Australia travel: Tropical North Queensland's best ocean and water based holidays

Back Country Bliss Adventures offers guided snorkel drifting tours of the Mossman River. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland

Whether you prefer to walk on the wild side or take a more placid approach, Tropical North Queensland has something to offer, writes Cath Johnsen

Reef immersion: Reef Magic Tours

There are two schools of thought when it comes to entering the ocean – take the plunge and embrace the invigoratingly cold water, or edge in, toe by toe, allowing time to adjust to the temperature.

I'm pondering this very dilemma as I sit on the steps of Reef Magic's floating pontoon, leading down to the Coral Sea that surrounds Moore Reef, almost 50km off the coast of Cairns.

I'm wearing a wetsuit, flippers and snorkel, and I glance at the woman seated next to me, adjusting her goggles.

"I only learned to swim a few years ago, in my 60s, and look at me now!" she says, before plunging into the ocean. Inspired, I jump in too, and before I can register the chill, I'm distracted by a colourful array of coral, fish, anemones, sponges, worms, and molluscs that call this reef home.

Reef Magic's three-level pontoon off the coast of Cairns opened in early 2022 and is a launching pad for aquatic adventures. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland

A toothy reef shark passes underneath me, followed by a docile Māori Wrasse sporting its intricate markings and trademark hump on its head. Despite having snorkelled many times before, I can't suppress a gurgle of delight. Next, I'm swept along with a school of brilliant blue fish that seem unperturbed at having a human join their parade. A marine biologist on board the boat later tells me they're a species of damselfish.

Reef Magic's three-level pontoon opened in early 2022 and is a launching pad for aquatic adventures, including guided scuba diving, an underwater observatory, a sun deck with bar, and regular glass-bottom boat excursions.
reefmagic.com.au

Reef experience: Cairns Aquarium

If you'd prefer to stay out of the fishbowl, the Cairns Aquarium does a stellar job of bringing the reef to you. Inside the two-level facility is more than 16,000 specimens of marine life that inhabit the reef and rainforest landscapes of North Queensland.

Walking through a tunnel of fish, stingrays and sharks in the oceanarium or holding a starfish or sea cucumber in the touch tank are highlights of the self-guided tour. But it's well worth attending one of the presentations too ... who knew that most of the sand on the Great Barrier Reef had passed through a parrot fish's bottom first?

Cairns Aquarium has exhibits of more than 16,000 specimens of marine life that inhabit the reef and rainforest landscapes of North Queensland. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland

Connected to the aquarium is Dundees' Café and Restaurant, where it's the humans' turn to be watched by the tropical fish that inhabit the 70,000 litre, floor-to-ceiling tank that lines one wall of the bistro. When the aquarium was closed during Covid lockdowns, staff reported that the creatures became glum and missed the interaction with visitors. Knowing this, it's hard not to engage with the multiple pairs of eyes staring out at me while I sip on a wine, and I can't quite bring myself to order the chilli calamari.
cairnsaquarium.com.au

Cruising for crocs: Daintree Crocodile Tours

Cairns and the surrounding regions are home to an estimated 30,000 crocodiles, and so the likelihood of sighting a salty in the wild is pretty darn good. Local larrikin Nick Bohm, owner of Daintree Crocodile Tours increases those chances again. He's passionate about crocs, and a dab hand at spotting them among the native hibiscus lining the muddy banks of the Daintree River.

In the hour I spend cruising with him, he brings us within spitting distance of five crocodiles – four females and one king of the river, Barrett, the resident alpha male, named after the nearby tributary of Barrett Creek. There's plenty of birdlife to be seen too, including soaring Brahminy Kites, flitting Rainbow Bee-eaters and noble Snake-necked Darters. Nick's only rule: don't dangle your arms and legs over the side of the boat.
daintreerivercruises.com.au

Crocs and scones: Hartley's Crocodile Adventures

Given that crocodiles can reach up to 7m in length and weigh as much as 1000kg, you may prefer to observe one from behind the safety of a zoo viewing platform. The best way to do this is to head north from Cairns to Hartley's Crocodile Adventures, which began as a teahouse in 1934. The original owner, Pop Evans, entertained travellers by feeding his resident crocodile while he baked scones on a wood stove. Today, you can still enjoy a scone and a cuppa while watching their long-running "crocodile attack" show. This is also a great place to see the elusive cassowary, which are becoming increasingly rare to spot in the wild, due to their vulnerable status.
crocodileadventures.com

Rainforest drifting: Back Country Bliss Adventures

If I thought the ocean water was cold, it was balmy compared to the 16C of the Mossman River. Again, I plunge in, equipped with a full-length wetsuit and snorkel, and the assurance from our guide that these waters are too cold for crocs. Apart from my gentle splashing, the only sounds come from a pair of Orange-footed Scrub Fowl that insist on building up their already enormous nest on one bank and the breezy rustling of the Daintree Rainforest that flanks us.

Back Country Bliss Adventures offers guided snorkel drifting tours of the Mossman River. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland

The Mossman River has an ethereal green hue, a combination of the mineral content, moss and algae, but is crystal clear for snorkelling. I search in vain for platypus, but I do spot numerous Jungle Perch and Eel-tailed Catfish. The best part of this tour is saved for last, when we finish by drifting along on inflatables through the slowly cascading waterways, taking in the sights and sounds of the ancient jungle.
backcountrybliss.com.au

Rainforest in the clouds: Mamu Tropical Skywalk

Not everyone wants to get wet, so the Mamu Tropical Skywalk in Wooroonoon National Park offers elevated walkways rising from the forest floor to the tree canopy, opening to sweeping vistas of the rainforest. The day I am there is steamy and drizzly, and as I walk out on to the cantilever that projects over the river gorge beneath, I survey the delicate clouds that dust the verdant forest canopy below. Despite the mistiness, the views out to the tablelands in the west and Mount Poorka in the north are of the sort that photos just can't do justice. In fact, that could be said about much of Tropical North Queensland's natural beauty. It's best enjoyed in person.
mamutropicalskywalk.com.au

The views from the Mamu Tropical Skywalk in Tropical North Queensland are the sort that photos just can't do justice. Photo / Tourism Tropical North Queensland

CHECKLIST: TROPICAL NORTH QUEENSLAND

GETTING THERE
Air New Zealand flies direct from Auckland to Cairns. airnz.co.nz

DETAILS
For more things to see and do in the region, go to tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au