Cairns or Port Douglas

[alam555]

My wife and I are planning my first trip to australia(alongwith our 3 young kids). Obviously the great barrier reef is a priority. Should we stay in Cairns or Port Douglas OR should we fly direct to Whitsunday Island and stay there? My wife and kids snorkel, but I am on the only diver in the family thus far.

We will also be travelling to Fiji afterwards and I hope to dive there as well.

I am an advanced diver.

suggestions, advice, appreciated.

thank you

 

[WanderingGal]

Hi alam555, I spent a year living abroad in Oz, with 3 of those months in Port Douglas. I absolutely LOVE it as compared to Cairns. I dove in both areas and had similar and enjoyable experiences in both locations - great vis, comfortable temperatures, similar marine life (but watch out for those jellies!) In Port Douglas I reccomend Calypso Dive Shop. Had a couple friends that worked there and I loved the staff! Personally, I found Port Douglas a more enjoyable place to spend time - cute little beach town, can walk or ride bikes pretty everywhere, family friendly, fun shops, great weather. Cairns is a typical "bigger city", much busier - malls, big stores, major hotels, etc. Just depends on what you're looking for Hope this helps.

 

[tracy_from_oz]

G day

Do a thread search under Cairns and you will find one here in the Australian section which has a ton of things to do in Cairns and Port Douglas.

I like Cairns over Port. Ive lived in both and liked Cairns better as after a day of diving there were things to do where Port can be very quiet at night etc.
Both can get you out to the reef so that isnt a problem.

If your the only diver and the rest snorkel check out Great Barrier Reef Cruises & Tours - Quicksilver Cruises Port Douglas & Cairns
They have different options and everyone can go diving or snorkeling etc.

I like staying in Cairns more then Port based on there are a lot more things to do, which when travelling with family is a great asset.

 

[Cnz Diver]

Hi Alam555,

I live in Cairns and you will find a much wider range of trips from Cairns to the reef, than from Port Douglas.

As Tracey said there is more things to do from Cairns and at the day tours are all based from Cairns, many people say Cairns is very touristy but that because people love it.

I would suggest looking at Reef Magic Cruises as they have a pontoon or if the kids are good swimmers look at passions of paradise as they do go to one of the islands off Cairns.

Anyway I hope you choose Cairns the diving is heaps better.

 

[Aquapro Dive Services]

Have to agree with Tracy and Cnz. I also live and work in Cairns, and not meaning to be biased, but if you want to chill on the beach and enjoy small sea side town (really only one stret of shops) than Port is the go. Bit for more variety and bit bigger assortment of shops and night life (very little on Port but with kids you may be OK with that) in Cairns.

But for the kids more in Cairns too.

Not sure how old your kids are, but for the little ones there is the lagoon and Muddies water park. If a bit older there is cable skiing and a lot more trips to choose from. Cairns is more like a hub to stay and venture out to do trips.

Cnz divers advice on Reedf Magic was spot on and I would also recomend them (few more details here Cairns Day Diving Trips With Reef Magic To Marine World On The Great Barrier Reef)

If you are staying in Port and want to go to the Reef look at Poseidon Port Douglas Day Trip Diving With Poseidon To The Great Barrier Reef

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Cairns Discount Dive And Snorkel Trips. Live Aboard And Day Trips To The Great Barrier Reef

 

[alam555]

thank you all for the great advice. I think I will stay at Cairns and that should keep the family busy while I am out diving. My kids are young (9, 4, 1). I am hoping to get the 9yr old in surfing or scuba lessons this time around.

One last question please: Any suggestions on the Whitsunday Island? is it better to stay right on the island near the reef?

thank you

 

[vladimir]

If your the only diver and the rest snorkel check out Great Barrier Reef Cruises & Tours - Quicksilver Cruises Port Douglas & Cairns
They have different options and everyone can go diving or snorkeling etc.

Quicksilver runs a huge catamaran out to the reef, with perhaps a hundred passengers or more, most of them snorkelers. The divers are organized into one or two teams of perhaps a dozen or more. The whole reef looks like the set of Thunderball, with so many divers in the water, snorkelers on the surface, and a glass-bottomed boat puttering around. At least that's the dive day I had with them, quite some time ago. Nothing wrong with that, I guess, if that's what you want. It seems to be a well-run operation and would probably be a good way to get a mixed group of snorkelers and diver onto the reef at the same time. For me, though, it is the antithesis of what I look for in a dive day, the quintessential cattle boat, and I would look for other, smaller operations.

 

[Ghanguss]

Agree with all thats been said.

One thing about cairns is there are no surf beaches. Not sure about port, although I think there are some.

 

[KY]

umm Port Douglas hands down...

Cairns is a sh'yte town that unless you are a backpacker with pheremons, has absolutly no appeal at all...

At least Port douglas has nice rain forest close by!!!!

As for surfing up there,, ha ha,, you kidding me right?? excluding the jelly's, the barrier reef kinda prevents any surfing. You've got to head down to the gold coast..

You not thought about spending some time around the Sunshine coast?? sailing the whitsundays? diving the barrier reef of lady musgrove? learning to surf in malloolaba? going to the theme parks on the Sunshine coast??

TAD better imho than Cairns...

 

[KY]

ohh and can i say, the further south you go on the barrier the better it becomes. The worse reef is off Cairns and Port D......