
port city of Townsville boasts 320 days
of sunshine per year, and marks the
start of the Great Green Way—an area
of great natural beauty leading to
Cairns. The trip could take anywhere
from 4 hours to 14 days depending on
how many detours you wish to make.
Further north, you come to Cairns,
with rainforest hills and villages to
explore and a harbor full of cruise
and dive boats waiting to take you to
the Reef. Cairns is fine as a base, but
many savvy travelers head an hour
north to the village of Port Douglas,
preferring its peaceful rural atmosphere,
uncrowded beach, and less
developed environs
A visit to Queensland would not be
complete without at least one trip into
the Outback. You can head west from
Rockhampton, to discover the heart of
Queensland at Longreach, Barcaldine,
and Winton, or from Townsville to
the mining town of Mt. Isa. From
Cairns, the Gulf Savannah region is
rich in welcoming small towns.
It’s possible to spend a small fortune
on watersports, sailing trips, cruises,
game-fishing excursions, and rainforest
4WD tours in Queensland, but this
chapter will help you scout out the best
deals. Cheap accommodations and
food are generally plentiful, and the
sunshine and beaches are always free.
Queensland in 3 Days
If you have only 3 days in Queensland, you could happily spend them all
on Heron Island, in my opinion, the most stunning Great Barrier Reef coral
cay. Or you could spend all your time on a 3-day, 2-night sailing trip
around the Whitsunday Islands. From here, you can head to the outer
Great Barrier Reef for a day.
If you go to Cairns, spend the first day taking the Skyrail Rainforest
Cableway—the longest cableway in the world—over the rainforest to the
mountaintop rainforest village of Kuranda. The next day take a day trip
to the Great Barrier Reef, perhaps aboard Quicksilver’s Wavepiercer catamaran.
The next day you’ll explore the World Heritage–listed Daintree
Rainforest on a 4WD day safari.