Welcome to our Winter issue of Quickies

2024 is certainly a year of milestones!

Quicksilver is celebrating 45 years since inception, starting the first commercial cruise to the idyllic Low Isles off the coast of Port Douglas, meanwhile Great Adventures is celebrating 100 years of cruising to beautiful Green Island from Cairns!

From starting with a single reef vessel in 1979, Quicksilver has evolved into the highly sophisticated, diversified group it is today; recognised as Australia’s leading Great Barrier Reef cruise operator with a wonderful collection of multi-award winning experiences.

Great Adventures’ history can be traced back over a century, growing from a small family operation with the pioneering Hayles Family, when they commenced a ferry service between Townsville and Magnetic Island in 1890. The first Green Island ferry service, and what was to become the forerunner to Great Adventures some 64 years later, was established in 1924.

With one of the world's seven natural wonders as our home, Nature has always been at Quicksilver's heart and our ultimate goal continues for our guests to leave us as ambassadors for reef protection and preservation.

We hope you enjoy the photo gallery of a little trip down memory lane.

Fun fact! 

The world’s first glass bottom boat was launched at Green Island in 1937 by Hayles. It was a simple small wooden dinghy with glass floats overhanging the sides. By 1948 a more modern version of the glass bottom boat was introduced with glass panels inserted into the floorboards.

Quicksilver V, one of the Quicksilver Group’s premier wavepiercing catamarans has powered back to work showcasing the Great Barrier Reef following an extensive refit with new generation sustainable fuel engines.

Buffed and shining new, the 39 metre aluminium catamaran returned to service in May after almost three months completing the $2 million refit with twin Rolls-Royce mtu 2000 series marine engines which are capable of using renewable fuels.

“This has been an enormous undertaking led by our Quicksilver engineering team and is the culmination of over 18 months planning since the engines were ordered in October 2022,” said Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director.

“Despite facing challenges including the impact of Tropical Cyclone Jasper and subsequent flooding which delayed the installation of the engines, the expertise of the team and local contractors has resulted in a vessel of exceptional performance and a major asset as we strive to deliver a more sustainable future.

While HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) fuels are not yet commercially available in Australia, the new engine technology is already achieving notable reduction in fuel consumption by 10%.”

In addition to new engines and gearboxes, modifications to the wheelhouse included installation of an advanced monitoring control system with touch screen panels and access to real time data from the entire propulsion plant.

The vessel performed even better than projected during commissioning sea trials achieving a top speed of 30.2 knots. With onboard comforts, Quicksilver V will economically cruise around 24 knots on her 90 minute journey to the spectacular Agincourt Reef, adjacent to Australia’s Continental Shelf.

Quicksilver has previously retrofitted four Rolls-Royce mtu 16V2000M72 commercial marine engines into the company’s flagship 45 metre Quicksilver VIII.  These  engines supplied by Penske Australia have received a clean fuel certification for HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) and other EN15940 fuels (synthetically produced diesel fuels) which have demonstrated up to 90% CO2 emissions reduction. When the HVO fuel becomes commercially available in Australia, the company’s fleet will be ready to lead the way with these environmentally-friendly, sustainable fuels.

Main photo, pictured from left are Quicksilver crew Eliza Bajorek, Jordan Scott and Emma Sebastyan.

Launched 18 months ago, the Quicksilver Group was one of 26 operators to provide important reef protection and conservation services at high-value tourism sites along the GBR and our achievements as an industry have been nothing short of outstanding.

With our experienced Reef Biosearch marine biologists and dive teams leading the charge, Quicksilver’s efforts have been concentrated on our extensive network of reef sites spanning from the Agincourt Reefs north of Port Douglas to Moore Reef east of Cairns.

• We’ve made over 450 site visits dedicated to stewardship initiatives
• Conducted over 700 Eye on the Reef surveys
• Taken over 13,000 photo point survey images
• Removed over 70,000 Drupella (coral predators) 
• Phew!

Check out the video story highlights to learn more about our achievements and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s Tourism Reef Protection Initiative.

The Tourism Reef Protection Initiative is funded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australian  Government's Reef Protection Package. © Commonwealth of Australia (GBRMPA)

From employing solar energy on a rainforest covered island to innovative waste management practices turning food waste into organic fertiliser, Green Island Resort has taken out top honours for “Best Environment and Energy Efficiency Practise” in the 2024 Queensland Hotels Association Awards for Excellence.

“This award recognises Green Island Resort’s long-term commitment to sustainability and environmental practises while delivering an exceptional guest experience in a very unique location,” said Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director.

As a 46-room boutique eco resort, Green Island Resort's commitment to minimising environmental impact extends beyond its accommodation on this popular Great Barrier Reef island. This includes providing sustainable off-grid essential services such as tertiary sewage treatment, desalination and power plants to service the island’s other facilities, and public facilities for day visitors.

Accepting the award at the gala presentation in Brisbane, Green Island Resort General Manager Sue O’Donnell said, “We’re absolutely thrilled to receive this award. We work and live in an amazing World Heritage environment and are very proud of what we do to protect this very special place for now and future generations.”

Being a rainforest-covered island, implementing solar power presented challenges however this is now successfully generating up to one-quarter of all island energy needs and has allowed us to downsize and reduce demand for diesel generated power.

“We offer our guests ‘back-of-house’ tours and they are blown away with the infrastructure in such a small footprint and also with our diligence to waste management. Guests can even take a sample bag of our “Green Island Green Thumb Organic Fertiliser” produced by the food digester.”

Our staff have championed many innovative initiatives including upcycling salvaged timber decking and turning it into a breakfast bar, buffet servery and shelving in the Restaurant bar.

In so many ways, from new generation power technologies, waste practices and guest engagement activities, everyone contributes to ensure we’re following best practice and this award is testament to our staff dedication.”

Green Island Resort will now represent Queensland in the Australian Hotel Industry Awards to be held in November 2024.

New for Great Adventures' Green Island cruises, a wonderful addition of marine biologist activities are now complementing day visitor’s island and reef experiences daily.

The Reef Biosearch team have introduced an informative reef talk and island walk, as well as a guided offshore snorkel tour. Visitors can also stop by the island Information Counter for a chat!

11:30am: Informal Reef Talk Presentation – FREE!

12:00: Island Walk – FREE!

1:00pm & 2:30pm: Guided Boat Snorkel Trip (costs apply)

The boat snorkel trip takes you to one of a selection of beautiful sites about 5 minutes offshore. The fully guided tour caters to experience and ability. Our marine biologists know all the best spots and will reveal so much more about the island reef environment and marine life before your eyes.

Holidaying on a beautiful Great Barrier Reef island just got even better! For the eco warrior to just plain family fun, guests at Green Island Resort can now enjoy daily, and exclusive, a fabulous range of complimentary marine biologist guided activities, showcasing the beauty of Green Island above and below the waterline. 

From the “clean and green island walk” to a “reef resilience glass bottom boat tour” and informal reef talk presentation, the daily eco activities are led by a Reef Biosearch marine biologist and form part of the resort’s educational and guest activity programme highlighting sustainability initiatives.

Daily Marine Biologist Guest Activity Schedule...

Monday, Thursday and Sunday: Reef Resilience Glass Bottom Boat Tour

This eco tour will takes guests on a special glass bottom boat tour to learn about the Reef and how we care for our environment including a coral restoration project being undertaken at an island dive and snorkel site. 

Tuesday and Friday: Reef Talk Presentation

This is an informal presentation and a great way to learn about the Great Barrier Reef and gain an appreciation of why it’s so special.

Wednesday and Saturday: Clean and Green Island Eco Walk

This guided walk takes guests from the rainforest to the beach learning about Green Island’s history, biology and ecology and how we strive to protect it. Guests can also participate with an innovative Little Hero Beach Hand Bin to help keep the island free from litter.

For that extra special personalised experience, Quicksilver Dive offer private guided diving, for the novice through to the experienced diver.

It’s a great way to make sure you get the best out of your trip to the Great Barrier Reef. The service is available for guests onboard Quicksilver’s Outer Reef Cruise, Silversonic and Poseidon dive and snorkel trips.

Quicksilver Dive’s team of knowledgeable dive instructors know the Agincourt ribbon reef sites intimately and will customise your experience based on your skill level and what you’d like to see.

For those wanting the same personalised experience but lack dive certification, private guided introductory dives are also available. 

To celebrate World Oceans Day (8 June) and the global Coralpalooza™ event, some of the Reef Biosearch team spent the day underwater gardening! They outplanted hundreds of coral fragments recruited from the coral nursery at our Moore Reef platform. 

Coralpalooza™ is the biggest international day of collaborative action for coral reefs and building resilience to climate change. This is the second year Australian operators have participated in the event, partnered by The Great Barrier Reef Foundation and Coral Nurture Program with the aim to assist recovery and research at high-value reef locations.

It's always a wonderful time to visit the Great Barrier Reef but the tropical Winter warmth and whale season just make it that little bit more special!

Whale season has kicked off with the arrival of the minke whales, our first sightings with Pro Dive Cairns 3Day/2Night liveaboard trip at Milln Reef. We'll soon be expecting their bigger cousins, the humpbacks, as they make their way up the east coast for their annual GBR holiday.

They never fail to put on a show and create a very special experience for customers lucky enough to spot them during our reef trips.

Humpbacks are generally seen on the Great Barrier Reef between the months of June to September with regular sightings at the Outer Reefs, bringing an added bonus for passengers at this time.

Humpback whales regularly migrate from Antarctic waters along the east coast of Australia every winter to the warmer waters of the Great Barrier Reef to breed and calve. They are easily identified by having extremely large pectoral fins (their scientific name is Megaptera, which literally means giant wing), and scalloped flukes. They grow up to approximately 16 metres in length, weighing in at 30-50 tonnes. Male humpbacks produce “songs”, which are believed to attract females at mating times.

Our Port Douglas based dive and snorkel vessels, Silversonic and Poseidon, both have special permits allowing our guests to swim with the inquisitive dwarf minke whales if encountered. While never guaranteed, from our experience, July to September is the peak season to see minkes as they frequent the Agincourt ribbon reefs.

Founded back in 1986, Reef Biosearch is the Quicksilver Group’s pioneering environmental division of marine biologists and Master Reef Guides.

Their goal has always been to combine tourism, education and research, while highlighting our passion and commitment to the future sustainability of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area we are lucky to visit.

All these years later their guiding philosophy remains the same; environmental awareness and conservation starts with education.

With a team of over 20 university educated marine biologists, you can meet them on our Port Douglas and Cairns tourism products, as well as dedicated activities for Green Island Resort and Pro Dive Cairns, The Reef Biosearch team have also been spearheading our involvement in GBRMPA’s Tourism Reef Protection Initiative. (more in this issue of Quickies)

Check out the new Reef Biosearch website to see what they’ve been up to and meet the team members. The site is also a great information resource for a variety of marine critters!

 Fun Fact!

Reef Biosearch has the longest ongoing logbook of marine observations on the Reef and evolved into GBRMPA’s Eye on the Reef program.

As part of the Australian Tourism Export Council’s (ATEC) Explore North Queensland trade engagement event, we were delighted to host leading inbound tour operators to experience a fabulous day snorkelling with Quicksilver’s Outer Reef Cruise.

We were also delighted to showcase a day aboard Siversonic for Trailfinders UK, experiencing introductory diving at the spectacular Agincourt ribbon reefs.

Wackadoo! With Tourism Events Queensland's new global campaign, Queensland is Blueys world for real life, this little one got into the spirit of "Keepy Uppy" on Green Island! 

With the global phenomenon that the beloved children’s character Bluey is, we look forward to welcoming you to experience our beautiful part of Bluey’s world for real soon!

The Reef Biosearch team are our fantastic band of marine biologsts and Master Reef Guides that guests can meet each day on our range of wonderful reef experiences.

With vast and broad experiences, they are united in their passion for educating and protecting the Grreat Barrier Reef! 

Meet some of the team