Transformational Experiences
Match your nature with the nature of Cairns & Great Barrier Reef where transformational experiences take incentive groups deeper into the Great Barrier Reef and the world’s oldest rainforest with World Heritage values closely connected to the destination’s First Nations people. The Cairns & Great Barrier Reef promise to Connect Great and Leave Greater ensure business events have a far-reaching impact on delegates.
Find out more on how Cairns & Great Barrier Reef experiences transform incentive groups here
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Reef Connect with Reef Unlimited
Conservation, culture and citizen science are combined on the Reef Unlimited Reef Connect program to give delegates a deeper understanding of the Great Barrier Reef and its World Heritage values.
Marine biologists and cultural guides provide a personalised experience showcasing innovative site stewardship for private charters and non-exclusive groups between 10 and 250 on a day trip to the Great Barrier Reef which can be tailored to your event.
Whether it’s attaching coral to reef-stabilising structures called MARRS Stars, helping to monitor marine life or talking to cultural guides about their connection with to sea country, delegates will be immersed in meaningful activities that deliver an appreciation of the biodiversity of this extraordinary marine environment.
Marine biologist guided snorkelling tours reveal the many symbiotic relationships between marine creatures and ensure delegates know which species they encounter. Afterwards they can join the marine biologist in a laboratory on the Great Barrier Reef to ask more questions and see the work being undertaken by GBR Biology to monitor and care for the Reef.
If delegates prefer land-based activities, they can travel to Green and Fitzroy Islands instead of the Reef Magic pontoon and do a cultural island walk. The First Nations cultural guides also take delegates on a glass-bottom boat tour and do interactive cultural presentations.
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Frankland Islands with the Entrada Travel Group
A short journey through the cane fields south of Cairns city takes delegates to the pristine Frankland Islands on the Great Barrier Reef where they can snorkel and explore rock pools that reveal marine life at low tide.
Secluded Normanby Island in the Frankland Group National Park can be accessed on an exclusive charter for 46 delegates or two groups totalling 92 guests, where they can enjoy a private island experience. The unspoilt beauty of the island is revealed after a boat ride through a mangrove river system where crocodiles are often spotted on the banks.
Explore the fringing reef of the island on a guided snorkelling tour with a Master Reef Guide and on a semi-submersible cruise before a tropical buffet lunch. Your island experience can be tailor made, where your delegates can compete in a fun island treasure hunt, or a team building activity such as an amazing race.
Join the Master Reef Guide exploring the island and its rock pools to discover small stingrays, clownfish and anemones left behind by the tide and learn why it is so important to protect the marine environment. Sift through the sand to find sand stars, a tiny single-celled organism that is only found on Normanby Island and in Japan’s Okinawa.
Spend some free time snorkelling, kayaking or stand-up paddle boarding before boarding the boat. Return to the city for a dinner cruise with Spirit of Cairns on Trinity Inlet to talk about your reef encounters as you cruise past the city lights.
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Waterfall, Wetlands and Scenic Rail with Down Under Tours
Experience lush biodiversity, rich Aboriginal culture and stunning Tropical North Queensland landscapes on a tour from wetlands to rainforest and beyond. Down Under Tours connects delegates with the region’s environmental and cultural stories on the Waterfall, Wetlands and Scenic Rail tour.
Join a guided walk through a remnant feather palm forest and past Jabiru Lake, learning how community efforts transformed this former farm into valuable wetlands supporting prolific birdlife.
At Barron Falls a Djabugay Aboriginal Guide gives an authentic welcome with a Calling to Country ceremony and shares Dreamtime stories of the mighty waterfall known in language as Din Din.
The ancient rainforest is left behind for the food bowl of the Atherton Tablelands and lunch on the family-owned Skybury Coffee Plantation, where papaya and coffee are grown. Mobs of wild kangaroos can be seen before a stop at Emerald Creek ice Creamery to sample locally made tropical ice cream.
The day ends with an unforgettable journey on the historic hand-built Kuranda Scenic Railway, giving another perspective of the Barron Falls as it carves its way through the Barron Gorge National Park.
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Saltwater State of Mind with Sunlover Reef Cruises
Soak up the benefits of saltwater and sunshine on the Great Barrier Reef with Sunlover Reef Cruises. Delegates can unplug and connect with Saltwater State of Mind, a day immersed in nature.
Snorkel with a marine biologist and learn about the delicate balance of life on the Great Barrier Reef and the resilience of the world’s largest living organism. Go deeper on an introductory dive or helmet dive and see the Reef from a different perspective with a semi-submersible tour or on a scenic helicopter tour.
Responsibility meets wellbeing with citizen science programs allowing delegates to participate in monitoring surveys for reef conservation initiatives that supply data to help the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to monitor and protect the Reef.
The kinship of team building on the Great Barrier Reef is unmatched by any boardroom as it enables connections with colleagues that will transform future interactions. Barriers dissolve as delegates snorkel, slide and share a once-in-a-lifetime moment together.
Saltwater State of Mind shows that people make a difference and being immersed in nature makes a difference to people, sparking fresh thinking and innovative ideas that will transform work and personal practices.
To Learn More, Contact Amy Davis at [email protected]
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Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Celebrating 30 years of operation, Skyrail Rainforest Cableway was the first ecotourism experience to be developed in Cairns and continues to innovate as it takes delegates on an immersive journey connecting them with the Wet Tropics World Heritage rainforest. An $85 million upgrade is improving the accessibility of Skyrail with new infrastructure including see-through gondolas to provide a quieter, enhanced experience for guests.
Delegates can forge meaningful connections on multiple levels on this multi-sensory experience taking in the visual spectacle of one of the oldest rainforests in the world from intimate gondolas as they glide above the canopy.
The stories of the traditional custodians of the land can be heard with the Skyrail Audio Guide App before descending to the forest floor. Join a Skyrail Ranger to gain a deeper understanding of the complex ecosystem of the Wet Tropics rainforest and foster a sense of environmental stewardship on a walk taking in ancient towering trees.
The experience can be tailored to groups with additions including a fully guided Interpretive Ranger option and Skyrail’s Sustainability Seminar. The seminar gives delegates an insight into sustainable tourism practices to inspire them to become agents of change within their own organisation and in their personal lives.
This world-class eco-experience connects delegates with nature, colleagues and themselves, leaving a last legacy that will transform them on both a professional and personal level.
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Sustainability and Pampering with the Crystalbrook Collection
Delegates can continue their inner journey when they return to their hotel to unwind with yoga by the pool overlooking the ocean or with the corporate spa offering from the Crystalbrook Collection available for groups or individuals.
Make relaxation and tranquillity a part of an event with a curated spa experience at Crystalbrook Riley or Crystalbrook Flynn and pamper delegates with curated Eleme gift bags in their rooms featuring luxurious bath oils, Sodashi skincare, Mayde Tea and We Are Feel Good Inc suncare products.
Crystalbrook’s dining offerings across several bars and restaurants continue the transformational experience with menus noting Climate Calories to show if your meal’s ingredients are locally sourced, sustainably grown or caught, and culturally considered.
Dine at Crystalbrook Riley’s rooftop bar Rocco, overlooking the city and the Coral Sea, Crystalbrook Flynn’s Boardwalk Social on the bustling Cairns Esplanade or Crystalbrook Bailey’s CC’s Bar and Grill featuring the best of Australian produce.
Your stay comes with a lighter footprint through the Crystalbrook responsible luxury philosophy that includes 100% waste-free bathrooms, guilt-free caffeine hits, recycled coat hangers and keycards as well as paperless technology with the in-room iPad.