In 2017 before our daughter was even born we started to plan a trip to Australia and New Zealand (mostly just to use up some airline miles – since Virgin America was purchased by Alaska Airlines and our miles wouldn’t be worth as much – so, we decided to take an international trip on Virgin that would use up most of our miles). We packed up and flew off to Australia and one of the destinations we were most excited about was Cairns – Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef and the Kuranda Rainforest so we planned to spend several days there to explore both of these destinations and get to see the natural beauty of Northern Australia and all the creatures that live there.

We checked out many of the options for getting out to the Reef (there is a pretty boardwalk and docks with probably 50 different reef tours to choose from and even a reef tour center – where you go to meet up with your group or can just learn about the different tours available). After a bunch of research we picked “Reef Magic” which has several boats that take you out to a big docked pontoon out on the reef. The ride out to the reef is a little over an hour and there are a bunch of seating options on the boat indoors and outdoors including tables and chairs in a dining type environment and observation deck type seating as well. Coffee and tea are available all day as well as a concession stand. Once you get to the pontoon the boat is still pretty much home base and they serve a HUGE and pretty decent buffet on the pontoon (but the seating on the pontoon isn’t as good as on the boat so we grabbed our food and headed back to the boat). The food included all sorts of salads and seafood options – I would probably rate it a 6 out of 10… but, honestly who is coming for the food? On the boat ride out to the reef there are videos and slideshows explaining some of the various add on options you can do on top of your initial package which was approximately $100 per person (Lulu was free cause she was a baby). We only chose to add on an underwater camera – neither Russ or myself had gone snorkeling before so we were just excited to take turns snorkeling and watching Lulu. There were also several Lulu friendly activities that included an underwater observatory on the pontoon, a semi submersible boat (think a submarine that doesn’t fully go underwater), and a glass bottom boat… which she loved all of those – we also enjoyed standing on the pontoon and playing spot your parent snorkeling. There was a small pool on the pontoon that was supposed to be for kiddos – but Lulu didn’t seem super interested in swimming that day (even though she is typically part fish). On the boat trip back to Cairns at the end of the day they have an afternoon tea that includes sweets, tea, and coffee.

We did take a little bit of video and a bunch of photos which I turned into a slideshow for you all… so, check it out here…

I would definitely recommend Cairns if you are planning on visiting Australia… It was my favorite destination even though the city itself isn’t super exciting (lots of hostels, young tourists, cheesey gift shops, some upscale shopping, and a few mediocre casinos) – the natural beauty surrounding Cairns (the reef, the rainforest, and all the activities connected to those) is the real draw. Cairns is definitely a tourist town and there are a TON of restaurant options, hotels, and grocery stores of all price points which make it an easy destination to book at. We basically stayed at a hotel that was all apartments (full kitchens and separate bedrooms) that had a communal BBQ and swimming pool area and was more families with teenagers that came to have a great time.

Have you been to Australia?
What are your favorite destinations?