Queensland's cheap public transport - Go Card Senior

It even comes with a card wallet and instruction leaflet

Our Senior Go Cards just arrived in the mail. Couldn't have easier.
My wife and I are living in Melbourne, Victoria. We plan to use public transport in Brisbane when we visit next month. We applied online, citing our Victorian Seniors Card numbers. The system in Sydney is more complicated and your Opal Card (Senior) only last 2 months for interstate visitors.
The card is free (you pay $10, but the $5 deposit is refundable and the card comes with $5 of pre-stored value).
You can use the card for 50% off travel on trains, buses, light rail (new Gold Coast link) and Brisbane River ferries/Citycats. If you travel off-peak ( between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., after 7 p.m. on weekdays and all on weekends) it is a further 20% discount.
You can use the card in Queensland tourist areas (Sunshine Coast and Cairns). Once you get your card (posted to any state or territory in Australia within 10 business days,) you can register online for auto top-ups. Validity of the Go Card Senior is 10 years. Queensland is certainly tourist-friendly.

Go to translink.com.au

Comfortable train journey to Brisbane from Varsity Lakes (closest station to Gold Coast Airport). Easy bus transfer from airport (Route 760).

City Cat ferry - great way to explore Brisbane 

You can travel to all stops on the Brisbane River for around $1.30 (round trip, if you stay on board). The red "City Hopper" ferry (limited stops) is a free service.

City Cat interior

Fitzroy Island National Park, see the Great Barrier Reef, without the crowds

Nudey Beach
Image courtesy: tripadvisor.com.au

Fitzroy Island - less tourists. only 45 minutes from Cairns by boat, possessing one of Australia's (largely unknown) beaches.

While boatloads head off to Green Island and pontoons further out on the Great Barrier Reef, Fitzroy Island is quiet and full of surprises. No wonder it's a National Park.

I stupidly left my camera at the hotel. The journey (by Fast Cat) is interesting as it follows the scenic, untouched Queensland coast before heading across to Fitzroy Island.

A spectacular rainforest bushwalk (one of several self-guided trails) leads you to Nudey Beach (not a nudist beach). It is only 20 minute walk from the central dock (Welcome Bay). The coral reef is only metres off the beach. There is also good snorkelling in Welcome Bay. 

If you don't swim, you can take a glass bottom boat tour or visit the turtle rehabilitation centre (organised tour only).

For bushwalkers there is a more challenging circuit trail to the summit and lighthouse (perfect for a full day visit). 

There is a resort (looked 3 star, not that flash) on the island if you want to stay longer.

I only stayed for a few hours (1:30 p.m. boat from Cairns, departing Fitzroy Island at 5 p.m.) but had enough time for lots of snorkelling (coral gardens - brain coral, staghorn, etc, clam, stingray, parrot fish) and a leisurely walk and another snorkel at Nudey Beach.

For more info: fitzroyislandcairns.com

Qantas Domestic Business Class Review MEL-CRN

The Melbourne-Cairns run still uses the aging Boeing 737-800. Cloth seats, no personal TV screens, no USB plug, no Streaming. Yes, I know Qantas are progressively refurbishing these aircraft, but this is no consolation if you have to fly on that leg.

Check out breakfast below. Poached eggs (a brave choice, as a soft poached egg can be a rare thing), kale with the texture of slime, dried up mushrooms and stodgy vegetables on the side. Yum. You used to get toast on Air New Zealand Business. Those were the days.

With dated interiors, fittings and the one way price of AUD$1040, you expect something better. No wonder most passengers are using reward points redemption, Frequent Flyer upgrades or travelling on an expense account.

Don't get me started about the number of Economy Class passengers who nip through the curtains to use the toilets up front.

Yikes! What be this?

The sign should say: "Economy Class, I'm Free"

Welcome to the 1990's 

Holloways Beach, Cairn's best kept secret

Paradise on a budget.

Just 11 km from Cairns CBD, $3.10 on a public bus (Translink, Route 120), you could be in the middle of nowhere, but this is 10 minutes from an international airport. Free electric barbecues line the foreshore with shelters, drinking water and seating. The bus stop (Oleander Street) is 2 minutes walk from the beach. Stinger (e.g. poisonous Box Jellyfish) nets are installed for bathers from Nov-April.

NB.

You cannot swim in central Cairns due to the tidal nature of the area. There is a huge artificial lagoon (free) on the foreshore, Cairns Esplanade.

Looking north

Looking south, toward Cairns

You can bodysurf in Far North Queensland!

Clifton Beach 24 km north of Cairns

Kewarra Beach, 20 km north of Cairns

Far North Queensland beaches usually have little or no waves (there's a big bloody Barrier Reef out there). But around June/July you get some nice waves on the Northern Beaches (Palm Cove, Clifton Beach, Kewarra Beach). No one is in the water, even though it's warm (around 26 degrees C). Why loll around a resort pool, listening to screaming kids?
Ignore the beach signs, the locals do. Stinger (e.g. Box Jellyfish) Season is roughly October to May. Stay clear of waterways near the mangroves (saltwater crocs).
It's so easy to get from Cairns to the Northern Beaches. The public Cairns bus (Translink) costs $5.50 one way. Comfortable, reliable and half-hour service during weekdays.

This sign greets you at the beach entrance (Pullman Sea Temple, Palm Cove, 26 km from Cairns)

The cheapest transport in Cairns - Sunbus to Palm Cove

Background: My Australian family visits Queensland each year.

Palm Cove is closer to Cairns than the over-rated Port Douglas, with lots more charm.

Leaving from Lake Street (CBD), you can catch a 110/111 bus to Palm Cove (26 km) for $5.50 for one adult, one way ($2.70 Seniors/Concession).
You might want to use the day pass option, so you can hop on and off the bus, tour all the Northern Beaches, Cairns Zoo, Botanical Gardens/rainforest walks, shop at Smithfield Shopping Mall on the way to Northern Beaches (Palm Cove,Clifton Beach, Trinity Beach, Kewarra Beach, Yorkey's Knob).

Punctual service, friendly drivers, download timetable: Sunbus.com.au website.

If arriving at the airport (6km from CBD) and there is at least 2 of you, I'd grab a taxi to Cairns. Only 10 minutes, taxi fare $20-$30.

Cairns Botanical Gardens/Red Arrow Track