Anne in fact made us feel at home on the day of arrival by arranging some fine Indian cuisine from Spicy Bite Restaurant which is located on the Esplanade. Later during our stay, we had our first hand experience of dining at Spicy Bite and the food was simply exceptional. In fact besides, Indian cuisine there was also Tandoori Croc on the menu which was the house specialty and the Indian spices were well blended to go well with the local delicacy. After breakfast on the second day of our 4 day tour of Cairns we left for a full day tour of the Outer Barrier Reef - one of the famous icons of Cairns, the other one being the Kuranda Rainforest. Cairns is a sophisticated tropical city with a population of 130000 and attracts a large number of tourists not only from Australia and neighbouring New Zealand but also from Japan, India, Europe and USA. There are as many as 650 day tours and excursion options organized in and around Cairns and during our short stay we had some of the finest experiences that the city had to offer.

If you really want to get the best out of the Great Barrier Reef Experience, it would be great if you know swimming so that you could try out various activities from snorkelling, sea walk & for those who are highly adventurous you can even try scuba diving. In our group there were a couple of travel agents who did not know swimming. However, they did enjoy the Scuba-doo experience offered at the Great Adventures Pontoon for around 130 Australian Dollars. In fact the Great Barrier Reef is the only place in Australia where you can cruise the reef on your own underwater scooter and you have a professional guide who takes you thru the entire process of guiding and also accompanies you to experience this unique underwater journey. We boarded our catamaran and headed towards the pontoon to see the Outer Barrier Reef. In about a couple of hours we were at the pontoon from where we took a 10 minute helicopter ride with the Great Barrier Reef Helicopter Group and we got a panoramic view of the Great Barrier Reef which was simple exceptional. The most impressive part of the tour besides the spectacular flight was the 6 ft 2" female pilot who gave us an excellent presentation on the background of the Reef during our flight. On our return, some of us opted for snorkelling and saw the corals and fish at very close quarters.

I tried to be extra adventurous to try out scuba diving although I had never dived before and after putting on all the gear, I backed out realizing that you need to have some diving experience before tagging along the cylinder and mask and going 9 metres below sea level. I opted out and spent some more time snorkelling and the good part of the tour is that you do not need to carry any snorkelling gear as you are provided the gear by Great Adventures. There are also excursions from the pontoon in Semi-submersible reef viewer - an ideal option for non-swimmers The 3 hours at the reef just about flew by and we were ready to head back to Cairns. Later that evening we experienced some fine dining at Jardines, an award winning restaurant serving international cuisine at the Cairns Colonial Club Resort.

The following morning we had to leave our hotel at 0415 to experience a Hot Air Balloon ride over the city of Cairns. There are two companies which are well known for the Hot Air Ballooning experience Hot Air (www.hotair.com.au) and Raging Thunder (www.ragingthunder.com.au). I was booked on the Raging Thunder and we were taken to the region of Mareeba to board our flight. Mareeba is located on the Cairns Highlands which is also known as Atherton Tablelands and was around 1 hour 20 minutes away from the city centre. It is the ideal place for a ballooning experiences as the gentle valley is protected from coastal winds by the Kuranda Range thus creating a calm air space. Generally, Hot Air Ballooning is an experience which is subject to weather conditions. However, Mareeba enjoys the perfect weather and has the record of the least number of cancelled flying days than any other location in the world. A one hour hot air ballooning experience costs around A $ 270 and children from 4 years onwards can experience going on a hot air balloon ride. On arrival at Mareeba, the balloon is inflated and hot air is pumped into the enormous balloon so that the pilot is ready to take off.

The larger balloons contain 400000 cu.feet of air which is heated upto 95ºC and four propane gas burners are used. A fully inflated balloon carrying 18 passengers weighs upto 3 tons inclusive of the weight of the passengers. The outside temperature is generally around 15ºC and hence it may be advisable to carry a jacket with you. We were lucky to see some kangaroos hopping around the Kuranda region and our pilot made it a point to explain all the major sights from the bird's eyeview, be it the vineyards, the forest area or even the ocean across the horizon. After an exhilarating flight, we landed in time to have a champagne breakfast after going thru the very interesting exercise of folding up the balloon and getting the air out of the balloon to be loaded on the truck. This in a way also helped us build an appetite for the breakfast. I would strongly recommend a hot air balloon experience for anyone visiting Cairns as it is one of the best places for Hot Air Ballooning and undoubtedly safest as well as all Hot Air Balloon Flights are governed by the rules and regulations of the Civil Aviation Authority in Australia.

Our next halt was the Tjapukai - the Aboriginal Cultural Park and host to Australia's longest running theatre performance which combines modern Aboriginal dance followed by unique experiences such as playing a Didgeridoo - an indigenous Australian wind instrument measuring 1 to 2 metres in length. It is also known as a drone pipe and is claimed to be as one of the oldest's world instrument and used by the aboriginals for over 1500 years. The presentation theatrical also included creating fire using traditional method and we also gave a shot at throwing a boomerang and a spear. Later, we hopped on to a Skyrail gondola which took us across the Caravonica Lakes to Kuranda rainforest to give us a panaromic view on the world's longest gondola cable ride. The Skyrail is known as one of the most beautiful rainforest experience and takes you to the Barron Gorge National Park which is a World Heritage Site located just ten minutes north of Cairns. The experience was quiet reminiscent of my visit to Rio de Janeiro last year where close to the city there is the Tijuca Rain Forest on the way to the Corcovado Peak.

The Kuranda rainforest is presumably amongst the oldest surviving tropical rainforest on earth dating back more than 100 million years and the 7.5 kilometre long cableway allows you to experience the Red Peak and Barron Falls rainforest stations in about 90 minutes. The amazing part about the building of the Skyrail is that it took one year to construct as all the towers were lifted into place by helicopter to avoid disturbing the eco-system and there are 114 gondola cabins that take you around this interesting region. On reaching Kuranda, Red Peak and Barron Falls stations, you can experience an exciting walk to explore the natural flora and fauna besides enjoying some fine shopping of local souvenirs. At the Kuranda Village, some of the attractions include Birdworld, the Noctarium, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and a multitude of shops, markets, cafes and restaurants and it will take you one full day to experience this region. After a short stroll at the Village, we were picked up by a luxury coach operated by Down Under Adventures. Down Under Adventures conduct regular Luxury Day tours to the Kuranda regions from Cairns at around 350 A$ per person. The tour is on a luxury 4WD Vehicle and also includes a visit to the Hartley's Crocodile Adventure, visits to the rainforest corridor, regeneration program, personalized guided boardwalk tour by a Skyrail ranger, Clohesy river road, an exclusive Wetlands Cruise, a Skyrail Cableway as well as lunch and refreshments in the day.

The following morning, Sharon Livingston, Director of Sales & Marketing of the Big Cat Green Island Reef cruises accompanied us on the Reef Rocket onto Green Island which is known as the little piece of paradise on Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The sea was a bit rough and some of us managed with ginger tablets well as I preferred wearing the wrist bands which is an excellent way to keep off from sea sickness. It took us 45 minutes from the Reef Terminal to arrive on Green Island. You can spend an entire day at Green Island as there are shops, restaurant and a beach from where you can do snorkelling as well as swim or soak in the sun. The tour on Big Cat Reef cruises includes a Glass Bottom Boat tour to view the corals and colourful sea life around Green Island as well as a tour in the semi-submersible.

There is also snorkelling gear available on hire and those interested in scuba diving, certified divers take you down under for an amazing experience to view the reef. You can also go Ocean Walking below the sea, weather permitting, of course. After a half day tour, we proceeded to the Cairns Tropical Zoo which offers the largest and most diverse wildlife attraction in Tropical North Queensland. We were warmly greeted by Shelagh Murphy, the Sales & Marketing Manager who took us around this family owned zoo which is home to hundreds of native and exotic species and we were fascinated seeing endangered species like the Nepalese Red Panda, the Cassowary the laughing Kookabura as well as the Kangaroos, the Koalas, the Wombats and the Crocodiles amongst a wide variety of animals and reptiles. The highlight of the tour was cuddling a Koala as well as clicking pictures with a crocodile and a wombat at close quarters. It is a great place to spend a few hours, especially for families who can feed Kangaroos or watch a bird show & be close to these beautiful creatures. Shelagh told us that the zoo is open in the night as well and the Night Zoo experience is a wonderful one on its own.

Our short and exciting stay at Cairns came to an end and as an Aussie Specialist, I personally would recommend my clients to at least spend 5 days in Cairns to have diverse experiences in and around this beautiful city. Ideally, it is a great self drive destination as well to not only explore the city but the nearby regions around Cairns. We took our flight to head to Sydney, New South Wales where I was all excited to do the Bridge Climb Discovery Route across the historic Sydney Harbour especially as the year 2007 is when the Bridge is celebrating its 75th year of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. I would strongly recommend visitors who visit Australia this year to also include the Bridge Climb in Sydney on their agenda. Read about the Bridge Climb as well as other attractions in Sydney in one of our forthcoming issues of Opportunities Today.

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