First Trip to Australia??? Any Suggestions .

[av8er23]

My wife and me are planning our first trip to Australia. I am in the process of doing lots of research. We are currently planning on about a 14-day trip and plan to visit: Sydney, Brisbane, & Cairns. Of course we will be diving since I am posting on scubaboard for info. . I understand that the Great Barrier Reef stretches north-south off the Northeast tip of Australia. It looks like Cairns would be the most ideal location to take a dive charter out of. I have read that some of the reefs are pretty far out and many operators offer overnight trips. That looks like it would be the most fun. Please share your knowledge and experiences.

A couple questions???

Can anyone recommend a reasonably priced quality boat operator?
What will the water temp be in late Jan-Feb?
What kind of conditions could we expect? Visibility, currents, ect.
Are the rainforests worth a look?
Should we take a day to go to the outback?

Please share ANY experiences that you have had traveling to Australia. Thanks!

 

[Aussie scuba chick]

Re Cairns: there are sooooo many dive operators that the prices are generally about the same. I dived a few times with Cairns Dive Centre, and they were always pretty good to deal with. Funny fellas! Water temp in Cairns is literally bath-water temp throughout summer - no wetsuit needed! (You might need a stinger suit though). The dive operators in Cairns generally go to the inner reef where it's very calm with lots of easy dives. Visibility was always good for me whenever I dove (ie: 15-20 metres +), but I guess it's also dependent on the weather. Rainforests (especially the Daintree) are definitely worth a look. Outback is gorgeous but literally, it's outback. You should do some research as to what you want to see (ie: desert, cattle station, remote rural town). It also may take a good part of a day just to get to where you want to go to, so you may need more than one day.

Re: Brisbane: Most dive spots are either north, east or south of Brisbane, which means driving times range from forty-five minutes to two hours. Here's some of my faves. There's the HMAS Brisbane at Mooloolaba, which is around 1.5 hours north of Brisbane. It's a good dive and the last time I went I had great vis (25 +). There are two dive shops in Mooloolaba, but as I take out my own boat I can't recommend any. There's a few spots around Stradbroke and Moreton Islands, but only one dive shop on Stradbroke. Plenty of dive shops in Brisbane, though, so might be worth your while checking out them first. South of Brisbane is the Gold Coast with plenty of little islands and reefs to check out, and then there's Julian Rocks at Byron Bay which is well worth looking into. Byron seems to have plenty of dive shops, and so I'd assume that their prices are all around the same.

You will need a wetsuit for Brisbane dives. I have a 3mm shortie that does me fine over the summer months. Current is dependent on where you go (ie: one side of Stradbroke island is sheltered, and the other is facing the open ocean). Visibility tends to follow the same rule as well as the weather dynamics.

Hope this is somewhat helpful!

 

[Damselfish]

I'd suggest at least a 3-4 night trip, rather than a one night. Besides getting you out to better diving, this opens you to some boats that don't take as many people as the day boats or overnight trips.

I think the rainforest and outback are worthwhile, though I tended to find the trips there to be at least as interesting as the destination. You might think about staying someplace there rather than say Brisbane or Cairns and doing day trips.

 

[Louwphotography]

We dove with Mike Ball on a 3/4-day trip out of Cairns and we're now big fans of their operation. Great service, good equipment, pleasant staff, good food, etc etc. Definitely have a look at them. Water temperatures can be found on their site here. Visibility depends on weather. We got there after some unusual storm activity so it was only OK.

We did the Daintree for a day and enjoyed it. We chose to skip the outback this time around just because we didn't want to spend the time flying in and out for a day or two.

Hope this helps!

 

[av8er23]

Thanks for all the good info guys. I am assuming that most of the prices on these au websites are in Australian dollars? Mike Ball look great but is a little out of our price range. Cairns dive centers 2-3 day trips are more along our lines. We have never stayed in a hostel before do you guys have any experiences to share?

louw, you have some incredible photos. Are you a professional photographer?

 

[av8er23]

I know that this should never be asked on the scubaboard. But I am reading that lost of the great barrier reef is in shallow water (10-15 feet). If so I am thinking that snorkeling would be a cheap alternative for one day. Of course we will still be diving for a couple.

 

[Louwphotography]

louw, you have some incredible photos. Are you a professional photographer?

Thanks for the very nice compliment! We're not pros - it's probably too much work! Photography is just an obsessive hobby of ours. We try to do whatever it takes to get a nice shot whenever we're on vacation -- whether it means eating meals around the best light, hauling around extra gear, etc. But the pictures are mostly for us and the site is just a means to share them with our friends and family. In fact, the Mrs. and I just finished uploading our pics from a recent trip to French Polynesia.

I've got another thread going on in a different forum if you're interested. But thanks again! We're very flattered!

-Andrew

 

[Aussie scuba chick]

Mate, stay AWAY from the hostels in Cairns. They're party places, which is fine if you don't have to get up at 5-6 am for a dive. I'm yet to have a positive experience there! My advice (which my group and I followed after a baaad night at a hostel) is to go to wotif.com.au and find some cheap accommodation there.

Re: the snorkelling - the liveaboards that I've been to are anchored near quite shallow sites, so in between dives you can jump in the water and go for a snorkel. Bear in mind that a day trip out to the reef can take 1.5 to 2 hours there and back. Due to this, I strongly recommend a live-aboard over a day trip.

 

[potato cod]

Yeah, like Aussie Scuba Chick said, definitely avoid the hostels (unless you are about 18-20 and want to party all night long ).

My husband and I stayed at Coral Tree Inn, which was quiet (no partying backpackers), clean, and a lot more charming than the other place we stayed in Cairns: Cairns City Accommodation - Coral Tree Inn, Cairns, Australia. It's near the Esplanade and just north of the main downtown area and shops. The rooms can be had for under $100/night, but that may depend on the season. They have laundry facilities also.

 

[potato cod]

Oops, the link didn't work. Here it is: Cairns City Accommodation - Coral Tree Inn, Cairns, Australia