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

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CHAPTER 6 . QUEENSLAND & THE GREAT BARRIER REEF
Captain Cook Hwy. (beside the Skyrail terminal), Smithfield. & 07/4042 9900. Fax 07/4042 9990.
www.tjapukai.com.au. Admission A$28 (US$18) adults, A$14 (US$9) children 4–14, A$70 (US$46) family of
4. Ask about packages that include transfers, lunch, and a guided Magic Space tour, or Skyrail and/or Scenic
Rail travel to and from Kuranda. AE, DC, MC, V. Daily 9am–5pm. Closed Christmas and New Year’s Day. Bus:
1C or 1E. Book shuttle transfers from Cairns and northern beaches hotels (A$17/US$11 adults, A$8/US$5.50
children) through the park. Park is 15 min. north of Cairns and 15 min. south of Palm Cove along the Captain
Cook Hwy. Free parking.
MORE ATTRACTIONS
Three kilometers (1 3 ⁄4 miles) northwest of Cairns in Edge Hill, are the Flecker
Botanic Gardens, 94 Collins Ave., (& 07/4044 3398). You can see the wetlands,
which include beautiful ferns and orchids, by following the park’s many
walking trails, and also inspect gardens illustrating Aboriginal plant use.
Recently added is Australia’s Gondwana Inheritance garden, devoted to the history
of plant evolution. Free guided walks are Monday through Friday at 1pm.
There is a licensed cafe and a nice book/gift shop. The gardens are open Monday
through Friday 7:30am to 5:30pm, and from 8:30am weekends. The gardens
are a 10-minute drive from the city, or take bus 1B.
In Cairns
Cairns Regional Gallery Finds Modern paintings, sculpture, computer
installations, and other works by a changing array of Australian and international
artists are on show at Cairns’s premier gallery, including pieces by Aborigines
and Torres Strait Islanders from Australia’s far north. One-hour tours are
run on Wednesday (11am and noon) and Friday (10:30 and 11:30am), starting
in the gallery foyer.
Shields St. at Abbott St.& 07/4031 6865. Admission A$4 (US$2.60) adults, free for children under 10. Daily
10am–5pm; Sundays and public holidays 1pm–5pm. Closed Good Friday and Christmas.
Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures Kids Hartley’s is the original Australian
croc show, and after a move to a new location and a multi-million redevelopment
in mid-2002, quite possibly the best. What makes it different from
others is the fantastic natural setting—a 2-hectare (5-acre) lagoon surrounded by
melaluca (paperbark) and bloodwood trees and home to 23 estuarine crocs. The
best time to visit is for the 3pm “croc attack” show, when you can witness the
saltwater crocodile “death roll” during the 45-minute performance. At 11am
you can see these monsters get hand-fed or hear an eye-opening talk on the less
aggressive freshwater crocodiles. There are tours of the croc farm at 10am and
1:30pm; at 2pm there is a snake show; at 4:30pm it’s koala-feeding time; and
there are also cassowaries, which are fed at 9:30am and 4:15pm. This attraction
makes a good stop en route to Port Douglas.
Capt. Cook Hwy. (40km/24 miles north of Cairns, 25km/16 miles south of Port Douglas). & 07/4055 3576.
Fax 07/4059 1017. www.crocodileadventures.com. Admission A$24 (US$16) adults, A$12 (US$7.80) children
4–14, A$60 (US$39) family pass for 2 adults and their kids. Tickets allow return entry for 3 days. AE, DC, MC,
V. Daily 8:30am–5pm. Closed Christmas. Transfers available through All In A Day Tours (& 07/4032 5050).
Free parking.
Royal Flying Doctor Visitors Centre The Royal Flying Doctor Service
(RFDS), the free aeromedical service that provides a “mantle of safety” for all
Outback Australians, has a base in Cairns. Tours are run Monday through Saturday
every 30 minutes from 9am to 4:30pm. You can also watch a film, attend
a talk on how the service began, browse through memorabilia, and board a former
RFDS plane. Allow about 45 minutes.
1 Junction St., Edge Hill. & 07/4053 5687. Admission A$5.50 (US$3.55) adults, A$2.75 (US$1.80) children,
A$17 (US$11) for a family. Mon–Sat 8:30am–5pm. Closed Sundays and public holidays. Bus: 6 or 6A.