Cairns escape: Fishing, diving and dining in far north Queensland
Want to escape the winter chill? Keen to experience the thrill of reef fishing? Or don a snorkel and flippers and experience the Great Barrier Reef? Look no further.
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“It wouldn’t be a fishing charter without the story of the one that got away.”
They’re the sage words of our wizened captain as we bob in the ocean more than 30km off Cairns and I rue the fact that … well … my catch just got away.
He was trying to make me feel better about the fact my line had snapped after an energy-sapping five-minute battle of wills against an ultimately superior opponent.
Actually, that suggests it was at some stage an even fight but, if I’m being honest, I should disclose that, from the start, I felt like a welterweight chump going up against the heavyweight champ.
As soon as I felt the bite, my reel started whirling flat out in reverse and the fish took off like a rocket away from the boat.
Every now and again I’d manage a few meagre counterpunches and wind in my line a couple of rotations, but I felt about as in control as a traffic cop on a busy city intersection in Southeast Asia.
Still, the adrenaline was pumping at the thought of snaring a mackerel, a marlin or even a giant trevally. I had no means to cook it and wouldn’t be able to dine on whatever it was but was confident that, if I landed the catch, I’d be able to at least dine out on the story for years.
Alas (and perhaps fortunately, for my arms were starting to tire) the line broke and I shall never know either the size or the species of whatever it was that had taken the bait.
Still, I did manage to catch a couple of legal-size stripey snappers on the daylong charter on-board the Cairns Reef Fishing vessel Aquacat.
There were 12 wannabe anglers on-board and between us we caught enough to satisfy most of our piscatorial needs. We even jagged a couple of spotted mackerel while trolling on the way out to the first of various fishing spots we tried.
The fishing charter was part of a quickfire three-day visit to the north Queensland holiday destination bordered by the ocean on one side and tropical rainforest on the other.
Cairns has long relied on international tourists to bolster its coffers and, hence, has been hit hard by the pandemic. Latest figures show the region, which boasts a population of about 150,000, lost 7600 jobs in the past 12 months.
As state borders have reopened, more and more domestic travellers are either landing at Cairns Airport or making the long drive north to check out what the region, and the town, has to offer.
And a quick stroll along the marina reveals more than enough aquatic adventures to keep visitors busy for days. There is also a plethora of outstanding land-based activities, such as hiking, whitewater rafting, waterfall tours and even bungee jumping available in the rainforest into which the city is nestled.
But the focus this weekend is the ocean and after touching down and replacing our jeans and puffer jackets with shorts and T-shirts, we jump on a ferry to Fitzroy Island. About 45 minutes from Cairns, Fitzroy Island is a privately owned resort open to day-trippers who want to swim, snorkel, hike … or just sit back on the beach and enjoy the serenity.
The island is famous for its turtles, and in a glass-bottom boat tour we are lucky enough to see one giant old fella, possibly 100 years old, swim right under us.
Back on the island, we check out a turtle rehabilitation centre and meet Leila, a green sea turtle about 15 years old who is ready to be released back to the ocean. She’s been here almost two years recovering from floating syndrome – an increasingly common affliction among turtles, often caused by eating plastic, which prevents them diving to the ocean floor where they find most of their food.
Our guide tells us, among other things: turtles can live to the age of 150 but their gender can’t be identified until they reach sexual maturity about 35; they can hold their breath for up to seven hours; they lay about 100 eggs at a time; and, they can swim about 30km/h if they need to.
We also learn sand temperature during gestation determines a turtle’s gender and scientists believe the ratio of 116 females for every one male born in the Great Barrier Reef region is due to global warming. The reef, of course, is one of Cairns’ strongest lures. The world heritage-listed attraction is made up of more than 3000 individual reefs spanning more than 2000km from the tip of Cape Yorke to Bundaberg.
Snorkelling and diving trips to the reef are almost a rite of passage in this neck of the woods, so we join a Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel tour to check out what all the fuss is about. It takes us about 90 minutes powering through almost 2m swells to reach Milln Reef, a stunning 1.2km stretch of coral on the outer edge of the sanctuary, more than 50km east of Cairns.
The lumpy ride out is broken up by the energetic and mostly Indigenous crew who are busy sharing the Dreamtime stories of the region’s first inhabitants … and handing out paper bags for those who don’t quite have their sea legs yet.
Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel offers guests an Indigenous interpretation of the reef. Since its launch in 2018, the company has welcomed almost 15,000 guests and has also led to the employment of 16 Indigenous rangers from local and Torres Strait Islander groups.
The waves settle once we arrive at Milln Reef and we dive into the crystal clear, and surprisingly warm, ocean and enter a majestic, tranquil underwater world.
After a quick 10-minute snorkel we don scuba tanks and within minutes are on the ocean bed, our goggled eyes agog at the amazing marine life we now had the privilege of sharing the water with.
Among the hundreds of brightly coloured species we see are butterfly fish, parrotfish, damselfish, red bass, giant clams, trevally and a leopard shark. Don’t tell the kids, but we even find Nemo – the clownfish made famous by Disney was swimming among the tentacles of an anemone.
We float weightlessly over and alongside some of the 600 species of coral that make up the Great Barrier Reef, including giant boulder corals more than 500 years old. There is no sign of the coral bleaching that has hit some sections in recent years.
We reluctantly surface after about 30 minutes, wolf down some lunch and enjoy an ecology lesson from the boat’s resident marine biologist before we moving to neighbouring Flynn Reef and donning gas tanks and flippers again.
The ride back to Cairns is smoother, and there are didgeridoo and dancing displays to round out an unforgettable day.
Our accommodation is a short walk from the marina. It’s the new 76-bedroom four-star Oaks Cairns Hotel that boasts a prime location in the centre of town. Opened last September, the Oaks overlooks the ocean, the picturesque Esplanade Lagoon and the marina.
General manager Alex Rogers has lived in Cairns for 12 years and says the Covid-enforced switch to domestic visitors is forcing change on many in the northern Queensland tourism industry.
Whereas overseas travellers tend to plan their itinerary and book experiences before they leave home, Australian tourists are often happier by the pool and some rarely leave their hotel or resort.
Rogers says Cairns has also undergone a sophistication in recent years. The Oaks’ rooftop bar Oak & Vine is a case in point - offering breakfast and light lunch throughout the day before transforming at sunset into a cocktail bar also serving a unique blend of Peruvian dishes made with Japanese techniques.
After a couple of nights sampling their wares, I’m happy to report establishments such as Hemingway’s Brewery, The Conservatory Bar, Wolfe Lane Distillery, Three Wolves and Sauce Brewing Co would also more than hold their own in more gentrified cities of the southern states.
While a cosmopolitan night out might be an unexpected bonus, Cairns’ trump card will always be the natural wonder and beauty of its surrounds.
Unfortunately, though, three days is nowhere near enough time to fit everything in so, as I don my puffer jacket for the flight back to Adelaide, I vow to schedule another visit and this time head to the hills and check out the waterfalls, swimming holes and rivers of the nearby rainforest and tablelands.
Oh, but I might just pop back out to the reef to see if I can find and dips me lid to that aquatic adversary who snared a free feed from me that day on the charter.
The writer visited Cairns as a guest of Oaks Cairns Hotel and Tourism Tropical North Queensland
CAIRNS, QUEENSLAND
Getting there: Jetstar offers direct return flights from Adelaide to Cairns daily. Qantas will start direct flights between the cities fourtimes a week from August.
Staying there: Oaks Cairns Hotel, 59/63 Esplanade, Cairns, phone 07 3188 6052, email cairns@theoaksgroup.com.au, website oakshotels.com/en/oaks-cairns-hotel
Doing there: Take a day trip to Visit Fitzroy Island, fitzroyisland.com. Visit the Great Barrier Reef with Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel, dreamtimedive.com.Go fishing with Cairns Reef Fishing, cairnsreeffishing.com.au
Dining there: Hemingway’s Brewery, hemingwaysbrewery.com; The Conservatory Bar, theconservatorybar.com; Wolf Lane Distillery, wolflanedistillery.com.au; Three Wolves, threewolves.com.au; Sauce Brewing Co, sauce.beer; Oak & Vine Restaurant, oakshotels.com/en/oaks-cairns-hotel/oak-and-vine-restaurant
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