My Frankland Island adventure began where we boarded an air-conditioned coach, which picked me up at 10 past 7 in the morning from my accommodation in Cairns. We began our journey travelling south down to Deeral, which is about a 45-minute drive. Once we arrived we hopped on board the boat and cruised down the calm waters of Mulgrave River.
The Mulgrave river was where you can spot crocs as you head out the mouth of the river, I was lucky enough to spot the first crocodile of the trip. After an early morning wake up I enjoyed a nice big cup of coffee, which is complimentary and much needed. As we made our way out to the sea we were surrounded by beautiful rainforests and mangroves.
Arriving at the island
Next you arrive at Frankland Island and step out on the beautiful sandy beach. The staff were super helpful and were very knowledgeable of the island. They handed us our snorkelling gear and we got straight out there to explore the waters. There were so many beautiful different kinds of fish I even saw a starfish, but I was most excited when I saw the clown fish because it reminded me of the movie Finding Nemo. Then we were given the option to continue snorkelling or jump on the glass bottom boat to explore further around the Island.
Frankland island Glass bottom boat
Everyone jumped on the glass bottom boat and we headed out further to the other side of the island. The boat was really cool as we all looked through the bottom you could see heaps of marine wildlife and swimming around. We all jumped off the boat to snorkel back through all the coral back to the island.
Lunch time
As you get back lunch is ready for you to enjoy under a nice shaded spot with plenty of food to feed an army. They had cold meats, salad, bread rolls and even prawns which was a huge surprise as I love prawns. They even spoiled us with dessert which was a nice big platter of fruits. After lunch you have some free time to do, well whatever you want.
Exploring
In my free time I went back in the water to snorkel more as there was just so much I still wanted to see before the day ended. I almost joined a school of tropical fish as I was so surrounded I think they wanted to take me in as one of their own. I loved how this tour had so much free time, we had around 4 hours, so you could really take your time and enjoy such a beautiful place and not feel at all rushed.
After that, one of the crew take you on an Island walk which I highly recommend doing. It was guided by a marine biologist and master reef guide, so they really knew what they were talking about. It was an interactive walk throughout the island where we saw different wildlife, walked through rock pools and the rainforest.
Time to go
We all headed back on the boat back through the beautiful waters. And got another chance at spotting some more crocs. We got some afternoon tea and enjoyed it as the sun was starting to set. And then we arrived back, and all jumped onto the coach. Was a nice 45 min drive back to Cairns, where we could relax in the cool bus. And make our way back to our accommodation.
The whole day was amazing from start to finish and I never felt like I missed out on seeing anything. I couldn’t recommend this tour enough, for more reasons than one. Like having a tour guide with great knowledge of the island, more food than I could eat, beautiful views and so much marine/wildlife.
Looking for some other great trips with this company? Checkout their Outer Reef trips adventures.
