Great Barrier Reef
Longer than China’s Great Wall and the only living thing visible from space, the Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world. Its 2,300km of coral stretches along the Queensland coast and makes for some of the most spectacular viewing imaginable.
Quicksilver Cruises offers day trips out to Green Island, or a floating pontoon on the reef for incentive groups. The package includes morning and afternoon teas on board, hot or cold lunch, all snorkelling equipment, an underwater observatory for fish and coral viewing, and fish feeding. The Quicksilver cruisers can be privately hired for groups of ten to 400 people.
www.quicksilver-cruises.com
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway
Starting 15 minutes’ drive from Cairns, the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway gondolas can be seen sailing above the rainforest-covered uplands to the hill town of Kuranda.
There are two stops on the 7.5-km run where groups can take a guided walk among 500-year-old Kauri pine trees and visit an interpretation centre to understand the mysteries of the World Heritage area, which contains one third of Australia’s plant species.
www.skyrail.com.au
Kuranda Scenic Railway (KSR)
This popular service is an essential experience for any incentive group to Cairns. Travel the
90-minute journey from Cairns in classic timber carriages. From Redlynch, the train climbs more than 300 metres in lush tropical rainforest up the valley of the Barron River, encompassing deep river gorges, rugged mountain ranges and spectacular waterfalls.
A highlight of the journey is the Stoney Creek Falls – the train crosses a bridge just in front of the falls offering great panoramas.
KSR can be privately hired for groups and the route offers an ideal spot for gala dinners.
www.kurandascenicrailway.com.au
Helicopter tours
If you are short on time or want an overview of North Queensland’s two World Heritage
Areas – the Reef and the Daintree Rainforest – a helicopter is the way to go.
In an hour-long scenic heli-tour leaving from Port Douglas, incentive groups can pack
in a sweeping flight over the Low Isles and the smaller reefs that make up the reef’s larger
ecosystem. The pilot will hover to see turtles and stingrays; stop-off at a pristine coral cay;
grant bird’s-eye views of Port Douglas and the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area; and fly
through Mossman Gorge.
www.gbrhelicopters.com.au
The best incentives in town
From the Great Barrier Reef to helicopter tours and scenic railway trips through the mountains
