19 October 2020
Reef expeditions and hotels are among the newly launched Cairns & Great Barrier Reef products ready to entice Australians north for a tropical summer.
Flynn, the social butterfly of the Crystalbrook Collection’s portfolio of hotels, will welcome its first guests on November 10. The Cairns Esplanade hotel will tempt travellers wanting great views of the Coral Sea from their balcony, glass-bottom hotel pools, a 24-hour gym or the ultimate tropical escape in the top three floor suites of the Esplanade tower with large balconies to laze the day away. Flynn’s Boardwalk Social offers market-style gourmet food and live music.
crystalbrookcollection.com/flynn
With no more than 72 passengers, Coral Expeditions has launched a series of new seven-night sailings onboard the Coral Discoverer from Cairns. The nature-based expeditions will take small groups to explore the pristine outer reefs and lesser-known islands of the Great Barrier Reef under the guidance of an expert team including a Master Reef Guide.
Enjoy the best views of the Cairns Lagoon from Oak & Vine, the rooftop bar of the newly opened Oaks Cairns Hotel in the heart of the city’s Esplanade. The cocktail bar serves Nikkei cuisine, a unique blend of Peruvian ingredients crafted with Japanese techniques and showcasing local produce in dishes like snapper ceviche and baby pork spiced ribs.
Children aged eight and over can learn to dive with Seal Team, a five-week PADI scuba diving course run by Divers Den. The Seal Team organises an Aquamission once a week at the renovated training centre in Cairns city. The program follows on from the popular Scuba Kids program launched in June.
Interactive signage including 3D effects and spinning totems bring to life the story of the world’s oldest rainforest at the Daintree Discovery Centre. The Centre’s Canopy Tower has undergone a makeover to add to the experience of walking through all levels of the rainforest on the Aerial Walkway and Canopy Tower.
Bilingual signs featuring Kuku Yalanji language are being installed in the Douglas Shire to highlight the region’s rich Indigenous culture. Visitors will learn the local name for iconic places like Cape Tribulation, which is known as Kulki, through the Indigenous Language Signage Program, a partnership between Douglas Shire Council and Jabalbina Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation in Australia’s only Eco Certified Destination.
Daintree Ecolodge has ‘elevated’ their rainforest tree houses to a new level of luxury with a makeover of the bayans. The Lagoon Bayans have a private screened balcony looking out on to the rainforest and the Rainforest Bayans have a private outdoor bathtub where the sights and sounds of the world’s oldest rainforest can be enjoyed.
Information provided by Tourism North Queensland