Archive for December, 2007

Beautiful & Relaxing day on Seastar

Thursday, December 13th, 2007

Just to let you know I had a wonderful time yesterday on Seastar.At 07.45am my friend and I arrived on the boat located at E Finger. First I was surprised by the (small) size of the boat (meaning small numbers!) and the cleanliness. We decided to take it easy and not dive just snorkel so after a cuppa and a muffin we went upper deck to get a nice spot for the day.

Only 16 passengers on that day… Yipee! The whole boat for ourselves!… After 1.5 hour we arrived to Michaelmas Cay…. Yipee again ! The whole island to ourselves !

So I took the little dinghy (Me being a lazy girl) to get dropped off on the beach but it really is very easy to swim/snorkel from the boat to the beach. I really felt I was very privileged to be here in Paradise with a small group and NO other boat around for approx. 2 hours.

I decided to join the snorkel tour. These 2 lovely and friendly girls are very dedicated and patient with their passengers. Saw a little shark, sting ray, big clams and of course Nemo.

After 2.5 hours it was time to move to the 2nd site HAstings Reef. Lunch was served on the way there, a variety of salads, ham and beef, fruits, hot chicken and vegetarian lasagna and prawns, yummy ! Not to mention that tea and coffee are served all day so this is a good point, especially in winter when you need to warm yourself up !

Hastings Reef : Never been there before….My God it’s so pretty ! The variety of corals and marine life is amazing ! A group of 6 or 7 big Parrot fishes were feeding on the coral just beside the boat. And it only takes 30 seconds to reach the reef from the boat, good for the non confident swimmers. But Anna and the crew are always here to give a hand to the guests anyway. I liked this personalised service and I think it is as important as the reef you visit.

On the 2nd site my friend and I decided not to join the snorkel tour just to “cruise” by ourselves and afterwards we went on the glass bottom boat tour.

Another important thing : The snorkel tours and the glass bottom boats are included in the fare as well as the lycrasuits. No extra charge…

After 2.5 hours at Hastings Reef it was time to make our way back to Cairns, not before enjoying another nice cup of tea/coffee with cakes.

I must admit : The day was so relaxing that I fell asleep on the way back…..

Thank you Burnie and all the crew for a beautiful and relaxing day

Florence - Tour Specialists Consultant

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Creating Dust Storms - ATV riding

Monday, December 10th, 2007

Just wanted to let everyone know what a fantastic time is to be had with Blazing Saddles on there  ATV’s. We actually started off early and drove up the Gillies to go for a swim at

Lake

Echam, then continued on to Kuranda in the afternoon for lunch and a walk through the Heritage Markets.  It made a great start to the day, before our real adventure for the day began.  We arrived at Blazing Saddles at 2pm which is only 8-10 mins drive from Kuranda.  As we arrived earlier than the transfer coaches, we had time to have a look around and check out the horses and animals on the property.  Afternoon tea was provided, with tea, coffee and chilled water, along with some yummy fresh Aussie Damper with jam and cream!   Once we got fitted out with our safety helmets and goggles (or sunglasses) we were ready for our informative lesson on how to ride an ATV.  Also, I would highly advise to wear a hat under your helmet, sunscreen and sunnies…as it was hot under our Far North Qld’s sun.  The team at Blazing demonstrated how to use the brakes, and gears and gave us some pointers on turning, which comes in handy!  As this was my first time ever on an ATV I made a mental note on the foot brakes advice! As we got started we slowly headed to the obstacle course which was great fun in itself!  A great way to get comfortable on your new beast, and get adjusted to the turning, gears and breaks….and the soft dirt.  There are even little jumps and tyres to practice your handling skills!  The great staff at Blazing then break you further in groups, based on advanced, beginners, or medium so they really do ensure everyone has a great day.  My husband went off on the more Experienced group, while I went along my way…. But I still managed to create my own dust storm!  The courses on the property are just fantastic!  You travel through the scrub, past ant hills, and even cattle.  It hadn’t rained for a while when we went, so the tracks were dusty – I don’t think I really was prepared how much dirt I’d be covered with. Definitely Denim jeans and T-shirt are recommended. It was FANTASTIC!. They have dirt mounds for jumps, and you travel up and down little valleys, dry creek beds, and even maneuver your ATV through the trees.  Sometimes, the trees, may jump out at you, so be careful!  J I can’t rave on enough how much fun you have…everyone has to do it while they are here on holidays!  At the end of the day you return back, and compare stories of Adventure with freshly sliced tropical fruit and toasted sandwiches – perfect way to finish your afternoon. 

It would be great to experience it in the wet too, as it would be a completely different day.

Yvette - The Tour Specialists

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