originally, i planned my 3 wk. Oz trip to start in Sydney &
work my way up the coast to Cairns. after sticking my nose
in a few guidebooks this weekend, i'm now leaning towards
exploring the southern parts of Oz for some variety & then
flying up to Cairns from Adelaide for the final week. so,
here's my question. if i just focus on Cairns/Port
Douglas/Cape Trib area and a few of the islands reachable
from there, is that a satisfactory reflection of Oz's GBR?
or, would it be a crying shame that i'm missing some other
hot spots along the reef south of Cairns? all the islands
sound amazing to me...are there any that should not be
missed? (p.s. is it true what i read somewhere that the
[There are 3 posts - the latest was added on Sun 23 May, 16:46]
Use the form at the end of this page to add your own post.
Topics
| Thorn Tree
| Home
DON'T MISS THE WHITSUNDAYS!!!!!!!!
If youwant to see the GBR in it's glory you won't be seeing
it on islands.
The real reef is the outer GBR which are thousands of reefs
not islands. Only one or two Islands are actually on the GBR
(whitsundays are not).
The standard backpacker trips won't get you there but many
good snorkelling and dive tours will get you there from
Cairns and Port Douglas.
Be prepared to pay extra , make sure the trip only takes 20+
(the boat can get to better places) and make sure it takes a
couple of hours to get you there.
Trust me it's worth it.
I have been on many different trips , touristy and
specialised snorkelling trips , the specialised ones are
unreal.
One place I can recommend highly is the island "lady Elliot"
, its at the southernmost GBR off Bundaberg and you can stay
on this coral cay in permanent tents, the foods all thrown
in and the diving is superb. Turtles mantas etc etc etc.
Not the cheapest but worth the money.
The Whitsundays are as close to the outer barrier reef as
you will get,with some spectacular snorkeling/diving right
on your doorstep.For diving you will find a multitude of
companys on any island.
I lived in Port Douglas for a number of years and i was a
regular boatie one of my favourite spots is low isles,for
just a day of relaxing in paradise.AS for islands nothing
compares with a deserted island on a balmy day in the
Whitsundays!!!! (Pina Colada in hand!!)