Port Douglas/Reef/Rainforest, etc. Info, Tips, Background

buchhalm: You lucky man. Going to Oz… Cairns is nice' date=' but Port Douglas is REALLY nice. Been there many times and spent my Honeymoon there. There are some very good small hotels there. All very laid back. You really must rent a car in Cairns to get around the area. There IS public transport, but it can be a pain in the butt. The drive up the coast from CNS to Port D. is wonderful. New, beautiful ocean vistas around nearly every bend. The drive takes a good hour, hour ½ with leisurely photo stops en route. There are [b']some top restaurants in Port D., such as “Nautilus”[/b] up in the hills. Really romantic. You dine outside, under a canopy of HUGE palm trees, pretty much in the jungle.

Bill and Hill (Clinton) had dinner there – when they still liked each other….

Another fab spot is “Salsa Bar and Grill”, on the main drag on Macrossan’s Street. Both places should have websites.

There is great sightseeing around Port D.

Mossman Gorge is a superb rainforest place. Around 20 kms from Port D. They do have guided tours, but there are well kept and signposted walks thru the forest. You have to walk really softly and quietly and you will see all kinds of great creatures. Plenty of snakes and spiders and such things. Look around, to the sides of the walkways and above you. There are also a few (sign posted) freshwater swimming holes where you can freshen up. Really nice to sit in the cool water, between huge rock boulders and experience the tropical rainforest. (don’t worry about the snakes and spiders. If you don’t touch them or step on them. They won’t bite)

The village of Mossman is cute with a few decent pubs for a meal and a cold beer or three.

Don’t ask for Fosters. That’s for tourists and for export.

A local brew is Four-X “XXXX” on the bottle. That’s how Queenslanders spell BEER.

Another nice place nearby (can do that during the same excursion) is the Village of Daintree, after which the area is named. They have a few boat cruises on the river and you are very, very likely to see some crocodiles. So don’t dangle your feet in the water there!

www.daintreevillage.asn.au has lots of info on the area.

Cape Tribulation is well worth visiting.

There is a car ferry crossing near Daintree and you can drive a normal hire-car to Cape Tribulation beach. Very interesting eco system there. After Cape Trib it is strictly 4WD only, and best only for really experienced drivers. I don’t think any car hire places let t you take the cars further on.

A few years ago we did an excellent guided trip (private 4WD with driver/guide + 5 passengers). A whole day (and I mean 6 a.m to 9 p.m) from Port D., via Cape Trib, then the rainforest, along the coast, over the mountains thru really rugged and tough terrain to the small town of Cooktown. Very interesting sights, Aboriginal communities, wildlife etc on the way. We had a few hours in Cooktown, a swim in the local pool (too many sharks, saltwater crocs, stingers etc in the sea), a nice pub lunch, before heading back to civilization, via the so-called In-Land Development road. Stopped at some real crocodile Dundee outback pub, The Lion’s Den Hotel in Helenvale on the way, before the long drive home. Crossed the Great Dividing Range, lots of semi-desert, then pineapple and sugarcane plantations etc, etc before hitting the coast jst north of Cairns again. I can’t remember which company we took, but these people seem to do something just like it:

www.adventurenorthaustralia.com/

As for Great Barrier reef cruises, shop around when you are in the area. Some of the big operators ferry out hundreds of people at a time. The snorkeling/diving is still good, but it is not so “special” as it could be. There is an operator who uses a nice, big catamaran with much smaller groups. This is nice and romantic, especially on the way back when the sun sets, they bring out platters of fruit and cake and some sparkling wine and someone starts playing the guitar and starts a singalong…. J

WOW!! Super appreciate this above great summary from our Australia friend on another Cruise Critic Board. What a wonderful outline of ideas!! I have shared this spectacular information with those on our cruise roll call, plus with those from Central Ohio in our travel group and keeping it on my large laptop computer file that is now over 650 pages for this trip, so far.

Our plan was to do Port Douglas, have a rental car, see the rain forest, etc. Other friends had pointed us in that direction. These specifics fill in lots more blanks and give some great dining, etc., options.

Any other suggestions, favorites to share, ideas, tips??? As I get more info, I will share with those on our sailing, etc.

We are looking forward to our first “down under” visit, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Celebrity Solstice sailing, departing Sydney, going from Australia to Auckland/NZ doing 14 days on this ship we loved in the Med in June 2011. Plus, doing some pre-cruise options for Cairns/Port Douglas, the Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef, then Kangaroo Island near Adelaide before departing from Sidney’s scenic harbor. Any special secrets and tips in these areas to be shared by others?? And, probably doing post-cruise in Queenstown and stopping in Hawaii on the way home to break up that long, long flight back. We have a nice and active roll call going at:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1614754

Welcome to any who want to join us for this trip and/or travel along via the web as we get prepared for that "adventure".

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 118,072 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

That's an excellent summary of things to see and do in Port Douglas, a place I have visited 5 times. I'll just add that you might want to have dinner one night at the Combined Services Club (Tin Shed). Clubs such as these are very "Australian" and it will be a good place to get an inexpensive meal and to meet some locals, if you like. http://www.thetinshed-portdouglas.com.au/

If you do the Daintree NP trip, you will pass by the Daintree Ice Cream Company which I think is well worth a stop. (Some folks think its too touristy, but I am a tourist.) There is no choice on the ice cream they serve, but whatever is on the menu will be great. Besides, where else can you eat wattleseed ice cream?

http://www.daintreeinfo.com/region_guide/index.php?RegionInfoID=344&RegionSubjectID=6

I've been to Adelaide and Kangaroo Island twice, but didn't do too much that isn't already mentioned in all the tour books. One thing you might enjoy is taking the tram to the suburb of Glenelg and going to the beach or just taking a long walk on the beach. (We stayed in Glenelg on our last visit and started each day with a morning walk on the beach.) Also, if you enjoy walking/hiking, do some hiking on the island, particularly in Flinders Chase NP. We did the Ravine des Casoars walk (8km RT) and didn't see another sole the entire time. But we did see some great scenery and a fairy penguin! Here's a PDF with park info, including hikes: http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/.../psa-gen-parksofkangarooisland.pdf

Just found this thread and thought it had a lot of great ideas. Has anyone done any pre-cruise tours from Sydney or tours on their own from Sydney that you are willing to share --- the good -- not so good --- anything. We currently planning our cruise out of Sydney which is over a year away. Would love to see more of Australia. Any hints are appreciated.

Carol

Just found this thread and thought it had a lot of great ideas. Has anyone done any pre-cruise tours from Sydney or tours on their own from Sydney that you are willing to share --- the good -- not so good --- anything. We currently planning our cruise out of Sydney which is over a year away. Would love to see more of Australia. Any hints are appreciated. Carol

Appreciate this follow-up and posting by Carol on your upcoming cruise out of Sydney. As noted in the live/blog below, we got off of the Celebrity Solstice in February. We did major pre-cruise time in and around Cairns, plus on Kangaroo Island. Go to these posting for many more details on our adventures, including at Port Douglas, in the Daintree Rainforest, going out to the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Below are a few of my visual samples to build your excitement for this adventure. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions on my live/blog and I will respond with any info that might help you in your planning. Lots of great options down under.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 64,428 views for this fun posting.

The Kuranda rail trip took us back a different routing, plus lots of interesting scenery, dramatic waterfalls, major engineering work, many train tunnels, big bridges, etc. The rail line dates back to 1891. For our group of six, we did the upgrade to the "gold" rail seating with plenty of wine, nice food/snacks, etc., in a wonderful, old-style rail car with great service and attention by the staff The great company and nice sights (plus the flowing wine), made it very much fun on a day with on and off patches of rain.:

From the Daintree Rainforest and National Park near Cairns, Australia, here are two samples of our exploring there. We did a somewhat challenging 1.43 miles circular hike in the deep, deep of this dramatic rainforest. Lots of rocks, up and down paths, twists and turns, hard work, etc., as this picture illustrates. But we survived!! Even at our ages. Our group crossed the Mossman Gorge on a fairly long swinging bridge. Not Indiana Jones, but for us it was super spectacular. Here is one of my favorite pictures as it show John in our group looking at one of these huge trees in the middle of this rainforest and contemplating its majesty, size and history. And I told John, the picture shows his more photogenic side!:

This picture gives a little sampling for Port Douglas. Here and in many of these towns that get lots of rain, they have covered walkways in the towns to protect people from the rain and/or sun. Got to shop?? Plenty of opportunities here!! Plus, good places to eat.:

For the Great Barrier Reef, we chartered a plane and flew out from Cairns to Lizard Island, one of the most isolated locations in Australia. Chief Pilot Greg has done about 2200 trips to this location and really knows it well. Here we are on the beach getting his briefing for snorkeling in these reef areas right off of this location/beach. Yes, we saw real lizards here when we walked from the landing strip to our beach location. Captain Cook named this island because when he landed, he saw so many lizards!! Had a wonderful lunch on the beach. On the way to Lizard Island, we flew our over the edge of the reef to better understand this amazing 1500-mile long natural wonder, how it works, etc.:

For our snorkeling, I got to try out my new Nikon AW110 underwater camera. Shot about 260 underwater pictures. Here is one quick sample below. More visuals and details on the full live/blog.:

Appreciate this follow-up and posting by Carol on your upcoming cruise out of Sydney. As noted in the live/blog below, we got off of the Celebrity Solstice in February. We did major pre-cruise time in and around Cairns, plus on Kangaroo Island. Go to these posting for many more details on our adventures, including at Port Douglas, in the Daintree Rainforest, going out to the Great Barrier Reef, etc. Below are a few of my visual samples to build your excitement for this adventure. Feel free to ask any follow-up questions on my live/blog and I will respond with any info that might help you in your planning. Lots of great options down under.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Back from doing a 14-day Celebrity Solstice, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure on this ship and getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for much more information and lots of wonderful pictures on these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 64,428 views for this fun posting.

 

 

The Kuranda rail trip took us back a different routing, plus lots of interesting scenery, dramatic waterfalls, major engineering work, many train tunnels, big bridges, etc. The rail line dates back to 1891. For our group of six, we did the upgrade to the "gold" rail seating with plenty of wine, nice food/snacks, etc., in a wonderful, old-style rail car with great service and attention by the staff The great company and nice sights (plus the flowing wine), made it very much fun on a day with on and off patches of rain.:

 

 

 

From the Daintree Rainforest and National Park near Cairns, Australia, here are two samples of our exploring there. We did a somewhat challenging 1.43 miles circular hike in the deep, deep of this dramatic rainforest. Lots of rocks, up and down paths, twists and turns, hard work, etc., as this picture illustrates. But we survived!! Even at our ages. Our group crossed the Mossman Gorge on a fairly long swinging bridge. Not Indiana Jones, but for us it was super spectacular. Here is one of my favorite pictures as it show John in our group looking at one of these huge trees in the middle of this rainforest and contemplating its majesty, size and history. And I told John, the picture shows his more photogenic side!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture gives a little sampling for Port Douglas. Here and in many of these towns that get lots of rain, they have covered walkways in the towns to protect people from the rain and/or sun. Got to shop?? Plenty of opportunities here!! Plus, good places to eat.:

 

 

 

For the Great Barrier Reef, we chartered a plane and flew out from Cairns to Lizard Island, one of the most isolated locations in Australia. Chief Pilot Greg has done about 2200 trips to this location and really knows it well. Here we are on the beach getting his briefing for snorkeling in these reef areas right off of this location/beach. Yes, we saw real lizards here when we walked from the landing strip to our beach location. Captain Cook named this island because when he landed, he saw so many lizards!! Had a wonderful lunch on the beach. On the way to Lizard Island, we flew our over the edge of the reef to better understand this amazing 1500-mile long natural wonder, how it works, etc.:

 

 

 

For our snorkeling, I got to try out my new Nikon AW110 underwater camera. Shot about 260 underwater pictures. Here is one quick sample below. More visuals and details on the full live/blog.:

 

Terry in Ohio --- thank you so much for the comments and pictures. OMG, your comments are so informative and appreciated. I am making a file and will research all of the links you provided to get some great ideas.

The Cairns area is definitely on our bucket list.. Just trying to figure out the best pre-cruise way to do things.

Thank you again for being so helpful. I may have more questions after I read all of this info.

Cheers,

Carol

Terry in Ohio --- thank you so much for the comments and pictures. OMG, your comments are so informative and appreciated. I am making a file and will research all of the links you provided to get some great ideas. The Cairns area is definitely on our bucket list.. Just trying to figure out the best pre-cruise way to do things. Thank you again for being so helpful. I may have more questions after I read all of this info. Cheers, Carol

Appreciate, Carol, your nice comments and follow-up. Glad to know you're a person of such high class, great taste and wonderful judgment to make these generous comments.

YES, let me any added questions as you do your research and planning. Happy to share more. Now out in the Wild West, Colorado, somewhat nearby to your Nevada. Am enjoying a "Rocky Mountain High", but without any of that Mary Jane stuff. Great sights and sites here. In Breckenridge now, after yesterday at Crested Butte. Heading back to our base with friends in Colorado Springs.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 147,607 views. Nice to be hitting this high of a level for viewership. Appreciate the interest and follow-up questions/comments!!

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923