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Australia
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Australia Trip September 2002 in Review
Cairns and Mike Ball's Super Sport
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Trip Overview and Flight |
| From September 3rd to the 13th I had the opportunity to
tour Cairns and dive the Great Barrier Reef on a dive familiarization
trip, otherwise known as a FAM trip.
I traveled with Continental Airlines and was VERY impressed. The layovers were short, each
connection departed and arrived on time, food was above average and
everyone had their own personal TV set. The TV menu selection
offered a variety of movies, TV channels and video games. This
certainly helped me pass the time. I even beat the computer at four games
of chess! The Tradewinds Esplanade Hotel in Cairns was a great place
to stay. The rooms were large and very clean. The hotel was
right on the Esplanade and within walking distance to numerous shops,
restaurants, and a casino. Throughout Australia the locals were
friendly, the cities and towns were clean and I felt a sense of comfort
and security in each place that I visited. White water rafting on
the Tully river was exhilarating and a must event to do! I also had
the opportunity to tour the rain forest and Barron Falls via a scenic
train ride and a Sky Rail System. During that trip in the rain forest,
I took an army duck ride through the rain forest, saw an aborigine dance,
and observed the wildlife of Australia. I saw my first kangaroos,
koala bears, crocodiles and numerous other wildlife. We were also
shown how to throw a boomerang and play a didgeridoo instrument.
Mike Ball's dive boat was first class. The diving was excellent,
food overwhelming, and the crew was very professional while working hard
to make our trip both enjoyable and memorable. I saw
numerous sharks, huge cod fish, giant clams, nudibranchs
plus numerous other marine life. You can view the pictures below.
Australia is definitely a dive destination that you should put on your
list of places to travel. This FAM trip gave me a great education on
Australia.
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Tradewinds
Esplanade Hotel
and Touring Cairns
Click on the pictures
for more images of the Cairns.
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| The Tradewinds Esplanade Hotel in Cairns was a great place
to stay. The rooms were large and very clean. The hotel was
right on the Esplanade and within walking distance to numerous shops,
restaurants, and a casino. The rooms are ocean view and are fully
air-conditioned. Each room contains a 1 King or 2 queen beds, TV, mini
bar, telephone, full bathroom with hairdryers. Suites and adjoining
rooms are also available. Freshwater pool, two restaurants, self
service laundry and large meeting rooms are available at the hotel. Tours
can also be booked in the lobby. In the lobby there is Internet
service available for only $2.00 Australian for 20 minutes. |
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Ultimate Kuranda Tour
Click on the pictures
for more images of the tour.
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This is an all day event. I was picked up
at the hotel in the morning by Tropic Wings. They drove us to the
train station where we boarded the train to head up the mountain.
Our tour consisted of:
* Kuranda Scenic Railway tour passing through 15 tunnels, 40 bridges,
Stoney Creek and Barron Falls.
*Famous Kuranda Village with markets and galleries
*Rain forestation Nature Park
*Tropical BBQ Lunch
*Amphibious Army Duck tour of the rainforest
Tropical Fruit Orchard
Pamagirri Aboriginal Dancers - perform in the rainforest amphitheatre
Dreamtime Walk: Boomerang throwing lessons, spear throwing
demonstrations and aboriginal culture.
Koala and Wildlife Park - Hand feed kangaroos and see crocodiles.
Cuddle a koala photo opportunity (photo optional extra)
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway-glide over the rainforest canopy with stops at
Barron Falls and Red Peak. |
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Whitewater Rafting with RNR
Click on the pictures
for more images of the tour.
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This trip was a wonderful experience. The
bus picks you up at your hotel in the morning and you are back around
7pm. The bus ride is about 1.5 hours to their facility. Then a
30 minute ride to the river. Come and ride the rapids in the oldest
rainforest in the world. This trip offers over five hours of rafting
with more than 45 rapids. Also included in this trip is morning tea
and a riverside BBQ lunch. Photos and a video of your trip will be
made available for purchase.
Things to Bring: Wet Suit Boots, Sunscreen, Diveskin or Polartec, and sun protection, water, dry cloths, (wear your bathing suit),
money for purchases, and a bag to pack your return clothes in.
Definitely a must do in Australia! |
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Mike Ball's
Super Sport
Diving the Great Barrier Reef
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| Slide
Show Underwater1 |
Slide
Show Underwater
2 |
| Mike Ball's boats are the
only way to dive Australia. Land based boats take over 2.5 hours to
get to your dive. Mike Ball offers more sites and more dives.
On this trip we flew into Lizard Island and boarded Mike Ball's Super
Sport boat. Our first dive was at Cod Hole where we saw huge Cod and we
watched while they were hand fed. Then we headed towards Cairns and
dove 4 dives per day for 2.5 days. This trip was loaded with marine
life. Some of the awesome highlights were: Woebegone Sharks,
White Tip Sharks, Cuttlefish, Giant Clams, Nudibranchs, Turtles, Clown
Fish and much much more! Mike Ball's crew did an excellent job in
making our trip a memorable experience. Start your diet now, the
food is awesome and plentiful! |
Lava Tubes |
About 190,000 years ago, a major volcano
in the McBride Volcanic Province erupted violently, its molten lava
flowing quickly down a dry river bed. As the tip outer layer cooled
and formed a crust, the fiery flow below drained outwards leaving behind a
series of long, dark, hollow tubes. After a time, ancient roof
collapses creating fertile pockets where rainforest plants, animals and
insects continue to thrive.
Day Tour Package Includes - Mulgrave Valley tour, Lava Tube tour (2
hours), lunch, hotel pickup and return coach transfers from Cairns.
Leave Cairns at 8am, traveling across the scenic Atherton Tablelands and
into the outback Savannah of the northern tropics. Enjoy a buffet
lunch before joining your Savannah guide for a tour of the fascinating
Undara Lava Tubes. Afternoon return journey to Cairns arriving
approximately 7:30pm.
Bus ride is 4 hours each way. |
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Other Tours Available |
Undara - the Outback Experience two day overnight tour
4WD Cape Tribulation and Daintree Safaris
Hot Air Balloon
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The FAM
Trip Group
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