02 May 2017
Tags: New Tourism, The Whitsundays, Outback, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland Lifestyle, Adventure and Discovery, Reef Islands and Beaches, sailing
Autumn has brought a slew of hot new openings and near-balmy weather to a much cooler Queensland. Check out new ways to cruise the Whitsundays, a fresh scuba package for Cairns and a perfectly modern way to travel back in time to an era when kangaroos outsized Shaquile O'Neal and dinosaurs were dino-mite.
Get a dose of vitamin sea
Snorkelling the fringing reefs off Whitehaven Beach with Cruise Whitsundays now comes with a James Bond style adventure thanks to the Seabob Underwater Jet experience. This personal submarine-like device propels snorkellers above and below the water at Thorpedo-like speeds. First timers needn't worry – an instructor will show you the ropes and help maximise the thrills. This offer is available with all Whitehaven Beach tours, except for the Camira Sailing Adventure and prices start from $99 per person for 30 minutes. The minimum age is 12-years-old.
Further Information:
Alyce Carter
PR & Media Executive, Cruise Whitsundays
Ph: +61 7 4846 7031
E: alyce@cruisewhitsundays.com
Aboat time
Get your glam on and cruise The Whitsundays on a 37m Gulf Craft, GHOST II superyacht on Ocean Alliance's newest charter. Based out of Hamilton Island, this sleek beauty is fitted with five cabins and accommodates 12 guests overnight or 120 for shorter soirees. Guests can kick back on one of the two large entertaining decks, the main lounge or jacuzzi, or choose from four dining areas, while six crew members dish up a delightful experience. This superyacht is equipped with a 16ft Black Castoldi tender, a Yamaha VX jet ski, stand-up paddle boards, fishing gear, kayaks, Sea Bobs, waterskis and wakeboards. Gather your pennies - rates start from $3,200 per hour for up to 60 guests, and soar to $125,000 USD per week.
Further Information:
www.oceanalliance.com/yachts/ghost-ii/
Jo Howard
Managing Director, Ocean Alliance
Ph: +61 (0) 405 767 869
High Calibre
Speed across the crystal waters on the Whitsunday Bullet – the fastest boat in The Whitsundays cruising at 25 knots per hour. Seating just 42 passengers, this full-day tour takes in the best beauty spots around Australia's most loved islands; leaving Abell Point Marina and zipping across to Pioneer Bay, Whitsunday Passage and Hook Pass before arriving at Tongue Bay for a breathtaking stroll to Hill Inlet Lookout. It's not all above board, guests get to snorkel, swim or dive at Whitehaven Beach, Hook Island and Hayman Island. Prices start from $89 for kids and $179 for adults (with extra charges for divers) and includes lunch and hotel transfers.
Further Information:
Ph: +61 7 4946 4999
E: bookings@explorewhitsundays.com
Time for a sea-fari
The tide has turned in Cairns as Passions of Paradise offer tours to new reef sites on their latest – and Australia's fastest - commercial sailing catamaran, 'Passions III'. This 25m reef vessel cruises up to 19 knots and stops at Flynn, Milln and Moore Reefs, south of Cairns, and Normans and Hastings Reefs north of the tropical gateway. Built for maximum comfort, Passions III comes with two deck areas with sun lounging spaces and a luxe modern interior where a marine naturalist discusses the underwater wildlife. Day trips start from $100 for kids and $159 for adults and depart from the Marlin Marina Reef Fleet Terminal at 8am.
Further Information:
Liz Inglis
Media & Communications, Liz Inglis Media
Ph: +61 (0) 419 643 494
The outback is dino-mite
Deep in the Queensland Outback lies Winton, home to the Australian Age of Dinosaurs (AAOD) and a new attraction that lets you roam earth as it was 95 million years ago. Here, life-sized prehistoric creatures grace an elevated path 300 metres above a gorge full of boulders and shrubbery. Guided tours with shuttles start from the Reception Centre and explore the galleries with a highlight being three dinosaurs modelled off the Kunbarrasaurus skeleton found in Richmond in 1989. AAOD is the biggest Fossil Preparation Laboratory in the Southern Hemisphere and if you are not viewing a giant of the past then sign up (in advance) to dig for one with Dig-A-Dino or put one together with Prep-A-Dino experiences. Admission prices start at $30 for kids and $50 for adults, with the museum open seven days from 8.30am-5pm.
Further Information:
www.australianageofdinosaurs.com
David Elliott,
Field Palaeontologist/Executive Chairman, Australian Age of Dinosaurs
Ph: +61 (0) 428 573 056
That's the spirit!
Hang on to your field paleantologist because at Capricorn Caves you can now wander 500,000 years back in time to meet the ghosts of a rainforest that was once more lush than what the Amazon is today. Formerly a place where the oddest animals roamed, the Capricorn Caves is littered with thousands of fossilised bones and remnants of an ancient history that form the basis of a new one hour Fossil Tour. During the tour, you will hear stories of the giants of the past, including the Tasmanian Tiger and the Thylacoleo Hilli - an Apex predator fondly called the 'Real Aussie Drop Bear' – due to its tendency to jump from trees and pierce its prey with two sharp gnashing teeth. The one hour tours are held three times a day and cost $32 for Adults and $16 for children.
Further Information:
Amanda Hinton
General Manager, Capricorn Caves
Ph: +61 7 4934 2883
E: amanda.hinton@capricorncaves.com.au
Gotta' eat 'em all!
Raw fish lovers rejoice - a new speciality poké bowl and sushi burrito shop has arrived in Brisbane's Southbank. SUKI, open daily from 11am til late, is the brainchild of locals Eddie Isik and Leon McNiece after a trip to the US to discover more about this Hawaiian food trend. Poké, pronounced 'po-keh', is traditionally known as a raw fish salad, comprised of reef fish scraps, crushed kukui nuts and sea salt. At SUKI, order premade options, or customise your bowl with eight types of fish including tuna, salmon and kingfish, which can be mixed with seven base choices, like quinoa and kale or bamboo rice, and topped with over fifteen options of vegetables and condiments. Their philosophy, 'pole to roll (or bowl)', means that only the highest-quality fish is sustainably sourced, and is made fresh to offer a nutritious dining option.
Further Information:
Natalina Ford
Publicist, Ford Digital Agency
Ph: +61 (0) 417 606 337
E: natalina@forddigitalagency.com.au
Whiskey Business
“The light music of whiskey falling into a glass – an agreeable interlude.” Where better to adopt James Joyce's words than at reconceptualised space, The Verandah Bar, at the Gold Coast's InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort. A refreshed modern colonial design of brass and navy furnishings, the bar has more than 50 whiskey variants from across the globe, some worthy of awards and high-acclaim. Stop by for tipple with lunch or dinner – The Verandah Bar is open seven days a week.
Further Information:
www.intercontinentalsanctuarycove.com.au
Nicole Crowley
PR & Partnerships Marketing Manager, InterContinental Sydney & Sanctuary Cove Resort
Ph: +61 2 9240 1292
Into the Wildernis
This Gold Coast hotspot is on the rise – literally! Introducing the Wildernis Rooftop Bar in Palm Beach; an eclectic mix of Mediterranean and Hamptons styling, with white walls, wooden furniture and blue mosaic tiles. Leading upstairs from their Wildernis Café, which opened its doors late-2016, the newest space by local ex-tradies, Josh Bailey and Andy Canfield, holds 80 guests and is fitted with vaulted skylight ceilings to capture sunshine and sea breeze and bi-fold windows for ocean views. Tuck into a fresh seafood platter of oysters, prawns and tempura fish and pair it with one of their four signature cocktails, like a crisp lychee martini. Wildernis is open Monday to Wednesday from 5.30am until 3pm, and Thursday to Sunday from 5.30am until late.
Further Information:
Chanelle Rodger
Senior Account Manager, Ruby Communications
Ph: +61 7 5514 8575
Word Count: 1286
Author: Maddison Tanner
This Press Release is supplied courtesy of Tourism and Events Queensland. For more information, please go to www.queensland.com or www.blog.queensland.com. For images, please visit http://teq.lookat.me.com.au/. If you wish to reproduce this content in the online space, please contact the Tourism and Events Queensland Publicity Team.
