Mid-Conference Field Trips
Day and half-day trips, Wednesday 12 July 2006
T1 Full Day Moore Reef Cruise AUD$175
T2 Day Dive Trip AUD$150
T3 Australia's wet tropical mangroves and bush tucker tour (full day) AUD$150 Bookings closed. T3 is fully subscribed
T4 Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve (full day) AUD$150
T4 is cancelled due to lack of numbers
T5 Ultimate Kuranda Experience (full day) AUD$150 adults; AUD$80 children
T6 Green Island Experimental Station (full day) AUD$150
T7 Wetlands of Tropical North Queensland (full day) AUD$150
T8 Rainforest & River Rafting Tour (full day) AUD$185
T9 Cairns Mangroves Tour (half day am) AUD$50
T10 Rehabilitation of a highly acidified and disturbed wetland with controlled title exchange (half day pm) AUD$100
T9 and T10 can be combined
Notes
1. Offshore trips during June and July can encounter strong winds and rough seas. Inshore trips should be considered for those prone to motion sickness.
2. Prices are based on group discounts. Some tours may be cancelled if registrations are insufficient.
3. Trip detail may vary in detail due to long lead times.
4. All trips are available to registrants, partners, friends and children.
5. All trips will depart from the front of the Cairns Convention Centre on Wednesday morning at their allocated time.
6. *Trips are given a rating of minimum age and degree of difficulty (on a scale of 5 - 1 easy to 5 difficult).
*Recommendation only: it is up to parents to assess each situation in regard to their children.
Partner Tours
As well as the trips arranged here, partners and families travelling with conference participants can take the opportunity to meet each other and participate as small groups on day and half day tours run out of Cairns. Registration is not required. Those interested should contact Sarah Thornton at the Australian Centre for Tropical Freshwater Research by email to register their interest.
(T1) Full Day Moore Reef Cruise
Moore Reef is one of the most popular outer reefs on Great Barrier Reef. Here you can get up close and personal with the amazing life under the sea. Your day includes a delicious buffet lunch, afternoon tea, guided coral viewing on the glass bottom boat and semi submersible boat. Not to forget all snorkelling equipment and the option of snorkel tours with Marine Naturalist. See www.sunlover.com.au for more detail on this trip.
Minimum age 0, difficulty 1.
Duration: 9.00 am - 5.30pm.
Cost: AUD$175
Numbers: 150 (Additional spaces if sufficient interest)
(T2) Day Dive Trip
Certified divers will be taken to the most spectacular sites for the maximum number of hours on the outer Great Barrier Reef. In a day you will visit two magnificent sites chosen as the day’s best from a range of 21 moorings. At any one site you may explore vast coral gardens, walls drop-offs, caverns and isolated pinnacles with an array of colourful marine life. With your diving gear and buffet lunch provided the only thing left to do is enjoy the magic of the Great Barrier Reef. See www.tusadive.com for more detail on this trip.
Minimum age 12, difficulty 3.
Duration: 8.00 am – 4.00 pm.
Cost: AUD$150 (includes 2 dives)
Numbers: 30
(T3) Australia’s Wet Tropical Mangroves and Bush Tucker Tour
Note: Bookings closed for this trip - it is fully subscribed (12/5/06)
Tour Leader: Dr Norm Duke, Mangrove Specialist with the University of Queensland
Bus from Cairns to Mosman Gorge (1 hr). A pleasant coastal drive after leaving the city and northern resort areas.
Kuku Yalandji Dreamtime Walk (1.5 hr tour). A local Australian aboriginal guide shows us traditional rainforest foods and medicines from plants along their home walking track – a bush tucker supermarket! The track is gentle and we do not cover much distance. It is shady and there are few, if any, biting insects or leaches during the Australian tropical winter. After the walk we are served traditional tea and damper, and if we are really lucky, a special didgeridoo recital. There might even be time for a swim in a refreshing mountain stream.
Bus from Mosman Gorge to Daintree (~30 mins). An interesting drive through sugarcane fields and wet tropical rainforest.
Daintree River Cruise Centre (1 hr). Lunch on the banks of the Daintree River estuary surrounded by the Wet Tropics Wilderness Area.
Daintree River (2-3 hr). Boat ride with Norm pointing out some special examples of the 30 mangrove species that make this river estuary unique in the world. Along the way, you will see plenty of locals, including bird life, and saltwater crocodiles – all from a safe distance.
Bus from Daintree to Cairns (1.5 hr).
What to bring: camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, local fauna and flora guides. We will arrange lunch and bug repellent.
Minimum age 9; difficulty 4.
Duration: 8.00am - 6.00pm
Cost: AUD$150
Numbers: 22 or 48 (bus capacity depending on interest)
(T4) Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve
Note: This trip has been cancelled because of insufficient bookings. 12/5/06
Just one hour from Cairns you will visit 5000 acres of savannas and wetlands, providing a sanctuary for much of Australia’s savanna and wetland flora and fauna, and cultural heritage. With a guided boat tour of Clancy’s lagoon, lunch on the timber deck and if you’re lucky you could even see a freshwater crocodile.
See www.mareebawetlands.com for more detail. Then spend two hours walking around the lovely rainforest town of Kuranda. You can visit the many tourist shops, visit bird and / or butterfly sanctuaries or take a walk through the rainforest to view the magnificent Baron Falls. At the end of the day take the Skyrail or train back to Cairns.
What to bring: camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, local fauna and flora guides. We will arrange lunch and bug repellent.
Minimum age 0; difficulty 1.
Duration: 9.00am - 5.00pm
Cost: AUD$150
Numbers: 50
(T5) Ultimate Kuranda Experience
Your day will start at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park - an entire park which been dedicated to preserving and presenting authentic Aboriginal Culture with the aid of the most modern technology. Australia’s most awarded attraction boasts five theatres, a traditional camp, museum and retail gallery. The park provides visitors with a complete and meaningful glimpse of a rich and ancient culture. See http://www.tjapukai.com.au for more details.
Lunch will be at the Boomerang Restaurant before you get on the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway - a unique rainforest experience - be carried over 7.5 kilometres of pristine rainforest in gondola cabins just a few metres above the canopy. Alight at Skyrail's two rainforest mid-stations to explore and learn more about this fascinating environment. The Skyrail will take you to Kuranda Village - more than just a village in the rainforest, it offers a multitude of attractions including the Heritage Markets, which operate 7 days a week, Birdworld, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary and Koala Gardens. You will have two hours to explore this wonderful village before your descend the mountain on the Kuranda Scenic Rail - a pioneering feat of yesteryear - on which you will travel through some of the oldest rainforest in the world, passing the spectacular Stoney Creek Falls and taking a break at the Barron Gorge for a photograph before continuing on to the historic station at Freshwater Connection.
Minimum age 0; difficulty 1.
Duration: 8.45am - 5.00pm
Cost: AUD$150 Adults, AUD$80 Children
Numbers: 50
(T6) Green Island Experimental Station
Take a visit out to the Queensland DPI and Fisheries field station on Green Island with Len McKenzie and Louise Johns. The island is a National Park just 45 minutes off shore from Cairns. It is a small coral cay of about 15 hectares surrounded by a coral reef, and an environmental heritage site.
Great day trip and lots of beautiful seagrass/reef tops and fish. Len McKenzie will be conducting a seagrass monitoring exercise and you will be welcome to assist or watch The island has a resort and we expect to stay the full day and explore the island. The island is surrounded by the
Marine
Park and a Scientific Research Zone and has been protected from fishing for many years. It can be enjoyed in all but extreme weather conditions. Specimen collection requires a permit.
What to bring: camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, local fauna and flora guides. We will arrange lunch and bug repellent.
Minimum age 5; difficulty 2.
Duration: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Cost: AUD$150
Numbers: 20 maximum
(T7) Wetlands of Tropical North Queensland
Led by Dave Hudson (Conservation Volunteers) and Vern Veitch (James Cook University), you will view wetlands of the Tully-Murray floodplain and the Russell River in the wettest area in Australia and hear how contemporary management is being implemented to ensure sustainable land use and ecological diversity.
Listen to the Traditional Owner perspective of changes to floodplain management and see how recent recognition of the importance of wetlands is rehabilitating the floodplain and protecting biodiversity. You will get a local perspective from various stakeholders on the challenges of maintaining ecological values and agricultural productivity in a wet tropical environment.
In the afternoon you will visit Eubenangee Swamp, a coastal billabong on the banks of the Alice River (tributary to the Russell River). Eubenangee features native birds, crocodiles and is important habitat for native fish species. For more information, visit: http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/publications?id=102 .
Coastal wetlands face management challenges of they are to maintain their ecological function. Visit these important wetlands which protect the pristine waters of the Great Barrier Reef. Costs include morning and afternoon tea and a light lunch.
What to bring: camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, local fauna and flora guides. We will arrange lunch and bug repellent.
Minimum age 9; difficulty 4.
Duration: 8.30am - 5.00pm
Cost: AUD$150
Numbers: 50
(T8) Rainforest & River Rafting Tour
This tour is for the fit and adventurous. With Extreme Team Rafting, you will white water raft down the wild rapids of the
Tully
River as it winds through the upper reaches of the rainforest lined Tully Gorge. After an invigorating raft down the river, enjoy a light lunch and listen to briefings on the vegetation, fish community (including the endemic Khaki Grunter) and invertebrates led by Niall Connolly. Native fish are abundant and easy to sight in the crystal clear waters. After the talks you get to do it all again on the lower rapids of the gorge.
What to bring & wear: Swimmers, complete change of dry clothes, towel, waterproof sunscreen, lace up sandshoes/reef sandals to wear in raft (hire shoes are available if you don't want your shoes getting wet), money for drinks & souvenirs, cap to wear under helmet (optional). Don’t forget the bug repellent.
We do not recommend wearing jewellery/watches when rafting as it is dangerous to do so. (If rings cannot be removed, they should be taped so that the risk of them becoming snagged and severing a finger is minimised.)
For more information on Extreme Team Rafting, see http://www.ragingthunder.com.au/rafting.asp
Minimum age 16; difficulty 5.
Duration: 0630 - 1830
Cost: AUD$185
Included is a levy from Raging Thunders of $25 comprising land management agency prescribed daily client fee, water release fee and part recovery of public risk insurance premiums and Government taxes.
Numbers: 34
(T9) Cairns Mangroves Tour
Start at conference centre with a short talk on mangrove management and protection in the city region by Rob Coles from Queensland’s Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries. Take the bus to the esplanade for a look at local development issues then visit the Airport Mangrove Boardwalk. Explore some of the city mangrove management sites and discuss management approaches and finish with a quick tour of the Northern Fisheries Centre Aquaculture Facility – tropical fish – lobster and beche–de–mer programs. Morning tea provided.
What to bring: camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, local fauna and flora guides. We will arrange lunch and bug repellent.
Note that this trip can be combined with T10 below (total cost $150).
Minimum age 5; difficulty 3.
Duration: 8.30am – 12.30pm
Cost: AUD$50
Numbers: 50
(T10) Rehabilitation of a highly acidified and disturbed wetland with controlled title exchange
Led by Col Ahern, the trip will involve a 45 min bus trip from Cairns to the East Trinity wetland site, travelling through cane fields and in the latter stage beside the steep ranges of the Grey Peaks NP and World Heritage Area. The East Trinity Remediation Site was drained some 30 years ago with a large seawall constructed (to cut off tidal influence) so that sugar cane could be cultivated. This was unsuccessful, due mainly to the fact that the soils contained iron sulfides which oxidised to produce large quantities of sulfuric acid and toxic soluble metals. The many resulting environmental effects included fish kills and habitat destruction.
After the site was abandoned for a period of time the State Government purchased it and embarked on a remediation of the acid sulfate soils and control of the toxic discharges into Trinity Inlet. Extensive scientific work (i.e. mapping program, digital elevation model, groundwater investigation etc) was conducted prior to commencing an innovative management program. In brief, the program involves reintroducing controlled tidal exchange on the site augmented by the addition of hydrated lime to neutralise the acidity and precipitate the toxic metals.
With the reintroduction of the controlled tidal regime and other management actions, the discharge water quality has largely been brought under control. Fish and biota are returning and mangroves are recolonising areas where the saline water has reached. The wetland areas are being populated by a large variety of birds. Specialised equipment for water treatment and monitoring will be demonstrated as part of the field trip
Note that this trip can be combined with T9 above.
What to bring: camera, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, local fauna and flora guides. We will arrange lunch and bug repellent.
Minimum age 9; difficulty 4.
Duration: 1300 to 1700.
Cost: AUD$100
Numbers: Multiples of 20 up to 60 maximum
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