This document summarizes three adventure activities and locations near Cairns, Australia: 1) Diving and snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, including introductory scuba diving programs and helmet diving to see marine life without getting wet. 2) Guided walks through Mossman Gorge rainforest to learn about Aboriginal culture and see sites of significance, including bark shelters and traditional huts. 3) Visiting Kuranda via the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway gondola, which travels over rainforest and provides views of Cairns. The trip takes 1.5 hours one way and activities like the Kuranda Scenic Railway can extend it to a half or full day.

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Those who feel a little less confident can sign up for a
platform ‘helmet dive’, which takes participants
underwater where they get to touch different species of
fish, or take photos with sea turtles and Maori Wrasses.
This provides all the excitement of scuba diving
without even getting your hair wet.
Guided snorkelling tours are also available, with
professional marine naturalists to give a 30-minute
in-water tour, showcasing the reef and its marine life,
which includes clown fish and giant blue starfish. For a
panoramic view of the Great Barrier Reef, hop on a
helicopter, provided by Nautilus Aviation, to enjoy a
scenic ten-minute flight.
Rainforest roaming
Located in the southern part of the World Heritage-
listed Daintree National Park, Mossman Gorge offers
delegates an opportunity to come close to Australia’s
indigenous Aboriginal population, gaining insights into
their lives, culture and beliefs — and their connection
to the natural environment. The signature Ngadiku
Dreamtime Walks is a spiritual guided journey
conducted by the local indigenous people. Ngadiku
means “stories from a long time ago” in the local Kuku
Yalanji language, so there will be no shortage of
intriguing traditional tales told as you amble through
the lush rainforest.
The walks take visitors on gentle forest trails,
visiting culturally significant sites, past traditional
bark shelters and rainforest streams. They start
with a traditional ‘smoking’ ceremony that cleanses
and wards off ‘bad spirits,’ — before
meandering through the bush and
stopping to see some traditional huts
known as humpies.
In addition to demonstrating
popular pastimes such as making
bush-soaps and ochre painting,
guides also demonstrate
traditional plant use: identifying
different bush-tucker (food
sources) and providing a
narrative of how the Aboriginal
people developed a cherished
relationship with their tropical
environment. At tour’s end, visitors
enjoy bush tea and damper.
To ensure intimacy, each group consists of no more
than 15 people.
Discovering Kuranda
Apart from exploring the rainforest, delegates can
choose to glide high up above the rainforest canopy,
inside one of Skyrail Rainforest Cableway’s gondolas.
Located 15 minutes from Cairns, Skyrail’s Smithfield
Terminal provides a convenient embarkation point for
the 7.5 kilometre cableway, and can be easily accessed
by Skyrail’s coach transfer service or day tour transfer.
A gondola will take delegates over sclerophyll
woodlands before revealing the World Heritage-listed
tropical rainforest with its dense canopy and array of
flora and fauna. As the cable car ascends the McAlister
Range, spectacular views of Cairns and the blue waters
of the Coral Sea can also be seen. A trip across all four
stations take one and a half hour one way, or two and a
half hours return, from Smithfield to Kuranda. Skyrail
can also be combined with a variety of other attractions,
including the Kuranda Scenic Railway, to create a half-
or full-day itinerary for visitors.
Wildlife encounters
Crocodiles are almost as symbolic of Australia as
koalas and kangaroos. So no one should miss an
opportunity to get up close to these dangerous living-
dinosaurs. Head to Hartley’s Crocodile Adventures,
40 minutes north of Cairns, for a personal encounter
with these gigantic reptiles.
Delegates can take a boat cruise on Hartley’s Lagoon to
see crocs in their natural habitat. With 19 crocs, ranging
in size from 2.5 metres to 5 metres, you can see them
sleeping on the banks and building their nests.
Visitors get an invaluable biology lesson that no
classrooms on earth can deliver. They learn to
understand crocodiles’ importance in the tropical
wetlands, and the key role that they play within the
coastal landscapes of northern Queensland.
The newly opened Gondwana Gateway allows
guests to learn about the evolution of Australian
wildlife in a forest setting surrounded by living
descendants of Australia’s ancient past, including
birds, fish, lizards and turtles. Daily snake shows and
crocodile feeding shows are also available. Other
wildlife presentations include those on cassowaries
(flightless birds), koalas and kangaroos.
Australia’s beautiful state of Queensland is
a nature lover’s paradise By Gary Kwok
Wild wonders Great
BarrierReef(main);
rainforestroaming
(above);Kurandaglass-
flooredgondola(top
right);Hartley’sCrocodile
Adventures(below)
Australia01 Australia 02
Adventures S
ituated in the far north of Australia’s
tropical Queensland state, Cairns is
a charming gateway to a plethora of
incentive choices and post-event
activities — including several word-class
wonders. Here are three top choices:
in Cairns
WWW.CEI.ASIA34 CEI ASIA FEBRUARY 2015
Great Barrier Reef
Several cruise operators, including
Sunlover Reef Cruises and Quicksilver
Cruises, take visitors out to the famed
Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest
coral reef system, for an up-close
underwater experience.
Introductory scuba dive programmes,
guided by qualified instructors, are
offered and allow delegates even with
no prior dive knowledge a chance to
see one of the world’s greatest dive sites.
Sunlover offers excurions to a range of
dive locations, with each dive supervised
and tailored to clients’ requests.

2. 36 CEI ASIA FEBRUARY 2015
W
hile Cairns’ lush tropical beauty, friendly
people and cheery, sun-dappled streets will
surely enthrall visiting delegates, the
Queensland’s compact capital also offers a
range of high-quality venues, large and small.
Says Rosie Douglas, director of Business & Tourism
Events, Business Events Cairns & Great Barrier Reef:
“No other region in Australia offers the diversity of
experiences that can be enjoyed as part of a conference/
incentive programme. We have many examples of event
attendance being exceeded because people want to visit
such World Heritage sites as the Great Barrier Reef or
Daintree Rainforest.
“But the fact that the Cairns Convention Centre
received the 2014 AIPC Award for the World’s Best
Congress Centre, plus hosting 500 high-profile events,
have all helped raise Cairns’ profile. Our competitive
advantage (as a MICE destination) is that we are the
closest access point to the Great Barrier Reef and also
have the largest number of vessels to choose from to
experience it.”
Here then is a quick look at three of Cairns most
intriguing venues:
Flames of the Forest
Situated deep in a sultry tropical woods—that resembles a
storybook forest, this award-winning alfresco facility is
said to be the largest permanent offsite venue in North
Queensland. The site is just ten minutes away from Port
Douglas, or 50 minutes from Cairns, and can host up to
850 for a sit-down dinner.
Highlighted with dramatic handmade crystal and
bud-light chandeliers, plus hundreds of large candles
and giant tree candelabras, the venue boasts a charming
‘rainforest ballroom’ theme, with a range of striking
entertainment, including the firm’s famous fire-breathing
Neanderthal Jungleman, and a gifted Aborigine
didgeridoo player and storyteller.
Delegates can relax in a chill-out lounge under the
canopy of the rainforest post-dinner, or enjoy blazing fire-
lined trails through the forest or pyrotechnics exploding in
the sky, complete with flaming company logos.
www.flamesoftheforest.com.au
Cairns Botanic Garden
Apart from providing guided walks to enjoy seasonal
flowers, the 71-acre Cairns Botanic Garden, which is
located 8 kilometres from the city centre, can also
be hired for business events. The bucolic venue provides
ample facilities and services, including the Aussie
tradition of barbeques and generous room to
move around. Organisers can hire performers
to spice up a cocktail reception, and delegates
can network in the quiet gardens. The
Garden hosts many events throughout the
year, including weekly presentations,
workshops and outdoor movie nights.
www.cairns.qld.gov.au
Salt House
Salt House is a dining, bar and
entertainment venue, offering
panoramic ocean views. The facility
consists of a large restaurant area with
a wood-fired grill.
Highlights here include the
‘Dining Island’—surrounded by water,
which is available for intimate
outdoor dinners; or a private
room that is linked to the
restaurant’s wine cellar, which
can host up to 20 guests. The
venue in its entirety can
accommodate a maximum
of 200 guests.
www.salthouse.com.au
Distinctive venues
Aside from outstanding natural beauty, Cairns can also claim some
intriguing venues By Gary Kwok
Storybook forest FlamesoftheForest
Savoury sunshine
SaltHouse
(below);lunchby
thesea(bottom)
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BEYOND THE
CONVENTIONAL
The Adelaide Convention Centre welcomes the world to its new state-of-the-art facilities, designed
with the event planners’ future requirements in mind. It is surrounded by premiere entertainment,
sporting and medical precincts, and set on the city’s waterfront district.
Find out more about our brand new building at adelaidecc.com.au