New TOURS AND ATTRACTIONS in Cairns & Great Barrier Reef

Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Tours

Mandingalbay Ancient Indigenous Tours have launched ‘Deadly After Dark’, a two-hour experience operating every Friday night. From Cairns, guests will cruise across Trinity inlet at sunset, learning about the cultural landscape before arriving at the specially built Yulu (stingray) Shelter. Here they’ll be introduced to the incredible story of how the local Indigenous people reclaimed country and regenerated the badly damaged environment, while enjoying canapes and refreshments made from locally sourced native ingredients.

Discover the unique culture of the Torres Strait islands and the Kaurareg Aboriginal Nation on a weekend away with Strait Experience, the Torres Strait’s own travel company. The three-day ‘A Strait Escape’ tour for just 10 people visits Waiben (Thursday Island) and Ngurupai (Horn Island) to see local performance art and discover the history of the region.

Strait Experience have introduced a three-day ‘Wings and Wonders’ tour to Northern Cape York, Horn Island and Thursday Island combining bird watching with cultural experiences. Perfect for avid twitchers, the tour runs from December to January to coincide with the arrival of PNG migratory birds and summer breeding events.

Tusa Reef Tours has relaunched with a new focus on sustainability and exclusivity for divers and snorkellers with just 40 passengers on the day tour. Tusa has partnered with Reforest to support reforestation of the local Mabi forest, which is home to tree kangaroos, and offset carbon emissions.

On 14 June, the Forever Reef Project unveiled the world’s first living coral biobank facility at the Cairns Aquarium. The facility will help educate about the importance of coral and the need to maintain and preserve the biodiversity of coral populations. Visitors can book a 30 minute tour to experience the biobank.

Fitzroy Island Resort is offering guests the unique experience of helping to care for injured turtles and assisting with monitoring the Great Barrier Reef as part of a new citizen science program. The full-day tour is the first opportunity for guests to go behind the scenes at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre to help care for the sea turtles and to assist with the Reef Restoration Foundation’s coral restoration work.

Back Country Bliss

Kuku Yalanji Elder CJ welcomes guests to his country in a remote part of the Daintree rainforest on the new Back Country Bliss Unseen Daintree Heli-Experience for just five guests. The 30-minute helicopter flight over World Heritage rainforest lands at Yindilli Campsite where CJ shares his life story and rainforest knowledge on a guided walk followed by a fresh barramundi lunch. Guests return to the coast for a River Drift Snorkelling Tour floating beneath the rainforest canopy.

Dive into the eco-certified excitement of Fitzroy Island with Sunlover Reef Cruises. Included in their Fitzroy experience is a 45-minute ride in their air-conditioned catamaran to the island where you can rent paddleboard and kayaks or do a snorkel tour. Glass bottom boat tours also offer an opportunity to get up close and personal with the fascinating marine life around the island.

Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel has launched a series of Reef Recovery Days where travellers can participate in assisting marine biologists and cultural guides in making and attaching the MARRS Reef Stars at Hastings Reef. Offered just once a month, the next Reef Recovery Day is 11 July.

Have fun on a natural rock slide at stunning Josephine Falls and see the famous Babinda Boulders on the Waterfall Wanderers Splash & Slide Tour with Cairns Adventure Group. Timed for those who like to sleep in and be back in time for happy hour, this guided tour includes free time for swimming and a tropical picnic lunch.

Only 12 guests can explore the Great Barrier Reef with ABC Snorkel Charters which visits low-use reef sites where numbers are capped to 15 people. The Port Douglas-owned family business has an onboard marine biologist who guides the snorkelling activities and makes sure passengers see extraordinary marine life.

In the Year of Accessible Tourism, Quicksilver Dive in Port Douglas has become the first PADI Adaptive Service Facility in Queensland, and proudly the only facility of its kind on the Great Barrier Reef to hold this accreditation. Opened in 2018, Quicksilver Dive’s state-of-the-art diver training centre is now one of only four facilities in Australia with PADI Adaptive Service Facility accreditation.

Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef have launched innovative technology built on citizen action to scale up conservation outcomes for the Great Reef Census. Any individual can take part in this global effort simply by picking up their phone or tablet and logging on to greatreefcensus.org. By donating just 10 minutes of screen time, you can analyse five reef images taken during the Great Reef Census. This information will help coral scientists and reef managers to understand changes on the reef and better manage risks.

The Daintree Discovery Centre is blending technology with the world’s oldest culture to create a special 3D hologram attraction that will give visitors an immersive experience of Kuku Yalanji country in the comfort of a new theatre. New interpretive cassowary signage has also been added to the upper boardwalk which runs through a natural cassowary corridor.

Try the excitement of catch and release fishing on the Great Barrier Reef with East Coast Angling. Recognised as a Reef Guardian Fisher through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Port Douglas-based sports fishing specialist assists with research and practises sustainable fishing.

Cairns Aquarium

The mysterious and terrifying creatures of the Midnight and Abyss Zone, some 1,000m-6,000m below the surface of the ocean, have been brought to life in a new major visitor journey expansion at the Cairns Aquarium called: “The Abyss: Creature of the Deep”. The curatorial team have created a series of electronic interactive displays and educational signage of key fish and animal species that live in perpetual darkness at crushing water pressures within the Coral Sea.

Work is about to start on a multi-million-dollar overhaul of the Cairns Airport’s international terminal, the first major upgrade since it opened more than 30 years ago. The first stage will include new escalators, elevators, bathrooms, paint, artworks and furnishings. Four glass airbridges will give passengers panoramic views.

For more information go to cairnsgreatbarrierreef.com