Tropical North Queensland is a region known for its natural beauty and superb beaches and is the only place in the world where two World Heritage Sites meet – the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest. In this feature, we take a look at some of the new hotels opening and launches, along with some of the significant events taking place in 2024.
New Hotel Openings & Launches in Tropical North Queensland for 2024
The Elandra Mission Beach Now Open
Introduced to the world in 2008 under the creative direction of the legendary Grace Jones, The Elandra Mission Beach has been reimagined and is now reopening after a multi-million dollar restoration.
A stunning boutique resort in the heart of Tropical North Queensland, The Elandra takes its place on a clifftop location offering breathtaking views of nearby Dunk, Bedarra and Hinchinbrook Islands with the Great Barrier Reef on the horizon.
Hidden in 15 acres of private tropical rainforest, 20 boutique designer resort rooms are accompanied by an open-terrace restaurant and bar, along with a spectacular pool. The Elandra offers a private tropical escape of pure barefoot luxury with rooms from $475 (approx £245) per night, including daily breakfast.
Mt. Mulligan Lodge to reopen on 1st March 2024
After a five-month seasonal closure and refurbishment, Mt. Mulligan Lodge will reopen on 1 March 2024 with a brand new spa tent. Located a 3-hour drive or 30-minute helicopter from Cairns, Mt Mulligan Lodge sits at the foot of the 18 km escarpment of stunning Mount Mulligan and provides luxury outback accommodation in its spacious outback tents, retreats, rooms, suites and pavilions.
Located on a 70,000-acre private property, guests can experience the daily operations of a working Australian cattle station or explore on their own with plenty to choose from. Activities include guided tours of the goldfields, fishing, kayaking, nature walks and discovering the property by ATV bike.
This all-inclusive lodge also has an infinity pool, sunset bar and outdoor bathtubs in all accommodations, allowing guests to relax in true Tropical North Queensland nature.
Rates from $1,320 (approx £670) for two guests per night, inclusive of three gourmet meals daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner), select drinks, a complimentary mini-bar, daily curated Mt. Mulligan experience, free use of kayaks & SUP boards, yoga mats and ATV bikes.
New Sleep Retreat at The Reef House
Following the 2023 launch of the Sleep Easy programme – a scientific guide for more restful sleep – The Reef House Boutique Hotel and Spa in Tropical North Queensland has announced a new Sleep Retreat programme.
Taking place between 2-13 February, the Sleep Retreat Master Class at The Reef House will see PhD sleep scientist and author of the Reef House Sleep Easy Guide, Sabine Christelli, lead 40-minute master classes twice a day and private sessions at half an hour each.
The adults-only wellness resort curates Sleep Retreat packages and created the Sleep Support Guide in 2023, which provides guests access to the Reef House’s Sleep Easy Guest Portal – an online selection of blogs, videos, music playlists and audio files to help guests achieve the perfect night’s sleep.
A 3-night Sleep Retreat package costs A$1699 (approx £885) per person, based on two people sharing a Verandah King Room, and includes breakfast, a 3-course dinner, A$100 spa credit, unlimited group sessions, two private sessions, sleep support guide and Sleep Portal access, nightly punch and canapes.
‘Night at the Aquarium’ launches in Cairns
The Cairns Aquarium has developed “Night at the Aquarium” – a new guided tour to witness the region’s aquatic life in its rarely-seen nocturnal state.
By the light of infra-red and ultraviolet spectrum lighting, visitors are taken through 10 tropical ecosystems, including the ‘river systems’ zone, home to specialised electro-sensory adaptations of freshwater catfish, eels, and whiptail rays, through a recreated tropical rainforest zone, where visitors learn about heat detecting pits on pythons’ lower jaws that act as ‘night vision goggles’ to detect the heat signature given off by warm-blooded rodents.
The next stop is the stunning Great Barrier Reef zone, where you can witness deep sea corals mixing chemicals within their bodies to create living lights or bioluminescence before ending with the spectacular Coral Sea Oceanarium exhibit. Here, resident shark species use perfect nighttime vision and hypersensitive electrical impulse detectors to sense and hunt prey in the darkest ocean depths.
The hour-and-a-half tour can be followed by a two-course dinner in the Aquarium’s aquatic-themed Dundee’s restaurant. The Night at the Aquarium tour costs A$79 (approx £40) or A$139 (approx £70) per adult inclusive of dinner. Child rates are A$49 and A$69, respectively (approx £25 and £35.
Help a turtle on Fitzroy Island
Australia’s Fitzroy Island Resort is now offering guests the opportunity to help care for injured turtles and assist with monitoring the Great Barrier Reef as part of a new citizen science programme.
The property, located in Tropical North Queensland, is the first to offer guests a behind-the-scenes hands-on experience at the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre (CTRC), where they will help care for the sea turtles and assist with the Reef Restoration Foundation’s coral restoration work.
The Great Barrier Reef is home to six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles, and the CTRC cares for any injured patients, a number of whom suffer from floating syndrome as a result of human action – including nylon wrapping or microplastic ingestion.
Fitzroy Island Resort is considered a leader in the field of protecting the coral reef and its inhabitants. The full-day experience includes careful involvement in the coral nursery project, which is developing coral restoration on the reef.
Cairns International Airport upgrade
Cairns Airport International Terminal is undergoing a major upgrade, with phase one expected to be complete in mid-2024. The redevelopment includes a complete refurbishment of the check-in, arrivals and departures areas, including four new glass airbridges.
Phase two, taking place over the next year until 2025, will see an overhaul and expansion of the arrival areas to increase capacity. The terminal will be transformed into a contemporary space that reflects the dynamic atmosphere of Tropical North Queensland, and it is the first major upgrade of the building since it opened more than 30 years ago.
What’s Happening – Don’t Miss In 2024
There’s something for every day of the year in Tropical North Queensland; we’ve selected just some of the not-to-miss events taking place throughout 2024. A full events calendar can be found here.
Feast of the Senses Festival – 24 March
A foodie feast centred around Innisfail in the beautiful Cassowary Coast region, The Feast of the Senses showcases Tropical North Queensland’s vibrant variety of exotic fruit, local produce and delicious seafood and meats.
Food events, farm trails, cooking competitions, and a huge market day extravaganza complete the proceedings. FYI – The Feast of the Senses is now the Guinness World Record holder for the World’s Longest Banana Split recorded at 8,040 metres.
Outback Rock and Blues Festival – 26-28 April
The Undara Outback Rock and Blues weekend in April plays host to three separate shows over three days and is known as the biggest ‘little’ festival in the outback. Outback Rock and Blues is an amazing weekend of music and mates in one of Tropical North Queensland’s most unique locations – Undara Experience.
Gregory River Saddles and Paddles Race – 4-5 May
Held annually on the first weekend in May, the 100-year-old Gregory Downs club in Tropical North Queensland’s Gulf Savannah plays host to this 40km (25-mile) race.
The Saddles and Paddles all-encompassing event includes luncheons, fashions on the field, dinners, music, family-friendly fun and, of course, the racing. The event has two distances: an 18-kilometre recreational race and the marathon 40-kilometre race. Both races are open to all types of kayaks in teams or individuals.
ECOfiesta Cairns – 2 June
The ECOfiesta Cairns is a new event celebrating the natural environment and sustainable living in Tropical North Queensland.
The event is the only one of its kind in the state and is held on the doorstep of two World Heritage areas – the Great Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics Rainforest.
ECOfiesta is a music festival, a food festival, a children’s festival and an environmental exhibition all rolled into one, where visitors can enjoy hands-on workshops and hear more about green-tech and sustainable living solutions alongside a dedicated children’s programme, local street eats and ecotourism prizes.
Humpback and Dwarf Minke whale watching – July & August
Dwarf minke whales gather for only six weeks each year, and July and August are the prime months for sightings on Tropical North Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. This rare encounter is limited to a few hundred people annually.
Boating excursions from Cairns or Port Douglas provide the best opportunity to see humpback and dwarf minkewhales in the outer reef. Alternatively, a liveaboard experience offers an extended chance to swim and interact with dwarf minke whales over several days. Humpback whales have a lengthier migration period and can often be seen between June and October.
Shine on Gimuy: First Nations Festival – October
The second annual Shine on Gimuy First Nations event will take place in October, bringing a spectacular art display to the Gimuy (Cairns) waterfront. Taking place in October 2024, Shine on Gimuy is a 10-day programme enlisting over 70 local artists and led by Indigenous creative and cultural guides to share the region’s powerful First Nations stories, arts and cultures.
The inaugural 2023 multi-artform programme saw Cairns glow with light shows, soundscapes, art installations, ‘Deep Wisdom’ talks, and musical performances that capture 60,000 years of history, science, tradition, and storytelling.
The Gimuy Art Story Walk comprised light installations of Shields and Swords, Fever of Stingrays, Saltwater and Blaktivation. Artworks and displays will feature the language, stories, chants and songs from the rich Indigenous oral history of the region, providing a poignant experience of the First Nations people of Gimuy (Cairns).
November & December – Coral Spawning Night Tours
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef’s beautiful mass coral spawning is due to take place in November and early December 2024. New for 2023, new evening tours allow visitors the chance to see it for themselves.
An eruption that lasts for 20-30 minutes, the spawning is the entire Great Barrier Reef’s coral polyps simultaneously releasing egg and sperm bundles that they’ve spent months growing into the ocean for external fertilisation.
The underwater spectacle resembles the inside of a snow globe, and now divers and snorkellers can choose from a variety of operators offering tours during the spawning for an incredible view and experience. Most tours depart from Cairns in Tropical North Queensland and range from evening only to 3-day liveaboard options.
For more information on the region and detailed information on the latest openings, launches and events, visit www.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au.
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