Aboriginal & Rainforest Heritage
Travel in Down Under by Appointment’s private luxury vehicle north from Cairns on the magnificent coastal road to majestic Cooya Beach. Join the Kuku Yalanji people, the traditional owners of the land, for an interactive cultural experience, then head to Daintree Eco Lodge and Spa for lunch. Next stop is Cooper Creek Wilderness, an oasis of magnificent fan palm dominated forests beside the spectacular blue waters of Cooper Creek in the heart of the Daintree rainforest. The final stop is Cape Tribulation Beach where two World Heritage-listed regions, the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree rainforest converge.
www.downundertours.com
Tee off on a World-Class Course
Paradise Palms Resort and Country Club is a worldclass destination and home to one of Australia’s top championship golf courses. Designed by Graham Marsh and Ross Watson, Paradise Palms offers a combination of sweeping fairways, snaking creeks, six lakes, narrow undulating greens and 94 bunkers. Surrounded by World Heritage-listed rainforest with views of the Coral Sea, Paradise Palms is the perfect place to relax and unwind after a conference. Finish off with a refreshing drink on the large timber decks of Bar 59 with views of the ocean, mountains and perfectly manicured gardens.
www.paradisepalms.com.au/
Army Duck Tour
Rainforestation Nature Park’s Army Duck Tropical Rainforest Tours guide guests past ferns, orchids, strangler figs, stinging trees, birds such as the Azure Kingfisher and a host of other animals and reptiles. The Duck then splashes into the lake, cruising to the water’s edge where rainforest wildlife can be closely observed. Turtles, fish and eels swim up close, while water dragons and pythons slither up trees. The 45-minute multilingual tour includes a walk through the Tropical Fruit Orchard. Touch and taste exotic fruits including jackfruit, pawpaw, lychees, mango, cocoa, carambola, star apple and pineapple as well as regional produce such as coffee, tea and sugar cane.
www.rainforest.com.au
Mission Beach Ultimate Adventure
Once the work has been done, why not have a little adventure. And there is no better adventure than the new Mission Beach Ultimate Adventure Package staying at Castaways Resort & Spa. Wake up in a sea view resort room with an uninterrupted view of the Coral Sea and Dunk Island for a tropical buffet breakfast followed by an action packed day full of white water rafting with RnR Rafting on the Tully River. Come back to Castaways to dine at Club Bar & Brasserie. The next day enjoy superb Great Barrier Reef diving and snorkelling with Calypso Adventures. On the third day Sky Dive Mission Beach will pick you up at the hotel and literally drop you back from 14,000ft onto the white sands of Mission Beach just 20 metres from your room.
www.castaways.com.au
Skyrail & Kuranda Scenic Railway
On Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, you will glide just metres above the canopy of Australia’s World Heritage-listed tropical rainforests, before alighting at two mid-stations to explore and learn more about this ancient environment on boardwalks and at the Rainforest Interpretation Centre. After spending time in Kuranda, the village in the rainforest, return to Cairns on Kuranda Scenic Railway. Travel over bridges, through hand-made tunnels and past steep ravines and picturesque waterfalls within the Barron Gorge National Park. Upgrade to Gold Class for a more luxurious and personalised service including refreshments and appetisers. This tour also operates in reverse.
www.skyrail.com.au
Great Barrier Reef Underwater World Adventure
With a range of exciting day tours, Great Adventures cruises from Cairns to the natural wonder of the Great Barrier Reef. Modern highspeed catamarans depart daily whisking guests away in comfort to a spacious activity platform. Discover the Reef from the spacious semisubmersible and snorkel among beautiful coral gardens and marine life on the spectacular outer reaches of the Great Barrier Reef.
www.greatadventures.com.au
High Tea
Enjoy a ritual dedicated to the ceremony of afternoon tea in elegance and grandeur at The Sebel Cairns with its perfectly stylish Lobby High Tea. Complete with threetiered silver stands, The Sebel Cairns has charmingly enhanced the classic offerings of plain warm scones with fruit conserve and lashings of fresh cream, chocolate chip cookies and irish tea cake all to accompany your choice of the perfect pot of steaming hot tea or barista coffee, plus a range of other appetising contemporary delicacies.
www.mirvachotels.com/sebel-cairns
Plant a Rainforest
Join a major revegetation project at the Rainforest Restoration Area in Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures rare Type 7a rainforest. There are only 356 hectares of this unusual rainforest type known to exist in the world. The area under restoration had been degraded by land clearing, grazing and bush fires. Through the efforts of staff, weeds have been removed and access pathways prepared for the planting project. The tree planting can be incorporated into a full customised program of activities which may also include a meal package.
www.crocodileadventures.com.au
Cocktail Classes
Ever wondered what it takes to master the art of cocktail making? Mix it with the best and join the Hilton Cairns’ head bartender in a class to learn the perfect look and taste of the classics, as well as making your own signature drink. Your class at the 6 Degrees Bar and Lounge includes a welcome drink, a history lesson on the taste of your favourite cocktails, four drinks, canapés and a booklet to take home to help recreate your masterpiece.
http://www.hilton.com/
Cooking Demonstration
Learn how to prepare bush tucker with Ochre Restaurant which conducts cooking demonstrations both in-house and at a variety of outside locations. Sample the likes of lilly pilli and bush tomato before learning how to whip up sugar cane prawn sticks or salt and pepperleaf crocodile. At the end of the demonstration enjoy the tantalising bush tucker for lunch with some matching wine.
www.ochrerestaurant.com.au
Guided Birdwatching & Nature Walks
Experienced guides showcase native flora as you enjoy a stroll and take in the beauty of Thala Beach Lodge. Each of the plant species at Thala Beach Lodge were selected to encourage a wide variety of butterflies and bird life. From an osprey soaring overhead, to turtles swimming in the coves around the headland, watch nature unfold at Thala on the beach.
www.thalabeach.com.au
Experience Indigenous culture
Immerse yourself in an ancient culture and go walkabout with the traditional owners of two indigenous clans on the Bama Bulurru tour. This unique and personal experience is with two Bama – Tjapukai, the Bama people of the rainforest and Kuku Yalanji from the Kubirri Warra clan. Experience two tropical Australian indigenous cultures including their customs, ceremony, bush foods, medicines and hunting in the traditional way.
www.tjapukai.com.au