5 days in Cairns + accomodation

Hello!
How r u ?
Me (28) and my wife(25) are going to visit Cairns for approximately 5
days this fall.
I'd like to ask an experienced people about my plan:

Day1: Recover from jetlag, walk around the town + guided rainforest
night walk
Day2+3: 2 Day/1 Night liveaboard Reef Trip (would be glad to hear some
recomendations concerning tour operators)
Day4: Green Island Reef Cruise
Day5: Balloon + Skyrail +Kuranda Train + evening flight to Sydney.

Is it doable ?
We're considering to stay at Gilligan backpakers... Is it suitable for
couples or is to loud ?
How's crime situation in Cairns ? Is it safe to wonder there afterdark
?
We'd be very glad to hear any suggestions concerning our 5-day plan and
recomendations for budget (max $60 per night) accomodation.
Thanks a lot
Alex

Just 2 comments
Cairns seemed to me ultra safe at night
Your program doesn't leave much time to recover
Anyway, you might find 5 days too short
Sooo much to do and see !
Enjoy !

a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Hello!
How r u ?
Me (28) and my wife(25) are going to visit Cairns for approximately 5
days this fall.
I'd like to ask an experienced people about my plan:

Day1: Recover from jetlag, walk around the town + guided rainforest
night walk
Day2+3: 2 Day/1 Night liveaboard Reef Trip (would be glad to hear some
recomendations concerning tour operators)
Day4: Green Island Reef Cruise
Day5: Balloon + Skyrail +Kuranda Train + evening flight to Sydney.

Is it doable ?
We're considering to stay at Gilligan backpakers... Is it suitable for
couples or is to loud ?
How's crime situation in Cairns ? Is it safe to wonder there afterdark
?
We'd be very glad to hear any suggestions concerning our 5-day plan and
recomendations for budget (max $60 per night) accomodation.
Thanks a lot
Alex

May I suggest that you overcome jet lag before you get it?

How?

Sleep on the plane as much as possible during the flight.

It won't "fix" your body clock; you will get hungry at your regular times,
you will feel like going to sleep at the regular time but it makes coping a
whole lot easier.

The "trick" seems to be to fool your body into thinking it has had more than
enough rest and now it's "time to party".

Good luck!


Ross

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello!
How r u ?
Me (28) and my wife(25) are going to visit Cairns for approximately 5
days this fall.
I'd like to ask an experienced people about my plan:

Day1: Recover from jetlag, walk around the town + guided rainforest
night walk
Day2+3: 2 Day/1 Night liveaboard Reef Trip (would be glad to hear some
recomendations concerning tour operators)
Day4: Green Island Reef Cruise
Day5: Balloon + Skyrail +Kuranda Train + evening flight to Sydney.

Is it doable ?
We're considering to stay at Gilligan backpakers... Is it suitable for
couples or is to loud ?
How's crime situation in Cairns ? Is it safe to wonder there afterdark
?
We'd be very glad to hear any suggestions concerning our 5-day plan and
recomendations for budget (max $60 per night) accomodation.
Thanks a lot
Alex

Ross, Runge,
Thanks a lot for Your answers. It was very useful.
Do You have any budget accomodation recomendations ?

Alex

Yes it is doable but I doubt you will get a night rainforest walk in Cairns itself. I would give Green Island a miss the coral is bleached and it is not a shining example of a tropical island. Fitzroy Island has better fringing reefs and you can do a full day sea kayak with lunch and snorkelling.

Reef Encounter is large luxury catamaran so if you wanted a nice stateroom on a good boat then that is what I would recommend without busting the bank. Many other liveaboards are full of divers and the cabins are not as good.
http://www.ozmagic.homestead.com/Ree...erCairns1.html

Here is a link to pictures taken from the Skyrail and scenic railway from people who have been on them. Email the website and I'm sure they will have the combination you want.
http://www.ozmagic12.homestead.com/Railway.html

Here is a link for Fitzroy Island I'm fairly certain they can also help you with a one day trip out there. I was disappointed when I went to Green Island but liked the Sea Kayaking and you guys are not old so would probably enjoy the snorkelling.
http://www.ozmagic.homestead.com/RTF...ayPackage.html

Gilligans can be a party hostel. Koalas is a fairly new building with good double rooms and is a short walk from the centre of town. This link shows you where both places are in Cairns.
http://www.ozmagic.homestead.com/Cai...mmodation.html

This site has a lot on it with loads of photos. I found it very helpful.
www.ozmagic.homestead.com

Hope this helps.
Martin

Originally Posted by

Hello!
How r u ?
Me (28) and my wife(25) are going to visit Cairns for approximately 5
days this fall.
I'd like to ask an experienced people about my plan:

Day1: Recover from jetlag, walk around the town + guided rainforest
night walk
Day2+3: 2 Day/1 Night liveaboard Reef Trip (would be glad to hear some
recomendations concerning tour operators)
Day4: Green Island Reef Cruise
Day5: Balloon + Skyrail +Kuranda Train + evening flight to Sydney.

Is it doable ?
We're considering to stay at Gilligan backpakers... Is it suitable for
couples or is to loud ?
How's crime situation in Cairns ? Is it safe to wonder there afterdark
?
We'd be very glad to hear any suggestions concerning our 5-day plan and
recomendations for budget (max $60 per night) accomodation.
Thanks a lot
Alex

The budget motel chain is OK and in Cairns they fetch you at the airport
a bit far from the center, but ok by car or on foot

a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Ross, Runge,
Thanks a lot for Your answers. It was very useful.
Do You have any budget accomodation recomendations ?

Alex

I recommend Franklands Island for an island day trip with great snorkelling.
great day

http://www.franklandislands.com.au/

cheers
Jeff
http://community.webshots.com/user/surfoz


"Martin12003" wrote in message
...

Yes it is doable but I doubt you will get a night rainforest walk in
Cairns itself. I would give Green Island a miss the coral is bleached
and it is not a shining example of a tropical island. Fitzroy Island
has better fringing reefs and you can do a full day sea kayak with
lunch and snorkelling.

Reef Encounter is large luxury catamaran so if you wanted a nice
stateroom on a good boat then that is what I would recommend without
busting the bank. Many other liveaboards are full of divers and the
cabins are not as good.
http://www.ozmagic.homestead.com/Ree...erCairns1.html

Here is a link to pictures taken from the Skyrail and scenic railway
from people who have been on them. Email the website and I'm sure they
will have the combination you want.
http://www.ozmagic12.homestead.com/Railway.html

Here is a link for Fitzroy Island I'm fairly certain they can also help
you with a one day trip out there. I was disappointed when I went to
Green Island but liked the Sea Kayaking and you guys are not old so
would probably enjoy the snorkelling.
http://www.ozmagic.homestead.com/RTF...ayPackage.html

Gilligans can be a party hostel. Koalas is a fairly new building with
good double rooms and is a short walk from the centre of town. This
link shows you where both places are in Cairns.
http://www.ozmagic.homestead.com/Cai...mmodation.html

This site has a lot on it with loads of photos. I found it very
helpful.
www.ozmagic.homestead.com

Hope this helps.
Martin
Wrote:
Hello!
How r u ?
Me (28) and my wife(25) are going to visit Cairns for approximately 5
days this fall.
I'd like to ask an experienced people about my plan:

Day1: Recover from jetlag, walk around the town + guided rainforest
night walk
Day2+3: 2 Day/1 Night liveaboard Reef Trip (would be glad to hear some
recomendations concerning tour operators)
Day4: Green Island Reef Cruise
Day5: Balloon + Skyrail +Kuranda Train + evening flight to Sydney.

Is it doable ?
We're considering to stay at Gilligan backpakers... Is it suitable for
couples or is to loud ?
How's crime situation in Cairns ? Is it safe to wonder there afterdark
?
We'd be very glad to hear any suggestions concerning our 5-day plan
and
recomendations for budget (max $60 per night) accomodation.
Thanks a lot
Alex


--
Martin12003

On 6 Jul 2005 02:59:28 -0700, wrote:

Hello!
How r u ?
Me (28) and my wife(25) are going to visit Cairns for approximately 5
days this fall.
I'd like to ask an experienced people about my plan:

My website contains some thoughts on Cairns which may be of use for
you.

http://www.australia.plesbit.net/tnq/cairns1.htm

Your schedule looks very busy indeed and it will be a whole lot less
fun if you're permanently knackered and needing sleep. You'll never
do everything the area has to offer in the time you have available so
you may as well look very closely at what are your priorities.

Day1: Recover from jetlag, walk around the town + guided rainforest
night walk

There's not a lot to see in Cairns other than lots and lots of shops.
If you want to spend a relaxing day then perhaps the seafront lagoon
might be way of doing that? I'm not aware of any guided rainforest
walks available from Cairns itself - doesn't mean there aren't any but
I doubt they'll match the quality of what you'll get somewhere like
Cape Tribulation which would be too far for you to go.

Day4: Green Island Reef Cruise

What had you in mind? There are multiple options available for
visiting Green Island, all good. The Big Cat gets you out there
quickly and allows you time to do the Yellow Submarine and the glass
bottomed boat tours, as well as the depressing Marineland Melonesia,
home of the largest captive crocodile in the world (housed in an
appallingly small enclosure).

Another option, and a complete contrast from the Big Cat, is the Ocean
Free. I've been on it many times, and will be going on it again
shortly. The pace of life on board is rather slower (it's a sailing
yacht) but it's very friendly. It moors on its own reef and you can
snorkel or dive from the yacht, plus there is an inshore launch which
ferries people to the island. You don't get anywhere near as much
time on the island but then there's not a vast amount to do there
anyway.

Day5: Balloon + Skyrail +Kuranda Train + evening flight to Sydney.

Not done the ballooing, yet, but it would need to be a sunrise event
if you want to get a decent amount of time in Kuranda. Birdworld is
small but colourful and there's a butterfly place there as well (not
been). The Skyrail is very overpriced for what it is, but it might be
worth doing just the once because the views from the central station
are excellent.

How's crime situation in Cairns ? Is it safe to wonder there afterdark?

Cairns is very safe.

We'd be very glad to hear any suggestions concerning our 5-day plan and
recomendations for budget (max $60 per night) accomodation.

I can't offer much on the accommodation side as we've always stayed at
the same place but found it declining each time we've been. When we
go back to Cairns in September we have, for the first time, booked
elsewhere. This time we're staying at a place called Serpents which
looks nice and is highly recommended by a number of our friends but it
might be a little over your budget.

Details of what we did in Cairns on two previous trips are available
on the weblink above.

Enjoy your time there! :-)

Simon, Jeff, Runge, Martin, Ross...
Thanks You all very much. The tips are very usefull.

Maybe someone of You, or anybody else, knows how much time it supposed
to take to drive from Cairns to Cooper Creek Wilderness thursday
evening ?
Please, take to Your consideration, that I had never drived on the
"wrong" side of the road before.

On 12 Jul 2005 12:24:37 -0700, wrote:

Simon, Jeff, Runge, Martin, Ross...
Thanks You all very much. The tips are very usefull.

Maybe someone of You, or anybody else, knows how much time it supposed
to take to drive from Cairns to Cooper Creek Wilderness thursday
evening ?
Please, take to Your consideration, that I had never drived on the
"wrong" side of the road before.

What had you in mind? You certainly could not drive to The Daintree
in the evening, go on a night walk and then drive back to The
Daintree. In daylight the journey takes about 2hrs but at night it
would be inadvisable to do it at all. You would need to spend the
night in The Daintree.