Thread: Questions about cruising Queensland, Australia answered

Hi all,

I'm going to be heading up the East Coast of Australia to see the cruise ship ports of Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville & Airlie Beach (Whitsundays), do some tours and ask lots of people questions about how everything works and what are the local secrets of the area. If any of you have questions you would like answered about these ports let me know and I will find out personally for you.

Thanks,

Hope

No real questions except how does one get a free trip to the area.

If I knew the answer to that I would have gone a few months ago :-)

Looking forward to you getting your backside down this way Neal so we can spar face to face!

There is a 20% chance we will be coming to Australia for my daughter and FSIL's wedding since he is an Aussie by birth and that is where his mother is. His father has a place in South Africa, so that is the second option. He has a lot of family in Italy (and a converted hotel into a villa in Alba) so that is another possibility. Of course the two of them are now in Argentina making that an option.

I am hoping for Australia even though it will cost us a fortune.

Wow! Every option is going to be amazing - but I also have my fingers crossed for you! Just spent two weeks in Qld seeing even a few places I hadn't been before and reminded of how much I love this beautiful country and how much there is to see! I did a few tours with new operators that are out of this world!

Let me know how things fall and I can help you out with any questions you might have - might even shout you a drink down a the opera house!

Not sure if they are ever going to get married......

We are planning on visiting her next year. It will be in the land down under but the wrong continent - it will be in Argentina. It will be the first time for us to go south of the equator which should be an experience changing the seasons. But, then, we live in Dallas where 50 degrees difference in two days is common.

Would love to join you for a drink at the opera house. I have always wanted to view it in person, to my mind, it is Australia.

Argentina! Wow - very beautifu & very Europeanl country and lots of good wine! I assume you'll be taking the Mrs out for a bit of tango-ing!

Of course. I just have to remember how to do the tango- it has been at least 10 years since I attempted it.....

Originally Posted by shoretours.com.au

Hi all,

I'm going to be heading up the East Coast of Australia to see the cruise ship ports of Cairns, Port Douglas, Townsville & Airlie Beach (Whitsundays), do some tours and ask lots of people questions about how everything works and what are the local secrets of the area. If any of you have questions you would like answered about these ports let me know and I will find out personally for you.

Thanks,

Hope

I'd be interested to hear about some of the more unique shore excursions cruisers might be able to take in Port Townsend and Cairns - they're increasingly on cruise ship itineraries and hard for an American to get a good grasp on offerings.

What's the short list of cruise ships visiting these ports in 2012? Do we have a substantive list somewhere?

Have fun on your tour on the Eastern coast of Australia!

Hi Tim,

Just got back and had the best time! Weather was fantastic and the ports are amazing! There will definitely be some photos soon!

There are a lot of ships heading up this way over the next couple of cruising seasons. Major international ships include Ocean Princess, Dawn Princess, Diamond Princess, Rhapsody of the Seas, Radiance of the Seas, Silver Shadow, Costa Romantica, Seven Seas Voyager, Aurora, Arcadia, Celbrity Century, Millennium & Solstice, QM2 & QE.

I've attached a couple of links for you so you can see when the ships are mostly coming into this region:

http://www.cairnsport.com.au/files/p...20Sep%2011.pdf - 2012

http://www.cairnsport.com.au/files/p...20Sep%2011.pdf - 2013

Tour wise I could talk forever about the options. The Great Barrier Reef has always been a bit of a drawcard because its so well-known but its a long way to go for the day and with the ship times it is quite difficult to do independtly. Although we are about to launch a Reef Sprinter to some of the Lower Isles from Port Douglas. And Cairns has a lovely tropical island that is closer called Green Island. Townsville has their equivalent called Magnetic. For those that are making this the trip of a lifetime there are also some amazing seaplane or helicopter adventures that will take you out that way for some amazing photos, one even offers a stop on a private sandbar for a few hours to snorkel, swim and enjoy some premium refreshments.

The land-based tour options are so high quality you would never feel any disappointment if for some reason you were unable to make the reef. With the rainforests so close to Port Douglas and Cairns (including Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest) you are only a short drive away. There is the world-famous Skyrail & Kuranda Railway, 4WD tours out to the rainforest for nature spotting (including the Wild Fig Tree that was the inspiration for the home tree in the movie Avatar), tubing through the rainforest, local walking tours, an afternoon/evening wildlife spotting tour for the overnight Cairns itineraries, cruising, crocodiles, jungle surfing (as amazing as it sounds). I had the opportunity to participate in a private wildlife tour of a local guides property just out of Port Douglas and it was one of the most amazing experiences ever - which is saying a lot coming from a country girl! The gentleman is truly an animal whisperer and we walked his propery as he introduced me to the animals on his property, with hummingbirds landing on his hands and the kangaroo coming to be fed. It was truly enchanting.

I thought a quick breakdown of the port of Northern QLD might help so you can differentiate between them and when planning itineraries know which ones you would like to see!

CookTown - Most northern QLD cruise ship stop. It is a tender port and not so well-known at this stage. It could be described as a true example of a country Australian town and is steepd in history named after the man who is known for settling Australia. For those who are interested in Indigenous culture is this also a fantastic stop with many local tribes still in the area and very willing to share their culture. Also fabulous for those interested in the Rainforest.

Port Douglas - A popular Australian resort town, very relaxed tiny town with all the facilities of a larger city - amazing restaurants although a little pricier because of the type of traveller it attracts. Also a tender port the timing do mean it is a little more difficult to get out and see the Barrier Reef. The tenders come into the local marina which is a three minute walk to the centre of town. Fantastic for trips to the Daintree Rainforest with many options including wildlife tours, genearl tours, bike tours, snorkelling tours. The skyrail can be done from Port Douglas, however due to tendering it would be quite a rushed day.

Yorky's Knob - Is a tender port located about 10 minutes north of Cairns. There is very little to do at Yorky's Knob itself, but it is easy enough to access Cairns and many tours will collect you from Yorky's Knob. The surrounding rainforests and associated activies are again the major highlight. Head out to Skyail, tubing, 4WDing, wildlife spotting and swimming in freshwater pools.

Cairns - Is the largest city in the area and really taken action in providing a great facilitiy for cruise ship passengers with their recently renovated Cruise Terminal. The terminal is just a 5 minute walk into town, 10 minutes to the marina and 10 minutes to the start of the popular boardwalk. As Cairns is not a tender port it is your best option for hitting the reef. Also RCCL and P&O Australia have overnight port stays so it really allows you to explore. Think rainforest, crocodiles, tubing, 4WDing, Skyrail, Daintree, helicopters, and more!

Townsville - Townsville is about a 5 hour drive south of Cairns and is well-know for being a big navy base. Again a tender port, Townsville currently only have a few ships in each year. This may change however with the go ahead being given todevelop a purpose built cruise facility. Magnetic Island is a famous tropical Island off the coast of Townsville, else there is a great lookout of the area. As tourism has not been a major industy in this area up until recently there are few tours, however the changes are there and Townsville is a very nice town.

Airlie Beach - Famous beach that is gateway to the world-famous Whitsunday Islands, Whitehaven Beach and the Great Barrier Reef. Unfortunately Airlie is also a tender port which does make it slightly more difficult to get to these magnificent highlights independently. The tenders come into a place called Abel Point Marina about a 10 minute walk to town. It is quite a steep walk so shuttle buses also transport regularly. Lovely seaside town and well-know for being quite celebratory every weekend! Keep an eye out for their fish and chips!!