Northern Queensland

DESTINATIONS / Australia
3 January 2020

Whether you’re out game fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, learning to spearfish with Aboriginal guides, or spotting crocodiles on a riverboat tour of the Daintree Rainforest, Northern Queensland is a place you’ll never forget.

Written by Tourism Australia

WHEN IT COME TO NATURE’S SPLENDOUR, North Queensland is a shameful show-off.

With the world’s largest barrier reef sheltering the coast and the world’s oldest living rainforest creating a lush primeval landscape, it is no wonder David Attenborough calls Far North Queensland his favourite place on earth.

It may well become yours too as you get to know the locals, the indigenous culture, the hidden and the spectacular, as well as the luxurious.

To plan your guest itinerary for maximum impact, here are seven signature North Queensland experiences.

Indigenous experiences, Queensland.

Challenger Bay Drift at Ribbon Reefs, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

Port Douglas.

Great Barrier Reef.

Cairns, Far North Queensland.

Walk an ancient Aboriginal path

Few experiences offer insight into tropical Queensland’s local Indigenous customs like the private half-day Ngadiku Dreamtime walking tour. Departing Mossman Gorge Centre on the southern verge of World Heritage-listed Daintree National Park near Port Douglas, the walk meanders through a section of the world’s oldest rainforest, accessible exclusively to members of the walk.

Led by an Aboriginal guide, the tour offers insight into the connections between the land and its traditional owners, the Kuku Yalanji people, detailing native flora and fauna, discussing culturally significant sites, and concluding with a meal of bush tea and damper.

mossmangorge.com.au

Embrace the spirit of Kuku Yalanji country

Spear-throwing, crocodile-spotting and crabbing are among the family-friendly experiences offered through Walkabout Cultural Adventures, an Aboriginal-owned tour operator in Kuku Yalanji country in the Daintree Rainforest. Private, personalised charters visit Cooya Beach, Cape Tribulation and Mossman, with guided walks to secret waterfalls and through the immense wilderness, learning about native plants that Indigenous communities have used as natural medicines for millennia.

walkaboutadventures.com.au

Savour sky-high views of northern Queensland

Helicopter tours departing Port Douglas and Cairns afford lofty views of spectacular karst scenery over the Chillagoe-Mungana Caves National Park before landing on the private airstrip at Crystalbrook Lodge, an intimate luxury retreat. This tour is a thrilling way to gain appreciation for the vastness of the area: Crystalbrook is set on a 34,400-hectare working cattle station, where more than 60 bird species come to roost. End the day with champagne as the sun sets over the valley, a chorus of kookaburras providing the perfect Australian soundtrack.

crystalbrooklodge.com.au

Soak in healing waters

With a stunning riverside setting on the edge of Daintree National Park, Silky Oaks Lodge is the perfect base from which to learn about the oldest rainforest on the planet. Private guided tours range from Indigenous interpretive walks along Cooya Beach to drift snorkelling in the Mossman River and crocodile spotting around Cape Tribulation. The eco-retreat’s Healing Waters Spa utilises the famed healing properties of the rainforest river water, as well as bespoke Vichy therapies and organic treatments using native clays, flowers and herbal extracts.

silkyoakslodge.com.au

Snorkel the reef

Minutes after mooring at Lizard Island in the Great Barrier Reef, guests of the six-star Lizard Island Resort can be mask-to-fin with tropical fish, accompanied on snorkelling trips by a resident marine biologist. Further afield, private dive charters reveal the 1,500 species of marine animals that live in the outer reef, while full-day excursions visit Cod Hole, one of the best dive sites in the world. Lizard Island Resort also offers scenic flights over the Marine Park.

lizardisland.com.au

Fly and fish

Anglers with a taste for adventure will love the tailored expeditions offered by Far North Sports Fishing in partnership with GBR Helicopters. Chopper transfers from Cairns or Port Douglas provide dramatic reef views before reaching Agincourt Pontoon in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef, where the boat Black Magic awaits.

Various game fish are available for chasing year-round, but during Heavy Tackle Season (September–December) this part of Far North Queensland sees an incredible number of black marlin, and private trips offer an unparalleled opportunity to get a bite.

farnorthsportsfishing.com

Spot one-of-a-kind wildlife

Specialised, interpretative private tours with FNQ Nature Tours through Mossman Gorge and the Daintree Rainforest offer a front-row seat to the complex ecosystems in this World Heritage area. Each private excursion showcases areas of interest such as local Indigenous culture, native fauna (including crocodiles, tree kangaroos, platypuses and cassowaries), and one-of-a-kind wilderness experiences ranging from visits to a bat hospital, birdwatching expeditions, river drift snorkelling and nature photography workshops.

fnqnaturetours.com.au