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

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
to the Outer Reef. This cruise costs an extra A$16 (US$10) per adult and A$8
(US$5.20) per child.
Sunlover Cruises (& 1800/810 512 in Australia, or 07/4050 1333) has a
choice of two Outer Reef trips aboard its large, fast catamarans. The first stops
at Fitzroy Island for a guided rainforest walk before heading to Moore Reef on
the Outer Reef. Transfers from city and northern beaches hotels are included.
The day costs A$159 (US$103) for adults, A$80 (US$52) for children ages 4 to
14, and A$398 (US$258) for a family of four. This trip includes a glass-bottom
boat ride and semi-submersible viewing.
Sunlover’s second trip departs Cairns and picks up passengers at Palm Cove
then heads to Arlington Reef. You spend about 4 hours total on the Reef. The
price is A$141 (US$92) for adults, A$71 (US$46) for kids, and A$353
(US$229) for a family.
Introductory dives on either trip cost A$107 (US$70). Certified divers pay
the same price, including all gear. Both cruises include lunch and transfers from
Cairns and northern beaches hotels. Both depart from the Reef Fleet Terminal
in Cairns at 9:30am daily.
An alternative to motoring to the Reef is to sail to it. Ocean Spirit Cruises
(& 07/4031 2920; www.oceanspirit.com.au) operates two sailing catamarans
that take 100 to 150 passengers to Michaelmas Cay or Upolu Cay, lovely white
sand cays on the Outer Reef surrounded by rich reefs. This trip is a good value,
since it includes a pleasant 2 hours’ sailing to either cay, a guided snorkeling
safari, guided beach walk, and a free glass of bubbly and live music on the way
home—in addition to the usual reef ecology talks, semi-submersible rides,
lunch, and transfers from your Cairns or northern beaches hotel. Another plus
is that you spend your out-of-water time on a beautiful beach, not on a pontoon
or boat deck. You get about 4 hours on the Reef.
The day trip to Michaelmas Cay is A$155 (US$101) for adults, A$78
(US$51) for children ages 4 to 14, and A$425 (US$276) for a family of two
adults and two kids. The day trip to Upolu Cay costs A$89 (US$58) for adults,
A$45 (US$29) for kids, and A$240 (US$156) for a family. Transfers from
Cairns and the northern beaches are free, but from Port Douglas they cost an
extra A$39 (US$25) adults and A$19 (US$12) children. Introductory dives cost
A$89 (US$58), and certified divers pay A$59 (US$38) for one or A$95
(US$62) for two, all gear included, at Michaelmas Cay, less at Upolu. The boats
depart Reef Fleet Terminal at 8:30am daily.
FROM MISSION BEACH
Mission Beach is the closest point on the mainland to the Reef, 1 hour by the
high-speed Quick Cat catamaran (& 1800/654 242 in Australia, or 07/4068
7289). The trip starts with an hour at Dunk Island 20 minutes offshore, where
you can walk rainforest trails, play on the beach, parasail, or jet ski for an extra
fee. Then it’s a 1-hour trip to sandy Beaver Cay on the Outer Reef, where you
have 3 hours to snorkel or check out the coral from a semi-submersible or glassbottom
boat. There’s no shade on the cay, so a hat and sunscreen are musts. The
trip departs daily from Clump Point Jetty at 9:30am. It costs A$148 (US$96) for
adults, A$74 (US$48) for children ages 4 to 14, and A$370 (US$241) for a family
of four. An introductory scuba dive costs A$80 (US$52) for the first dive and
A$35 (US$23) for the second. You should pre-book your introductory scuba
dive to ensure a place. Qualified divers pay A$60 (US$39) for the first dive,
A$35 (US$23) for the second, all gear included. Free pickups from Mission