Ocean Spirit at Michaelmas Cay

We made our own way to the marina for an 8.00 am check in on the boat. There is a little reception desk set up on the back deck and check in runs very smoothly and efficiently. Tea, coffee and biscuits are served inside the saloon.

Departure is 8.30am sharp, the sails come up just outside the marina and then it’s a leisurely 1.5 hour cruise to Michaelmas Cay. All briefings are done on the way out but there is still enough time to relax and enjoy the ride. A platter of nibbles in served just before arrival.

We were the only two certified divers on the boat that day. Our first dive was between the boat and the cay where as the afternoon dive took us out in the tender with all the Intro Divers to a nice bommie formation called ‘Three Sisters’.

Lunch is a hot/cold sumptuous buffet with fish, chicken, prawns and meat, cheese and fruit platters. Sitting out on the bow under the sun sail looking over the cay and the turquoise waters while having lunch was fantastic.

Other activities on the day included a very informative marine biology presentation inside the saloon, a tour in the semi sub (which we missed due to the diving) and every half hour there is transport over to Michaelmas in the ‘beach buggy’.

Come 3.30 pm it was time to leave the tranquillity behind and we headed back to Cairns at a very leisurely pace. There is tea, coffee and cake served before departure and a complimentary glass of bubbly as well on the way home.

The boat is very spacious with plenty of room on the bow. The chef prepared food was delicious and aplenty.

This day cruise is perfect for swimming, relaxing on the cay and snorkellers of all experience level. As the sea bottom is slowly sloping off from the cay, it is especially ideal for the first time divers.

Sports Rafting on the Russell River

Foaming Fury is the only operator to offer Sports Rating tours down the Russell River.

After a sleep-in we left Cairns at 9.30am after a short stop at the Foaming Fury office to pick-up all the equipment and a chance to rent shoes. The drive down to Russell River took just over an hour and river guide Dean kept us entertained with his stories of the area.

After we arrived everyone grabbed some equipment and we set off on the rainforest walk. It’s a beautiful but fairly strenuous walk down to the river; we took about 40 min to get down, stopping along the way when river guide Lisa spotted spiders and stinging trees. The sight of the river was so rewarding, crystal clear water surrounded by rainforest; everyone couldn’t wait to jump in for a cooling swim. After the swim the guide gave us a safety brief and hints on how to manoeuvre the rafts and we were off.

In 2 man rafts, you go down the rapids one raft at a time. The first and last raft is always a guide raft. It is such an adrenaline rush doing it on your own. Sport Rafting require no previous experience. This was the first time I have ever been rafting. After a few rapids we pulled up on the river bank and Dean and Lisa took us for a short walk up to Rainbow falls, a beautiful waterfall next to the river.

The rafting went on for about 3.5 hours, the biggest rapid was a two metre fall and everyone managed to stay in their rafts. At the end of the river we all went for another swim and were then served lunch before we headed back to Cairns.

This tour is such a great combo of rafting, rainforest and waterfalls.

Chillagoe Cave & Outback Day Tour

Billy Tea picked me up at 7.15am in Smithfield and was greeted by two guides, Andrew and Mark. After climbing the Kuranda range the 4WD vehicle cut through the hinterland of Jaques coffee plantation through to the Mareeba Wetlands at the Jabiru Lodge, where morning tea and coffee including biscuits were already prepared. Ranger ‘Chook’ was waiting for us, pointed out a freshwater crocodile which we could observe through the binoculars and after about 15mins of admiring the peaceful environment conducted a cruise on the lagoon and explained bird and plant life to us.

Then we headed towards Dimbulah, all on 4WD tracks, bypassing Mareeba and ended on the Dimbulah-Chillagoe road. The 2 guides were a wealth of knowledge, tirelessly explaining different crops, the irrigation system, and wildlife until we stopped for a toilet break in Dimbulah.

Then we continued towards Chillagoe, stopped on the way at Lappa Junction for a look into the ‘museum’ – an old pub with a collection of items from gone by days. By now we were looking forward to lunch at the Post Office Hotel in Chillagoe which was only 20 mins away. Before that, we went to the ‘Smelters’, now an open air museum. We had a choice of fish/chips and salad or a burger. Everything tasted very good and was well presented.

After a stop at a souvenir marble store, Mark drove us outside of Chillagoe to the ‘Royal Arch Cave’ where a ranger awaited us for a tour through the cave. The ranger explained the different formations of stalactites and stalagmites and the cool cave was a welcome change of climate to the heat outside.

We then headed back towards the tablelands and stopped at Skybury Coffee Plantation for afternoon tea. The guests were shown a short movie about coffee growing in this area.
By about 5.30 pm we were driving down the Kuranda range, getting ready to get dropped off at our pick up points.

Mark and Andrew were very enthusiastic guides, you could ask them any question they knew and answer for it and on the way back they also told us stories they had read or heard of the history of the surrounding area.

Michaelmas Cay

Snorkellers on Seastar

By 7.50am everybody was on board and the boat started heading to Michaelmas Cay, our first destination. It took only 80 mins to reach the cay and therefore we were the first people on the cay. Guests took part in the guided snorkel tour or snorkelled by themselves. Certified divers started from the Seastar vessel for an approximate 40 minute dive. Divers were picked up by a tender after the dive and returned to the vessel. The dive site at Michaelmas Cay, the Three Sisters, was very beautiful. We saw a lot of colorful fish around the reef.

After a relaxing 2.5 hours at Michaelmas Cay a delicious lunch was served before moving on to our next site Hastings Reef. At Hasitings, one of the crew did a brief reef teach…It was very informative and learned much about fish and reef. After that there was free time for snorkelling tours or glass bottom boat tours. I then had my second dive. I have not been on Hastings for a few years now and I was totally surprised by the beauty of that reef. I was the only cert. diver left and dive-guide Mark almost circumnavigated a big portion of the reef with me. There were lots of playful fish, amazingly colourful coral, lots of huge clams and parts of the Reef seemed to be untouched and not visited before. This was one of the best dives I have done in a long time.

We stayed more than 5 hours in total on the reef and arrived back in Cairns around 4.30pm. There is lots of time to do all offered activities. The vessel only takes a maximum of 30 guests and the price inclusive of stinger suit, guided snorkel and glass bottom boat tour.

Famous Millaa Millaa Falls

Discovery Tours (Australian Wilderness Tours) focuses on small personalised groups in comfortable 4WD vehicles.

Via the picturesque Copperlode Dam, we ventured down the 4WD Clohesy River track which also incorporates a boardwalk around an ancient Curtain Fig Tree. See huge examples of the endangered Giant King Ferns. Presently only Discovery tours utilizes this restricted access track, so no other tourists to be seen.

Up on the high lands the track opens into bush country. Jim our guide then drove us to Jacques coffee plantation for morning tea and an informative short film in a small movie theatre about coffee and the Jacques family history. From the plantation we went for a short walk around Lake Eacham, a volcanic crater lake surronded by virgin rainforest.

Onwards to to the famous Milla Milla Falls via Malanda before stopping for lunch at Mungalli Falls. As Discovery Tours utilize 4WD only we even were driven to the spectacular base of the Falls which is normally only accessible by guests on foot. Our little group had its own private deck for a very nice lunch at the Falls.

Then we proceeded to the new Ma Mu Rainforest Sky-Walk on the Palmerston Highway. This is a very impressive aluminium structure incorporated in a walk into the rainforest. The walk itself is 2.5km long and also wheelchair accessible. There are several highlights along the walk, the first called ‘Cantilever’, a 40m long ‘bridge’ jutting out into the forest. At the end you are standing 20m above the ground. The last 10 metres of that ‘bridge’ are cantilevered, so a bit challenging for people who are afraid of heights. Then there is an elevated 350m long walkway that meanders through the forest. Another highlight is the ‘Tower’ – 37 metres above ground on the top viewing deck. From the top platform people can view the Johnston Valley and one can see all the way to Babinda. The views are truly spectacular. This structure is another challenge for people being afraid of heights but along the way there are plenty of ‘rest stations’ where people can recover from the walk or wait for the more adventurous to return. We spent more than 1 hour at that site and everybody was very impressed with this new attraction.

On this tour see the diverse range of rainforest and bushland. Discovery Tours is ideal for those who want a little exclusivity and a little extra special treatment.

Introductory Scub Dive

Osprey V is one of the fastest day trips to the Outer edge of The Great Barrier Reef, cruising at 30 knots. You will spend more time in the water and less time travelling with five hours of snorkelling or diving at two outer Great Barrier Reef locations. The Reef Locations that we visited on Osprey V were remarkable, I saw well over 20 clown fish during my dive, the most I have seen on any location/vessel to date. Turtles, stingray and sharks were also spotted by most onboard.

Osprey V offer a free introductory scuba lesson. This 10 minute scuba demonstration will allow you to try before you buy. The dive staff were very gentle in their instructions and understanding of the fears that a lot of people feel when diving for the first time. I appreciated this very much as an intro diver myself. This awesome fun-dive experience has left me for the first time ever in my 16years experience as a local travel agent, wanting to become certified!

For quite some time now, I have had really great feedback regarding the crew member and entertainer “Elvis”, this is one of the reasons that I choose to come out and experience Osprey V for myself. The Gentleman is a true entertainer. Character and humour relaxed everyone onboard, when he played the Didgeridoo, every conversation on the boat stopped. I was mesmerised by his skills and use of traditional culture to entertain us on the way home. The trip home from the reef felt like the shortest time I have ever been on a vessel to/from the reef. This was because I was so entertained from the free wine for everyone, and cheese & crackers plus Elvis on his Electric Guitar singing old fashioned favourites but re-writing the words of the songs to include every culture & person onboard in a fun and comedic way. Everyone onboard was laughing just as hard as I was, and by the end, all cultures aboard where doing the Aussie Oi Oi Oi chant!!

What a great way to experience the Great Barrier Reef – it was truly a wonderful day.