Quickies Issue # 902, Winter 2009

The first Cairns and Great Barrier Reef specialist travel shop in Beijing has been officially opened with leading Chinese travel agent CYTS.

While this is the 11th Cairns and Great Barrier Reef themed travel shop now in mainland China, this is a very special one - being the first to be opened in Northern China. The previously themed shops are located in the Southern mainland Guangzhou province and Shanghai.

Present at the official opening, Quicksilver Group Managing Director Tony Baker, thanked CYTS for joining in this exciting venture to bring together the biggest and best range of quality options for Chinese tourists visiting Tropical North Queensland.

“Our aim is to ensure your customers have the very best experiences through our wide range of reef products and quality touring and accommodation options available in the Cairns region.”

Joining Great Adventures and the Quicksilver Group in the new Beijing Shop initiative are Hot Air Balloooning, Blazing Saddles, Seawalker @ Green Island, Scuba Doo, GBR Helicopter Group, Rydges Hotel Group Cairns and the Parker Travel Collection.

It is with a great deal of pride that the Quicksilver Group was awarded both Australian and Queensland Tourism Marketing Awards in recognition of efforts in promoting Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef region through these innovative branded retail shops in mainland China.

We look forward to meeting with many of our friends and colleagues in Melbourne soon at ATE. We will be participating in the Eastern Module from 13-15 June and the Western Module from 16 – 19 June. Pop in to catch up on the latest product news about our wonderful range of reef experiences, or just to say hello! Visit us at the Queensland Stand.

Quicksilver is celebrating a major milestone of 30 years since commencing the first cruise to the idyllic Low Isles in 1979. Throughout the decades, our modes of transport to the island (and even sarong styles!) have changed, as seen in some of the earlier photos, but the appeal and natural beauty of this picturesque coral island remains unchanged. Quicksilver’s 30 metre luxury sailing catamaran, Wavedancer, sets sail daily from Port Douglas to Low Isles » Read full story

We’re pleased to report that a turtle the Quicksilver crew recently assisted in rescuing is recovering well, albeit a long rehabilitation ahead. The adult Hawksbill turtle was observed by the Silversonic crew as they were departing Dixon Inlet in Port Douglas for the Outer Reef. The crew alerted our Marine Biologists to assist the turtle near Sugar Wharf that was in difficulty. Our Reef Biosearch team led by Alex Lowe and Operations Duty Manager, Lucas Agrums leapt into a Quicksilver tender » Read full story

Whale season is now with us. Russell Hore, Quicksilver’s Reef Biosearch Manager and Marine Biologist Erica Larson tell us of an amazing whale encounter while snorkelling with passengers at Agincourt Reef...

As Erica guided the small group of intrepid snorkellers along the reef wall, she suddenly paused and indicated to the group to remain motionless, and listen. » Read full story

Passengers travelling aboard Silver Series’ adventure dive and snorkel vessels, Silversonic and Silverswift, now have the option to assist in reducing the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment through a voluntary donation initiative. Quicksilver’s Environment and Compliance Manager Doug Baird said a recent survey of passengers travelling aboard these vessels showed that they would support such an initiative. » Read full story

Green Island Resort’s eco-sensitive practices have again been recognised and is a finalist in the “Best Environmental Practice” category in the 2009 Australian Hotels Association National Awards for Excellence. Green Island Resort previously won this category in the Queensland Hotels Association Awards for Excellence in recognition of commitment to environmental practices including energy efficiency, water, recycling and waste management. » Read full story

With our day cruises now available to be booked directly online with our Group Booking System, there’s been the added bonus for our local agents using the system with some fabulous nights at Green Island Resort to be won. Congratulations to our recent winners, Raelene from Mandalay Apartments in Port Douglas and Jo from Travstar.

The Great Barrier Reef is a photographer’s delight - a visual feast of colour amid corals and the greatest diversity of marine life anywhere in the world. Here are a few tips from the Indepth photo crew to help you capture your memories » Read the Tips

The annual Port Douglas Reef and Rainforest Carnivale from 22 – 31 May was a huge success, celebrating life in our tropical paradise. With this year’s theme being “Icons of Douglas” and Quickie celebrating 30 years, it was only fitting that our entry in the street parade was lead by some of our fabulous crew to the sounds of the song “Celebrate” and a Quicksilver coach following behind! » Read the full Story

Great Adventures annual Green Island Family Day is set for Sunday June 28. An ongoing community event for over 10 years, Cairns locals are invited to enjoy discounted fares and a day of tropical island fun activities. The day also raises funds for local charities through the entertaining beach volleyball challenge. » More Information

Stay tuned for the date claimer for our annual Great Adventures Green Island Ocean Swim. Once again the 1.5km and 3km swims will take place on the leeward side of the island. More information will be available on the Quicksilver Group website in coming weeks.

Alicia Quinn

Alicia Quinn is our new Quicksilver Cruises Sales Executive in Cairns and Northern Beaches.

Alicia can be contacted at [email protected]

Dave Iles

Dave Iles takes on a new role as the Sales Executive for Silver Series. Dave has been a dive instructor aboard our adventure dive and snorkel vessel Silversonic for the past two years and is looking forward to meeting everyone in the Port Douglas and Cairns market in his new role.

Dave can be contacted at [email protected]

Thank you for making our day out on the reef an excellent day! Our trip was faultless. Lunch was fantastic and really tasty and the crew very helpful and friendly. A great day was had by every one we spoke to on the day. The scuba-doo was a big hit and highlight of our day. We wanted to do it again, but unfortunately time beat us! We also enjoyed the underwater observatory and learning about the fish and their behaviours. We highly recommend this tour to anyone thinking of going to Cairns on holiday.

Thanks again for a great day
The Deans, Melbourne

There is nothing like seeing a graceful marine turtle in the wild. Did you know the Great Barrier Reef is home to six of the world�s seven species of marine turtles? This includes the common Green, the small omnivorous Hawksbill, and the increasingly rare Loggerhead turtles.

Turtles are air breathing reptiles that have adapted to live in the ocean. When feeding they can hold their breath for about 20 minutes, but if sleeping they can remain underwater for about one hour. In the pristine environment of the outer barrier reef, turtles can be observed daily, gliding gracefully through the blue waters and island cays such as Low Isles and Green Island. This amazing experience can continue if we all continue to treat the environment with respect, and ensure the survival of these ancient creatures.

It was a picture perfect day on Low Isles for 34 Korean 'bloggers', part of a media group from Samsung Korea, to experience this beautiful Great Barrier Reef Island.

Part of a famil organised by Samsung, in conjunction with Cathy Pacific, Tourism Queensland and TTNQ, it was a wonderful event to showcase our natural wonder. Images taken in the TNQ region will be added to the Samsung Korea website image library and anyone applying for a card can select the image of their choice to be used on their personal card. The promotion will target the 10 million Samsung card holders and the bloggers will feature on a variety of websites.

The winner of Tourism Queensland's "World’s Best Job", Ben Southall from the UK, will be arriving at Green Island Resort in mid July to experience and participate in a number of island activities. We look forward to welcoming Ben to beautiful Green Island from where he will be 'blogging' the world!

One of the stars of the movie "Twilight", Kellan Lutz, recently experienced a day of diving at Agincourt Reef aboard Silversonic.

Michael Kasprowicz

Former Australian test cricket player, Michael Kasprowicz and family enjoyed a relaxing day on Wavedancer and Low Isles.

All new product vision of our range of reef cruises and Green Island Resort will be available and online at respective websites in the coming weeks.