Nature tours, wild life parks, and accommodations
Queensland has some of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. Organisms are found here that cannot be found anywhere else. People come from far and near just to experience the wildlife up close and personal. Each year sights such as the Great Barrier Reef and the Tropical Rainforest draw millions of tourists.
The Great Barrier Reef holds the current title of the largest coral reef in the world. It can be found along the coast of Queensland, Australia for about 2,000km. The Great Barrier Reef is in great condition and it is a protected site in order to make sure that its beauty is preserved. Some of the most diverse and interesting marine animals can be found in the Barrier Reef. At the popular site Cape Tribulation the reefs seem to walk up to the shore and shake hands with the tropical rainforests of Wet Tropics. This beauty scenery attracts millions of tourists every year to the coral islands. These exotic islands are favorite snorkeling and diving spots. Beautiful resorts and hotels are located throughout the island to house eager tourists. Aristocat Snorkel and Scuba in Port Douglas provides day tours through the Great Barrier Reef and the marine life present. Visitors can see whales and dolphins while enjoying the scenery.
The rugged Outback land drives nature lovers to Queensland. Ranging rivers make way for great fishing spots. Farms and cattle stations cover the land. The Australis Premium Tours in Nerang provides spirited tours of the Outback. They take visitors to local popular restaurants and pubs. Alma Park Zoo in Brisbane City houses many exotic animals. Visitors get a chance to touch the animals and experience the wildlife up close. Zoo keepers hold presentations to teach visitors about the diverse animals present. Bartle Frere Trail West in Cairns is home to the highest mountains in Queensland’s and people come from all over to climb these trails and check out the spectacular views.
Beerwah Forest Reserve is located near Mooloolah River and it serves to protect the costal rainforest present. The wildlife here is immeasurable. There are several endangered and protected species in the area and local jurisdiction works hard to protect the lands and wildlife. The walking trails in the area provide guests with a great way to explore the land. Bowling Green Bay National Park in Townsville is a costal park. Rugged mountains and camp grounds make it a great spot for campers.
For nature lovers Queensland is a great place to go. Many of the flowers, fish and other wildlife present there cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
Brisbane Beaches and water recreation spots
Water recreation is a popular pastime for travelers in Brisbane. The
city’s many beaches provide visitors with several options for enjoying
their time in the Brisbane sun. Surfing, sailing, riverboat rides,
snorkeling, and swimming are some of the activities that are readily
available to tourists in Brisbane. Being active isn’t a requirement for
visiting the beaches of Brisbane. Some tourists are content just to
relax on the beach and soak up the sun along the country’s Sunshine
Coast.
Man-made beaches are quite common in the Brisbane. South Bank Beach is a man-made beach that offers a crystal clear lagoon filled with chlorinated water that is constantly re-circulating. The lagoon’s water replenishes itself every six hours after passing through an extensive sand filtration system. Lifeguards patrol the beach during the daylight hours and facilities such as barbeque pits and restrooms are located strategically along the beach.
Nudgee Beach is a lively spot that attracts active beach goers. Some of the popular activities at this beach are volleyball, jogging, and cycling. Nestled across Moreton Bay, Nudgee Beach offers fantastic views of the city. This beach also has a large population of native birds and other assorted waterfowl.
Surfer’s Paradise Beach is a popular tourist beach featuring a backdrop of skyscrapers along Brisbane’s coast. Aside from water sports such as surfing and sailing, Surfer’s Paradise offers land sports such as bungee jumping and volleyball as well. There are several bars and nightclubs dotting the beach, which provide an active nightlife scene. In addition to the nightlife venues, there are many eating establishments along the beach as well as thirteen shopping centers and arcades.
A short distance from Brisbane is Moreton Island. Moreton Island is home to the world’s largest sand beach. Two catamarans arrive daily to ferry visitors to the island where they can enjoy deluxe accommodations in one of the many properties available on the island. Popular activities on Moreton Island are interacting with dolphins, parasailing, exploring the rugged country side, strolling along the beach, and riding ATVs. Also located on the island are the Moreton Island National Park and the Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort - which is famous for its whale watching shows.
Vacation destinations in and around Palm Cove
Palm Cove, Australia lies a short 25 minute drive from Cairns and a 30 minute drive from Port Douglas. Palm Cove vacationers may wish to hire a car to visit one of these amazing spots in North Queensland.
Cairns
Cairns is a popular day trip from Palm Cove, easily reached by car in less than half an hour. The city is home to several theme parks, such as Rainforestation Nature Park, a former coffee and orange plantation that provides tourists with a glimpse into the indigenous culture of Australia. The Rainforestation Nature Park is divided into three parts: the Army Duck Rainforest Tour, which is comprised of a tour of native plants; the Koala and Wildlife Park, which gives guests the opportunity to view native wildlife; and the Pamagirri Aboriginal Experience, an interactive adventure that includes performances and boomerang throwing. Cairns’ Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park educates and entertains by treating visitors to
Near the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park exists another popular activity in Cairns: the Kuranda Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. This cableway travels almost five miles from Cairns to Kuranda, lifting tourists over the Barron Gorge National Park.
Port Douglas
Port Douglas is a small town near both Palm Cove and Cairns. A Palm Cove vacationer wishing to see both Port Douglas and Cairns could easily fit the two into one day trip.
Port Douglas is most famous for its Port Douglas Carnivale, which runs for 10 days in May and annually attracts more than 10,000 people. Another festival, the Footprints Music Festival is an Australian-style Oktoberfest, held for two weekends in October. The Footprints Music Festival is both an art exhibition and a beer festival.
Port Douglas also offers its guests Four Mile Beach, a number of restaurants, pubs, and shopping opportunities, golfing facilities, and Anzac Park, which is at the mouth of Dickson Inlet, the harbor entrance of Port Douglas.
Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation
Daintree National Park is rainforest north of Cairn and within easy driving distance of Palm Cove. Visitors can spend time on the beach, go for a guided nature walk, or enjoy horse riding and a number of water sports within the National Park.
Within Daintree National Park is Cape Tribulation, named thus by Captain James Cook in 1770. Water sports are also welcome here, and guided tours are also available. Cape Tribulation is also home to The Bat House visitor center, where tourists can pet and feed a flying fox and also purchase souvenirs.
Tourist attractions in Brisbane
Brisbane is home to many popular tourist venues in Australia. The Lone
Pine Koala Sanctuary is the largest - and first - sanctuary of its kind
in the world. It is, by far, the most popular attraction in the city of
Brisbane. The sanctuary is home to 130 koalas and other wildlife in
their natural habitats. Guests will learn about the koalas, snakes,
tropical birds, lizards, and many other species native to Australia.
Visitors to the sanctuary can get up close and personal with the animals
and interact with them under the supervision of trained caretakers.
Queen Street Mall is the second most popular attraction in Brisbane. It attracts 26 million visitors each year to its open-air style complex. Queen Street Mall is like a city within a city. The mall is home to over 500 retailers offering everything from artesian handicrafts to clothing and jewelry from high-end designer labels. Other venues located in the Queen Street Mall complex are luxury spas, five star hotels, countless eating establishments, bars, casinos, salons, and movie theaters - just to name a few! Many of the properties within the complex are open 24 hours, allowing visitors to explore every inch of the complex at their leisure.
The Wheel of Brisbane, a Ferris wheel measuring 60 meters in height, offers visitors a bird’s eye view of the city. The Wheel of Brisbane isn’t your typical Ferris wheel. It offers forty two full enclosed air-conditioned capsules to ensure the comfort of the riders. Each capsule has a seating capacity of up to six adults and two children. The ride lasts about 15 minutes and provides breathtaking panoramic views of the city of Brisbane and the adjacent Brisbane River.
Dreamworld is a theme park located on the outskirts of Brisbane and is the Nickelodeon version of Disney World. Popular characters in the theme park include Dora The Explorer and The Wiggles. Dreamworld offers all the standard theme park fare, such as roller coasters and other thrill rides, shopping outlets, dining establishments, live shows, water park, street entertainers, as well as live music and other seasonal events. In addition to their theme park offerings, Dreamworld also has a wildlife adventure park named Tiger Island where nature’s largest felines are the stars of the show.
Palm Cove tourism, plenty of tourist attractions
The nearby islands of Green Island and Haycock Island are popular
tourist attractions. Green Island is a small coral cay with lush
rainforests that is known for its amazing diving and snorkelling
opportunities. Green Island is equipped with picnic tables, pools,
showers, an underwater observatory, and its own aquarium, Marineland
Melanesia. Haycock Island, also known as Scout Hat Island, is an
uninhabited island just northeast of Palm Cove, and gives its visitors a
glimpse of the diversity of Australia’s Far North Queensland with its
rough terrain. Either island makes a satisfying day trip for Palm Cove
vacationers.
Relaxing on the beach is the best choice for many, but for the livelier types, the number of water sports available is virtually unlimited. Snorkelling is always a favorite activity, but the Coral Sea is also an excellent location for swimming, surfing, and kayaking. Fishermen (and women) are welcome to cast their rods in an attempt to score a mackerel, a grunter, or even a squid. Away from the beach, active Palm Cove vacationers can choose to go golfing at one of the many courses in the area, go horse back riding, or even take a skydiving lesson.
Those wishing to explore Palm Cove can do so by foot on a guided or solo tour, or they can purchase a helicopter ride or boat cruise around the area.
Resort guests are given even more opportunities for entertainment. Most Palm Cove resorts have spas with services that relax the mind and beautify the body. Nearly all Palm Cove accommodations offer guests access to private pools, and many can supply vacationers with tours and other excursions.
Visitors who wish to plan their Palm Cove trip around special events in the area should consider an October excursion. The Palm Cove Fiesta is held every year in mid- October, providing locals and tourists with two days of food and entertainment. Vacationers who travel to Palm Cove in December can take part in Carols by Candlelight, held every year on Christmas Eve. January 26 is Australia Day and Palm Cove celebrates this annual event with food, prizes, entertainment and various demonstrations. Of course, many of the resorts in Palm Cove offer their own events as well.
The Broadbeach Pacific Fair, Nearby Hotels
Broadbeach is home to one of Queensland’s largest shopping centers, known as Pacific Fair. Pacific fair was once the largest shopping center in Queensland (until 2006). Currently Pacific Fair is undergoing a large expansion project which will renew it’s rankings as the largest in Queensland.
Pacific Fair’s major anchor tenants include Kmart, Toys R Us, Target, a 4 story Myer, as well as a 12 screen Birch Carroll and Coyle Cinema. This shopping center is offers something for everyone with over 300 specialty shops and restaurants. These tenants will soon be joined by a new David Jones store along with 130 additional specialty stores upon completion of a $400 million expansion and rennovation project.
Pacific Fair is conveniently located in Broadbeach, just five minutes drive from Surfers Paradise along the Gold Coast Highway or a short walk from Jupiter's Casino, the Gold Coast Convention Centre or Kurrawa Beach. Pacific Fair is also the major public transportation hub on the Gold Coast, serving the Surfside Buslines, along with a privatized monorail to and from the local Jupiters Casino. This is a highly regarded shopping destination on Queensland’s Gold Coast and should not be missed by any traveler.
While Pacific Fair is not currently the largest shopping center in Queensland, it is still the most highly visited center, boasting 17 million shoppers a year, making it the sixth most visited in the country.
Pacific Fair also offers many tourism services to make your stay on the Coast a pleasurable one. Be certain to visit the Customer Service Booth for valuable coupons and sightseeing information while visiting Broadbeach or any of the nearby suburbs.
Palm Cove History and Heritage
Palm Cove is known as a very fashionable luxury resort vacation destination, however most visitors are surprised to learn of it’s rich heritage and history. Palm cove history is actually believed to date back 60,000 years with it’s first inhabitants being the Aborigines. The Chinese are believed to have walked the shore of Cape York peninsula over 3000 years ago followed by the Japanese much later in the 1940’s.
The most fascinating discovery along the shores of Palm Cove was when G.E. Dalrymple’s Northeast Expedition landed on the shores of Palm Cove. Their reception was not as warm and welcoming as they expected and thus ultimately became the site of the largest recorded beachfrot invasions and battles in
Australian History.
This was not the only action that took place on the sandy shores of Palm
Cove. Palm Cove was the training location for the Australian Army and
Air Force in the early to mid 1900’s. The two islands just off palm
cove; Double Island and Haycock Island were abused by this training
using heavy artillery and mines. They still show proof of this even
still today. While the media was thriving at one time reporting mines
washing ashore on Palm Cove, there is no longer any threat to tourists
or natives.
Palm Cove was at one time privately owned by Archdeacon Campbell, of the St. Johns church of England, located in Cairns. This 200 acre piece of land was sold to Albert Veivers just before WWI in 1918. It is believed that Archbishop Campbell is responsible for the plantings of the beautiful varieties of Palm trees that line the shores, being an agriculture enthusiast as he was.
The Veiver family purchased this land with no major roadway entering or leaving the property. The only way to get there was by horseback or by foot. Albert Veiver’s wife, Elizabeth Mattheson was confident that once a roadway was opened, this property and it’s value would rise dramatically due to it’s beautiful coastline. She was tragically killed in a fire and was unable to see her projections become a reality.
The land at Palm Cove was at one time mostly home to only Cattle and Horses, so they believed. This commercial goal of raising and selling livestock was never realized, as the livestock began to disappear. It is believed that they became victims of the many crocodile living there at that time.
After the war ended is when Palm Cove became a new place for settlers and vacationers alike. The main water supply lines were in place but did not become permanent until the 1960’s. This is when Palm Cove really opened up. Developers and Investors alike saw the tremendous opportunity for this area and now we have what is known and loved and beautifully developed as Palm Cove.