Locals' thoughts

Browse through this page to find some hot tips and recommendations from locals... by no means exhaustive, but a place to start.

Be sure to also check out the useful tourism websites and the tours offered in association with the conference

How to get around - transport options

Air
Qantas, its budget carrier Jetstar, and Virgin Blue are the main airlines that fly domestic routes within Australia. (Although Tiger Airways is now on the scene in a limited way). Some of the smaller or more remote locations are served by smaller regional airlines. Really cheap fares are usually offered months in advance of travel dates so keep your eye on their websites!

Train and Bus
Queensland Rail operates train services between most of Queensland's coastal towns from Brisbane north to Cairns. There are also several long-distance bus operators that serve Queensland and other popular travel routes. Some companies specialise in backpacker-style "jump on, jump off" services.

Check the price of train tickets against the cheaper airlines - if there is a special on it is often cheaper (and much faster) to go by air than by train/bus over a long distance.

Car and campervan rental
There are lots of options ranging from standard international companies to smaller regional companies. Some companies specialise in self-drive camper van rental (run a google search for camper van hire Australia). Some generic sites include http://www.campertravel.com.au and http://www.selfdrive.com. Be aware that we drive on the lefthand side of the road like the English.

The Great Barrier Reef (GBR)

One of Australia's (and Queensland's) best-known natural attractions. The GBR is ~2300 km in length with 1000s of islands and coral cays. It has so much to offer that it is hard to capture it on this page, but here are a few spots...

Lady Elliot Island: Resort on island and no camping options, world class diving and snorkelling, air strip. Fly in day trips available from Brisbane, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay.

Heron Island: Resort, research station, and ranger station on island. World-class diving and snorkelling. Boat or helicopter access from Gladstone. The Queensland Government run an annual turtle tagging project on this island so this is a great spot to see turtles.

Whitsunday Islands: Large variety of islands and accommodation (camping, moderate resorts to expensive resorts to sailboat hire). Lots of sailing, diving and snorkelling options. Gorgeous beaches. Not much turtle nesting.

Lizard Island: Great diving and snorkelling (resort or camping) seaplane/boat access only. Not much turtle nesting.

To learn more about these and other GBR islands try

• the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority website
• searching for Capricornia Cays National Park on the EPA website
• popping island names into Google

Trips to the Great Barrier Reef range from very touristy large boats (holding 100s of people) that visit the same roped off area day after day to smaller operators who access more remote world-class dive spots. There are levels of access suitable for all ages.

Multi-day dive charters can be arranged from several of the coastal ports and these charters will visit several GBR locations including the remote northern GBR and the outer reef. Note that these are more weather dependent than day-trips and island resort style accommodation.

Within 700 km of Brisbane

Moreton Bay (Queensland): Just a ferry trip from Brisbane lies Moreton Island. Great for bushwalking and camping. The only place to stay (without campling) is Tangalooma Wild Dolphin Resort, where you can participate in dolphin feeding or one of the >70 other tours and activities organised by the resort. North Stradbroke Island ("Straddie") is also lovely, with fabulous beaches and freshwater lakes. More populous than Moreton Is, all manner of accommodation options, easily accessable by ferry.Locals recommend the Gorge Walk at Pt Lookout - a possibility for turtle spotting from the cliffs.

Sunshine Coast (Queensland): There are caravan/camping sites and a whole range of hotel accommodation in each of the towns and National Parks between Caloundra and Noosa Heads, e.g. go camping in the Great Sandy National Park (Southern). Lots of really interesting places to see along the Sunshine Coast and in the hinterland. Most of the coast is developed, but there are still opportunities to “get away”. Great for a family holiday and relaxing at the beach – but no turtles. Noosa (very trendy township, gorgeous National Park) is ~ 1.5 hours drive from Brisbane (in good traffic).

Fraser Island (Queensland): A stunner of a destination and a favourite with many of us on the organising team. Fraser Island is the largest sand island in the world. It is simply amazing. Great variety in accommodation – camping to resort style to beach house rental. Great opportunities for bush camping, single day to multi day hikes. Beautiful natural environment and a large enough island to really escape. Great beaches (sheltered on one coast and wild surf beach on the other – although the regular presence of sharks and regular beach fishing makes surfing not so safe). Island lakes for swimming. Access is via a barge that leaves from Hervey Bay, a town ~ 3 hours drive north of Brisbane City. For camping trips it is important to rent a 4-Wheel Drive vehicle to give you access to the camping sites. 4WDs can be rented from Hervey Bay or further afield.

Mon Repos & Bagara Beach (Queensland): Col Limpus began annual monitoring of nesting loggerhead and flatback turtles at this beach in 1968. A visit to the beach in February will allow viewing of loggerhead turtle hatchlings and possibly a female loggerhead coming ashore to lay. Lucky visitors may even see flatback turtle hatchlings. Because each nest is recorded and mapped more information will be available closer to the symposium about chances to see flatback turtles at this site. Mon Repos beach is within a Conservation Park and camping or caravan sites are available at the “turtle sands” caravan park adjacent to the turtle research centre. Book well in advance as this is an extremely popular camping ground. The nearby town of Bargara (15 mins drive) has a bigger range of accommodation options. Mon Repos/Bargara are around 15 km from Bundaberg, a town ~ 4.5 hours drive north of Brisbane. Bundaberg is also on the coastal train route and there are two trains daily from Brisbane (the tilt train is fastest). From Bundaberg (weather permitting) it is also possible to take day tours to the GBR via boat (Lady Musgrave Island) or plane (Lady Elliot island).

Curtis Island (Queensland): Not really a tourist destination, although locals from Gladstone (~600 km from Brisbane & 200 km from Bundaberg) rent houses there in the holidays. A flatback turtle rookery. February is hatchling season and there are likely to be opportunities for those with patience to see flatback hatchlings. There is ~5 km of beach and the Queensland Government will have volunteers marking nests throughout the summer so that there is a better chance of seeing hatchlings. You get to Curtis Island via a short ride in a daily barge from Gladstone. Gladstone is on the coastal train route and Qantas flies there twice daily from Brisbane.

Northern NSW : From Coolangatta to Ballina, and further south there are kilometre after kilometre of beautiful coast, National Parks and opportunities for camping. The town of Byron Bay has a well established reputation for being a great spot to visit. Like the Sunshine Coast, northern NSW has a mix of everything from bush camping to luxury resort style accommodation. Great for a family get away relaxing at the beach, surfing in reliable conditions, bush walking along rainforest trails, sipping coffee in trendy towns – but no turtles. The Mount Warning hike offers fantastic views of the coast. Ballina is around 3 hours drive south of Brisbane (in good traffic). For a list of National Parks in northern NSW click here or here.

Further out - some natural wonders

Uluru Kata Tjuta (Ayers Rock) National Park (Norther Territory): A long way from Brisbane! (~4000km). Qantas fly to Uluru from Brisbane via Cairns, Sydney or Alice Springs. A seriously incredible place for an outback adventure and getting involved in Aboriginal culture. Loads to see and do in this National Park and nearby in Alice Springs (400km) and Kings Canyon (~150km). Rather hot and dry in Jan-Feb (understatement).

Kakadu National Park (Northern Territory): A long way from Brisbane, but close to Darwin (~250km). Qantas fly to Darwin from Brisbane and Cairns. An awesome place full of great wildlife, stunning scenery and Aboriginal history. Note that in February some of the main waterfalls and sites will likely be closed, as it will be the wet season.

Ningaloo Reef (Western Australia): The opposite side of Australia to Brisbane and even a long way from Perth and Broome. But you can fly from Perth into the small town of Exmouth on regional airlines or drive the spectacular and remote Western Australian coastline. This National Park is a virtually untouched Barrier Reef around 250km in length. Great for snorkelling, diving and remote area camping.

Catching some waves (surfing)

North Stradbroke Island (off Brisbane) – moderately consistent - popular spots crowded. Surfing classes available.

Sunshine Coast from Caloundra north to Noosa – moderately consistent

Gold Coast from South Port south to Coolangatta – moderately consistent - popular spots crowded. Commercial surfing classes available.

Coastal New South Wales – most towns and National Parks have accessible surfing beaches – consistent and isolated spots can still be found.

For the more adventurous the often remote southern Australian coastline from Sydney through Victoria, South Australia and north to central Western Australia have consistent waves for beginners through to experienced surfers.

 

There are heaps of surfing schools all along the coast, check out the Surfing Australia website for listings.

Keep an eye on the conditions with "surfcams".

Stay safe in the water

Please take care while swimming in the ocean, watch out for rips and other hazards. Check out the Surf Life Saving Australia website for tips on how to stay safe at the beach. Australia has lots of lifesaver patrolled beaches so swim between the flags.

Marine stinger season runs from October to May along some of the Australian coast (northern areas in particular)

Estuarine crocodiles inhabit creeks, rivers and the ocean in northern Australia. Be croc-wise in croc country.

When travelling, if in doubt about what you can do safely (where, and when) then just ask a reliable source or two!

Guidebooks & other readings

We love our home grown Lonely Planet guides, e.g.

• Australia Travel Guide (2007 new edition!)
  
• Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef Travel Guide
• Great Barrier Reef: Diving & Snorkeling Guide
• Walking in Australia Guide
  

There are also offerings from other familiar travel publishers like Fodor's, Frommer's, Rough Guides, Eyewitness travel...