Cairns Overnight

[tangogulf]

Looking at a Solstice QLD/Barrier Reef Cruise in Mar 2017 (yes I know a while off but I'm always one to plan ahead!).

 

The itinerary shows an overnight port stop over in Cairns. Last time we were there it was a tender port into Yorkey's Knob. Does anyone know if there are plans to upgrade the Cairns port to be able to take large ships such as Celebrity Solstice? Else would they just run a continuous tender service throughout the stop over?

[rkmw]

Looking at a Solstice QLD/Barrier Reef Cruise in Mar 2017 (yes I know a while off but I'm always one to plan ahead!).

 

The itinerary shows an overnight port stop over in Cairns. Last time we were there it was a tender port into Yorkey's Knob. Does anyone know if there are plans to upgrade the Cairns port to be able to take large ships such as Celebrity Solstice? Else would they just run a continuous tender service throughout the stop over?

 

they would have tender at Yorkeys Knob and get the private shuttle into Cairns but not sure if they run during the night....funny place to overnight

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Just had a look .... an overnight in Cairns and then the next day to Port Douglas. 3 days in the area...should be able to see the lot:D

[TLCOhio]

Just had a look .... an overnight in Cairns and then the next day to Port Douglas. 3 days in the area...should be able to see the lot

 

Yes, lots to see and enjoy in and around Cairns, Port Douglas. Below are a few of my visual samples for some of the main potentials there. More on the live/blog, including many pictures, for what we saw and enjoyed.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 119,129 views for this posting.

 

 

The Kuranda rail trip took us back a different routing, plus lots of interesting scenery, dramatic waterfalls, major engineering work, many train tunnels, big bridges, etc. The rail line dates back to 1891. For our group of six, we did the upgrade to the "gold" rail seating with plenty of wine, nice food/snacks, etc., in a wonderful, old-style rail car with great service and attention by the staff The great company and nice sights (plus the flowing wine), made it very much fun on a day with on and off patches of rain.:

 

 

 

From the Daintree Rainforest and National Park near Cairns, Australia, here are two samples of our exploring there. We did a somewhat challenging 1.43 miles circular hike in the deep, deep of this dramatic rainforest. Lots of rocks, up and down paths, twists and turns, hard work, etc., as this picture illustrates. But we survived!! Even at our ages. Our group crossed the Mossman Gorge on a fairly long swinging bridge. Not Indiana Jones, but for us it was super spectacular. Here is one of my favorite pictures as it show John in our group looking at one of these huge trees in the middle of this rainforest and contemplating its majesty, size and history. And I told John, the picture shows his more photogenic side!:

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture gives a little sampling for Port Douglas. Here and in many of these towns that get lots of rain, they have covered walkways in the towns to protect people from the rain and/or sun. Got to shop?? Plenty of opportunities here!! Plus, good places to eat.:

 

 

 

For the Great Barrier Reef, we chartered a plane and flew out from Cairns to Lizard Island, one of the most isolated locations in Australia. Chief Pilot Greg has done about 2200 trips to this location and really knows it well. Here we are on the beach getting his briefing for snorkeling in these reef areas right off of this location/beach. Yes, we saw real lizards here when we walked from the landing strip to our beach location. Captain Cook named this island because when he landed, he saw so many lizards!! Had a wonderful lunch on the beach. On the way to Lizard Island, we flew our over the edge of the reef to better understand this amazing 1500-mile long natural wonder, how it works, etc.:

 

 

 

For our snorkeling, I got to try out my new Nikon AW110 underwater camera. Shot about 260 underwater pictures. Here is one quick sample below. More visuals and details on the full live/blog.:

 

[jn2003]

Cairns does have a terminal and it seems that the international ships use it with the majority of local ones tendering from Yorkeys Knob. Not sure why, probably the fees or maybe the size of the ship restricts it use. Further info at

http://www.portsnorth.com.au/our-ports/cruise-arr-dep.php

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Yes . Cairns has a very nice terminal at Trinity Wharf. Its use is limited by the size of ships that can transit the long dredged channel into the port and the amount of room they need to turn around in the river mouth.

 

The bigger ships have to use Yorkeys and tender