AUSTRALASIA QUEENSLAND DESTINATIONS T


here’s a scarlet sky overhead, and all around


me, nature’s orchestra is tuning up, preparing to fill the balmy night with its mesmerising sounds. Rattles, calls and hisses echo


through the sultry air of the rainforest, as creatures of all shapes and sizes emerge from their hiding places. As I round the corner, the silhouette of a group of wallabies comes into focus, gracefully poised for a twilight adventure. I reach my home for the night, a luxurious wooden bungalow set in these verdant surroundings, with the gentle


rustle of the rainforest ready to lull me into a deep sleep. Rich in natural wonders, there


are few places in the world where your senses can indulge quite so much as in Tropical North Queensland. I’m lucky enough to be exploring all this with a group of agents, together embarking on an epic adventure along Australia’s coast.


w NATURE’S SPLENDOUR Here, nature is king, demanding respect as well as wonder. Snakes slither through the forest, spiders make their homes in the trees and crocodiles lurk under pristine waters – though there’s


plenty of friendlier fauna too, so don’t let nature-loving clients miss out. They can experience back-


to-back bucket-list adventures here, not least at the Great Barrier Reef, the major magnet for the region, where an ethereal, underwater world is revealed in all its beauty. While Cairns is the classic


gateway to the reef, we travelled north to the small and intimate resort of Port Douglas. From here, we went on a full-day excursion with local provider Quicksilver. Arriving at the pontoon moored in the outer reef,


I anxiously pulled on my reassuringly named ‘stinger suit.’ This protects head to toe against the lethal sting of the box jellyfish, whose venom is among the deadliest in the world. The floating activity platform has been designed with a range of abilities in mind. There are several scuba and snorkelling expeditions, as well as roped areas for visitors who wish to explore independently. Once I ventured below the


surface, I discovered why this place is so deserving of its World Heritage Status. Vivid coral morphed into a multi-layered, subterranean city, while stripy


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