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

high-speed, air-conditioned 37m (121-ft.) and 45.5m (149-ft.) catamarans carry
300 or 440 passengers to Agincourt Reef, a ribbon reef 39 nautical miles
(72km/43 miles) from shore on the very outer edge of the Reef. After the 90-
minute trip to the Reef you tie up at a two-story pontoon, where you spend 3 1 ⁄2
hours on the Reef.
Quicksilver departs Marina Mirage at 10am daily except Christmas Day. The
cost for the day is A$165 (US$107) for adults and A$85 (US$55) for kids ages
4 to 14, or A$415 (US$270) for a family of four. Coach transfers from your Port
Douglas hotel are an extra A$5 (US$3.25) adults, A$2.50 (US$1.60) children.
Guided snorkel safaris cost A$35 (US$23) per person, and introductory dives
cost A$119 (US$77) per person.
Qualified divers take a dive-tender
boat to make two dives for A$119
(US$77) per person, all gear included.
Because Quicksilver carries so many
passengers, it is a good idea to book
snorkel safaris and dives in advance.
The dive boat Poseidon (see “Diving
the Reef” below) welcomes snorkelers.
There’s a Reef ecology talk en route
EXPLORING THE GREAT BARRIER REEF 259
Tips Feeling Green?
If you are inclined to be seasick,
come prepared with medication.
Some boats sell a ginger-based
natural anti-seasickness pill, but
it doesn’t always work!
and a guided snorkel safari. Lunch and transfers from Port Douglas hotels are
included in Poseidon’s price of A$135 (US$88) for adults and A$100 (US$65)
for children ages 3 to 12.
Port Douglas also offers easy day-trip access to the Low Isles, two pretty coralwrapped
cays close to shore on the Inner Reef. See the “Port Douglas, Daintree
& the Cape Tribulation Area” section later in this chapter.
FROM CAIRNS
Cairns passengers can board the Quicksilver Cruises Wavepiercer in Cairns
(& 07/4087 2100; www.quicksilver-cruises.com) at the Reef Fleet Terminal at
8am and at Palm Cove Jetty on Cairns’s northern beaches at 8:35am. It arrives
at Port Douglas at 9:30am and leaves for the Reef at 10am. All of these trips run
daily except Christmas. The fare for the whole day for Cairns and Palm Cove
passengers is A$175 (US$114) for adults and A$90 (US$59) for kids ages 4 to
14. A free pickup from your hotel is included in the price.
If you prefer to visit the Reef straight from Cairns, large-scale operator Great
Adventures (& 07/4044 9944 or 1800/079 080; www.greatadventures.com.au)
does daily cruises in fast, air-conditioned catamarans to a three-level pontoon on
the Outer Reef. The pontoon has a children’s swimming area, a semi-submersible,
and an underwater observatory. You get at least 3 hours on the Reef.
The cost for the day is A$152 (US$99) for adults, A$79 (US$51) for children
ages 4 to 14, and A$388 (US$252) for a family of two adults and two kids.
Hotel transfers are available from Cairns and the northern beaches for an extra
cost. The boat departs the Great Adventures terminal at the new Reef Fleet Terminal
at 10:30am.
Guided snorkel tours are A$25 (US$16) per person extra. Introductory dives
cost A$110 (US$72) per person extra, while certified divers pay A$80 (US$52)
for one dive or A$110 (US$72) for two dives, with all gear.
You can also depart Cairns with Great Adventures at 8:30am and spend 2
hours on Green Island en route. This gives you time to walk nature trails, rent
snorkel gear and watersports equipment, or laze on the beach before continuing