Explore Coastal Queensland
CAIRNS was pegged out over the site of a sea-slug fishing camp when gold was found to the north in 1876, though it was the Atherton Tablelands’ tin and timber resources that established the town and kept it ahead of its nearby rival, Port Douglas. The harbour is the focus of the north’s fish and prawn concerns, and tourism began modestly when marlin fishing became popular after World War II. But with the “discovery” of the reef in the 1970s and the appeal of the local climate, tourism snowballed, and high-profile development has now replaced the unspoiled, lazy tropical atmosphere that everyone originally came to Cairns to enjoy.
For many visitors primed by hype, the city falls far short of expectations. However, if you can accept the tourist industry’s shocking intrusiveness and the fact that you’re unlikely to escape the crowds, you’ll find Cairns a convenient base with a great deal on offer, and easy access to the surrounding area – especially the Atherton Tablelands and, naturally, the Great Barrier Reef and islands.
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The inner reef
The inner reef
The dozen or more inner reef sites are much of a muchness. Concentrated day-tripping means that you’ll probably be sharing the experience with several other boatloads of people, with scores of divers in the water at once. On a good day, snorkelling over shallow outcrops is enjoyable; going deeper, the coral shows more damage, but there’s plenty of patchily distributed marine life. Michaelmas Cay, a small, vegetated crescent of sand, is worth a visit: over thirty thousand sooty, common and crested terns roost on the island, while giant clams, sweetlips and reef sharks can be found in the surrounding waters. Nearby Hastings Reef has better coral, resident moray eel and bulky Maori wrasse, as well as plenty of sea stars and snails in the sand beneath. The two are often included in dive- or reef-trip packages, providing shallow, easy and fun diving. Another favourite, Norman Reef, tends to have very clear water, and some sites preserve decent coral gardens with abundant marine life.
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The outer reef
The outer reef
One of the cheaper options for diving the outer reef is to take an overnight trip (sleep on board) to nearby sections such as Moore or Arlington reefs, which take between ninety minutes and two hours to reach – it’s rather generalized terrain, but the advantages over a simple day-excursion are that you get longer in the water plus the opportunity for night dives.
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The Cod Hole and the Ribbons
The Cod Hole and the Ribbons
Longer trips of three days or more venture further from Cairns into two areas: a circuit north to the Cod Hole and Ribbon reefs, or straight out into the Coral Sea. The Cod Hole, near Lizard Island, has no coral but is justifiably famous for the mobs of hulking potato cod that rise from the depths to receive hand-outs; currents here are strong, but having these monsters come close enough to cuddle is awesome. The Ribbons are a 200km string boasting relatively pristine locations and good visibility.
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The Coral Sea
The Coral Sea
The Coral Sea sites are isolated vertically walled reefs some distance out from the main structure, and require a three-day trip or longer. They are surrounded by open water teeming with seasonal bundles of pelagic species including mantas, turtles and seasonal minke whales. The most-visited Coral Sea sites are Osprey and Holmes reefs, but try to get out to Bougainville Reef, home to everything from brightly coloured anthias fish to fast and powerful silvertip sharks.
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Green Island
Green Island
Heart-shaped, tiny and sandy, Green Island is the easiest of any of the Barrier Reef’s coral cays to reach, making it an accessible, if expensive, day-trip from Cairns. This, combined with the island’s size, means that it can be difficult to escape other visitors, but you only need to put on some fins, visit the underwater observatory or go for a cruise in a glass-bottomed boat to see plentiful coral, fish and turtles.
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Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island
Fitzroy Island is a small rugged continental island covered in tropical forest just 35km southeast of Cairns but just 4km off the Yarrabah Peninsula, and sports the upmarket Fitzroy Island Resort. You can visit as a day-tripper, and away from the manicured beach fronting the resort there are some worthwhile walks through highland greenery, notably the two-hour trek to the Lighthouse for excellent views.
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Choosing a dive site
Choosing a dive site
Cairns’ major draw is the Great Barrier Reef, and there are so many cruise or dive options that making a choice can be very daunting. A lot of fuss is made about the differences between the inner reef (closer to the coast, and visited by slower boats), the outer reef (closest to the open sea and the target of most speedy operators) and fringing reef (surrounding Fitzroy and Green islands), but the coral and fishlife at any of them can be either excellent or tragic. The state of Cairns’ coral is the subject of much debate: years of agricultural runoff and recent coral-bleaching events – not to mention the sheer number of visitors – have had a visibly detrimental effect in the most visited areas, though remoter sections tend to be in better condition. Having said that, almost everywhere is still packed with marine life, ranging from tiny gobies to squid, turtles and big pelagic fish – only seasoned divers might come away disappointed.
Vessels to take you there range from old trawlers to racing yachts and high-speed cruisers; cruises and dive trips last from a day to over a week. All day-trip operators have ticket desks at, and depart from, the Reef Fleet Terminal at the end of Spence Street; you can also book through an agent, but either way you need to do so at least a day in advance. One way to choose the right boat is simply to check out the price: small, cramped, slow tubs are the cheapest, while roomy, faster catamarans are more expensive; to narrow things down further, find out which serves the best food.
