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We did the Great Adventures Cruises outer reef tour in Cairns. The 1st stop was the Green Island where you had about 2 hrs to explore. Not enough time really since there were a lot of people about. Don’t forget to bring insect repellant because there are a lot of biting insects around. Snorkelling from the beach area was ok, although we’ve seen better.

After that it’s off to the outer reef (Norman Reef) and their pontoon. As others have noted, it is acceptable for the number of tourists on the boat. The alleged underwater viewing area was a disappointment – I have seen better in the aquariums in Sydney or Perth . They have not bothered to clean the glass so it was very difficult to see anything through it. My wife said the same thing about their glass bottom boat tour which I didn’t get to do because we just simply ran out of time.

If there’s something that you definately should do, it’s the Scuba-doo, especially if you’re not the best swimmer. It’s a great way to enjoy the reef. We actually saw a turtle and one of the guides handed us a star fish which my son loved. It’s not too cheap but I think it’s worth it.

After the scuba-doo, I went for a scuba dive. It may be because it was the wet season but the visibility wasn’t as good as I’d hoped . Maybe it’s better when you do a specialist dive trip but with this sort of tour, you don’t get too dive any other sites. Corals were more of the gray and brown shades. Fish, while there were lots, were nothing out of the ordinary. Then to top if off, my diveguide just kept swimming around and around, not even going out of his way to show me anything special.

By the time the dive was finished, I had just about enough time to eat and change (if my wife had not set aside lunch for me, there was none left) – therefore, I missed the semi-sub ride. If it wasn’t for the scuba-doo, this would have been a very forgettable tour.

I would do a smaller cruise next time. There are lots of other options in Cairns

A 3 year old toddler was lucky to survive a fall from a busy tourist train yesterday near Cairns, Australia. Shocked tourists say the girls father leaped from the moving train to rescue his daughter late yesterday.

It is beleived the girl fell from the window of the Kuranda Scenic Train about 2 km from Kuranda Station about 3.35pm yesterday afternoon. Emergency Services were called to the scene and the girl was taken to Cairns Base Hospital with minor lacerations and a fractured collarbone.

The fall was witnessed by a number of shocked tourists. Witnesses said the girls father appeared very shaken by the incident, however he refused to comment. Witnesses say the girl was in surprisingly high spirits immediately after the incident.

Queensland Rail declined to guess on how the incident may have occured, however a full safety investigation will be launched. All the usual warnings regarding safety and not to put any part of ones body outside the train were made as usual.

The train returned to Kuranda Station before departing at 4.15pm and finally ending it’s journey 1 hour late at Freshwater Station. The railway operates 2 services daily between Cairns and Kuranda. The Kuranda Scenic Rail service has only been running for 8 weeks after a derailment in March, caused by a landslide dumping tonnes of debris over the tracks injured 6 people.

I get asked this regularly here at my online travel agency and the answer is very easy. We specialise in booking all tours, reef cruises and accommodation in Cairns, however as a diver myself, I always look after Great barrier Reef Scuba Diving and Cairns dive courses bookings. I tend to leave the annoying motel accommodation and rainforest bookings to the girls.

If you have time and money do the five day dive course. You are only going to do this once, so why scrimp.

It’s sort of like doing a course and dive trip combined.

With a 4 day course you’ll do 4 dives, which is the very minimum requirement to pass your dive certificate. They will all be “education dives”.

A 5 day course will almost always give you 9 dives. Now the first 4 are training dives but for the next 5 dives you are a certified diver. One of these usually is also a nighttime dive. Another advantage is that the dives will be with the other people from your class who have the same skill levels as you.

So the first dive cruise you do after completing your course you will have already experienced 5 certified scubadives and be that little bit more skilled and confident.

Also the price per dive is lower.

You can even choose to extend your scuba course into a 6 day dive course and get an advanced scuba divers qualification, but thats next article.

So I hope I’ve assisted all you budding Scuba Divers out in cyberland.

After 6 months of working and saving I finally travelled the East Coast to Cairns. After Byron Bay Cairns has to be one of the best places to have fun in this country. It was that good I actually went there three times in the space of my holiday.The Great Barrier Reef from Cairns was just a feather in it’s cap.

Cairns is where I did my SSI Advanced Open water dive course. I went with Deep Sea Divers Den for a 4 day liveaboard dive course which was absolutely fantastic. I originally looked at diving with a company called Reef Dive but they seemed very up themselves and I had heard lots of good things about their dive courses. Also after a buit more digging I found out they definately had one of the best boats.

Their dive vessel has been fully refit and has all the mod cons installed. It has very nice air conditioned cabins which cater for 2-4 people, has a huge saloon, communal lounge and even its own bar. Of course it also has a spa on the fore deck to sit in and have a beer. The catering was fantastic and created in a rather well built galley, one of the best things they served was BBQ Coral Trout. Hmm hmm.

The dive vessel is permanently based at the Great Barrier Reef which would shift every day to different sections of the reef, which would either be done over night if a long way or early in the morning if a short distance. This was excellent as you get to experience a selection of reefs and have a truly unique dive course. These guys had a fast transfer boat which takes you there and back which also allows you to spend as many days and nights aboard as you want.

I truly couldn’t recommend anyone else to teach me to learn to Dive in Cairns but if you decide to look elsewhere please be very careful when selecting a scuba school in Cairns as many dive schools use hotel pools for your theory part of the course.

Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

The reef is the biggest living thing  on the planet, made of more than 2,800 individual reefs, and almost 1000 islands and cays that stretch over 344,000 square kilometres. The Great Barrier Reef, situated just 20 miles from Cairns, is home to hundreds of species of sealife and was granted World Heritage status, in 1981, to preserve its heritage for future generations. 
Expert Travel Tip:
if you are looking for a romantic getaway then think about doing a low scenic seaplane flight over the reef, as the views are stunning and you can often see turtles and large fish in the crystal clear waters from the air. Plus, you can be delivered to a deserted sand cay for the afternoon with just an esky, a picnic lunch, and a sun shade, as well as snorkelling gear, and then collected at the end of the day. This is my first choice when asked by customers for the best place for a marriage proposal.

Cape Tribulation Beach and the Daintree Rainforest National Park:

Cape Tribulation is located approximately 100 kilometres drive from Cairns and is within the Daintree National Park, which is World Heritage listed.
Expert Travel Tip: 
Cape Tribulation has luxurious spa resorts, so stay overnight in luxury. Cape Tribulation is in the middle of the Daintree National Park, when you can enjoy wildlife cruises on the Daintree River, to spot Crocodiles in the wild, and walk on boardwalks amongst virgin rainforest as well as along
miles of deserted| golden sand beaches. They say Cape Tribulation is “where the rainforest meets the reef”. As the only place anywhere where two World Heritage areas meet one another – it is a magical location! It is very assessable for those who are not mobile, and makes for a great family destination.

Skyrail Rainforest Cableway:

Constructed in 1995, the Skyrail spans almost 8 kilometres over the Barron Gorge National Park, and is acclaimed as being a one of a kind activity, even for those travellers who are afraid of heights. 
Expert Travel Tip:
When going on the Kuranda Train and the Skyrail Cableway I also advise going to the Tjapukai Indigenous theme Park, because here you will learn how to throw a woomera , play the music sticks and enjoy traditional dancing, which is lots of fun for all the family, in additional to learning about Indigenous culture. Also make time to visit bird world.

Lizard Island:

Located approximately 250 kilometres north of Cairns, Lizard Island is one of the many islands within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
Expert Travel Tip: I strongly recommend Mike Ball Dive Expedition’s 3 night fly / dive expedition which starts with a stunning 250km low level flight along the barrier reef, landing at Lizard Island to meet up with the dive vessel that will be your home for the next 3 days. I had done lots of scuba trips before I went on this trip, and I was amazed by the sea life that I had never seen before like the beautiful lacy scorpion fish and the ghost pipe fish. And if you think you can’t dive then think again, an introductory dive is great, as long as you are free from medical problems such as heart problems, or asthma, and it is a relaxing way to see the reef for all ages.

The Aussie Outback

Some of the delights that you will come accross when visiting the Outback are spectacularly painted landscapes and amazing rock structures that are breath taking, red earth that blazes brighter than fire embers, and aboriginal art and culture that makes you understand what it means to be an Aussie.
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Undara:

Located just over four hours from Cairns, Undara is a geological phenomenon that is situated in the rich red soil of outback Queensland. Surrounded by Australian desert, Undara, which was created by long extinct voilcanoes, gives visitors a taste of Mother Nature’s power. 
Expert Travel Tip: Due to the distance that you have to travel to reach Undara from Cairns, a three day, two night travel package is the best way to enjoy this region. I thoroughly recommend the guided 2 hour lava tube tour and the sunset wildlife tour, however there are also half, and full-day tours possible for tourists that are keen to see more of the area.

Should you have a potential visit to Cardiff, there are many of cheap hotels in Cardiff that won’t empty your wallet. From basic, one star motels with a handful of amenities to three and 4 star properties at acceptable rates, one can find cheap hotels in Cardiff to meet every price range. These accommodations can be found all throughout Cardiff, which includes City Centre, Cardiff Bay, as well as other interesting areas of the city. Enjoy all the history, contemporary culture, and sight-seeing opportunities this fabulous region can offer. From the New Theater Cardiff to the Millenium Center to the Cardiff Castle, there indeed is something for everybody here. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is really a hub for commercial enterprise pursuits, like exhibitions, trade shows, and other corporate activities. Get out and experience this area without shelling out a small fortune every night on accomodations. Cheap hotels in Cardiff are really rather easy to find.

For people who travel a lot, they will definitely understand when I say that buying reliable luggage is a necessity that you should always consider. However, with a lot of luggage being sold in the market, how do you know that the brand that you will be buying is one of the best? To do this, you have to read the different luggage review to know which brand of luggage and travel bags suit your needs.

However, where do you find the best luggage review? You can find them in the magazines but the best way for you to look for luggage review is from the internet. If you look at the different luggage reviews over the internet, you will surely encounter different brands such as the Samsonite Luggage Set, American Flyer Luggage, International Traveller Luggage, American Tourister Luggage and Pierre Cardin Luggage. Here are the things that what you will expect to read on a luggage review when it comes to these brands of luggage.

Samsonite Luggage Set
Samsonite Luggage Set is stylish and is created out of excellent craftsmanship. The good thing about the Samsonite Luggage Set is that they come in different designs. Moreover, the Samsonite Luggage Set is also very lightweight which is very easy to carry during traveling. Although lightweight, they are made from very durable materials.

American Flyer Luggage
If you like cool, casual or classic luggage sets, then you might like the American Flyer Luggage. What is great about American Flyer Luggage is that they come in very affordable prices and that they are made from different types of materials. This means that for every style that you need, there is bound to be a set from American Flyer Luggage that fits into your preference.

International Traveller Luggage
The International Traveller Luggage is considered as the world’s lightest luggage. It also has innovative designs which have a superb quality and design. What is great about the International Traveller Luggage is that it has a long reputation of building the lightest luggage in the market. Although the luggage sets they have made are light, the International Traveller Luggage is made from durable materials which give you worry-free travel.

American Tourister Luggage
If you want to have a lot of options when it comes to choosing your luggage sets, then you can choose from the American Tourister Luggage sets. The American Tourister Luggage has been making a lot of designs for their luggage sets. This means that if you fancy a classical look for your luggage or a funky look, then you can be assured that the American Tourister Luggage has the right set that suit your needs.

Pierre Cardin Luggage
The Pierre Cardin Luggage is very famous when it comes to luggage sets. In fact, it has been around since 1960. The Pierre Cardin Luggage is known for its avant-garde style and also the space age designs. It is not restricted to feminine designs and that the Pierre Cardin Luggage often prefer geometric shapes more than anything else in the design world.

Should you have an upcoming holiday getaway to Cardiff, there are a number of cheap hotels in Cardiff that won’t empty your wallet. From plain, one star motels with few amenities to three and four star hotels at acceptable rates, there are actually cheap hotels in Cardiff to meet every price range. These lodging choices are located all throughout Cardiff, like City Centre, Cardiff Bay, as well as other relevant areas of the city. Discover all of the tradition, culture, and sights this fabulous location has to offer. From the Cardiff Castle to the Millenium Center to the New Theatre Cardiff, there surely is something available for all here. Cardiff, the capital of Wales, is a centre for business pursuits, like conferences, trade shows, as well as other business events. Get out and enjoy this locale whilst not having to spend a small wad of cash every night on your lodgings. You’ll be surprised how easy it is to find cheap hotels in Cardiff.

We all love a good deal and this includes tracking down cheap ski deals! Regardless if you are simply looking to hit the slopes for a day or two or you wish a week long holiday vacation in the mountains, there are numerous methods for you to find the cheap ski packages that cover your preferences. To begin with, check with the lodges exclusively. Sometimes, you’ll find cheap ski vacations that are considerably less than those through a travel agency. Secondly, schedule your cheap ski trips when the mountains are not packed with men and women. The ideal days are likely to be at the start and at the conclusion of the season. Then finally, if you are seeking weekend ski breaks,take along your buddies. It’s always much less to go with a group when compared with with only 1 or 2 people. These would be some of the best methods for cheap ski deals and keeping more money in your pocket!

A trip to Europe would not be complete without a visit to one of the continent’s most stunning cities. Located two hours north of Rome, Florence is a travelers dream. It is everything you have dreamed of in a city and more! Browse world-class art galleries and museums, stare in awe at centuries-old architecture, take a romantic stroll along The Arno River, and hike to Piazzale Michelangelo to catch a fabulous view of Florence’s skyline. Make sure to photograph the beautiful landscape and scenery, shop in stylish boutiques or strike up a conversation with one of the friendly locals who would be happy to tell you more about their beloved home and maybe even take you on a guided your.

The city played a very important role in ancient times and continues to draw in tourists from all over the world. The next time you cannot decide where to go for your vacation, think about visiting Florence and you will see why so many come back again and again!

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