Australia, Down Under

On diving the Great Barrier Reef, it was music to our ears when the owners returned from their dives proclaiming ‘the best dive of my life’ on a number of occasions….

The Great Barrier Reef is alive and well!

SYGGBR provides a one-stop-shop destination with fantastic cultural and in-water experiences.  It has great cruising grounds between the Great Barrier Reef and the Whitsunday’s, it’s a definite on the list for any superyachts travelling to Queensland.

Being a part of the recent famil opened my eyes to see the natural beauty of what Australia has to offer and to encourage international superyacht owners, captain’s and crews to voyage down under to witness it with their own eyes.

What a wonderful experience in Australia. You showed me that I can provide a fantastic experience for our yacht guests and crew, as well as provide our yacht with all the needed maintenance.

Discovering the incredible GBR region has been a revelation! Australia and Tahiti are at both end of the South Pacific and we have strong common bonds: UNESCO biospheres, incredible coral reefs and marine life – ocean conservation is a priority, UNESCO world heritage sites, fabulous food, safe and secluded cruising grounds as well as a network of experienced professionals ensuring visiting yachts will have the best possible time. The South Pacific and Australia are definitely appearing on more and more owners’ bucket list and for the right reasons.

Participating in the 2019 Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef Famil has been such a rewarding experience. All aspects of the Famil were so well thought out with purpose and reason. I loved how the delegates had various backgrounds and I felt that together, with all of the experiences, and all of the learning opportunities, we were each pieces of a marvelous puzzle and it all made sense. It was eye opening, fun, and intriguing. It made me see the Great Barrier Reef with new eyes, and I can’t wait to go back!

This was, by far, the most incredible famil trip I have ever had the pleasure to be invited on. The planning was meticulous from beginning to end with every possible angle or opportunity considered to make our experience as exceptional as possible. The Great Barrier Reef is an inspirational region, with an abundance of natural wonders to offer – from the reef to the rainforest – but also an inviting infrastructure that is positively working towards making it the pinnacle of yachting destinations. The enthusiasm of everyone that we met to communicate the beauty of the area and to truly educate with ocean conservation in mind was unrivaled. The passion is real, the experience was life-affirming, and I came away completely motivated to do all I can to ensure that the truth about the Great Barrier Reef is conveyed, understood and, of course, enjoyed!

We felt that The Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef is one of the best organised yachting associations we have come across in Asia Pacific, with very pro-active management, great marketing and active members as well. Joanne kindly brought us into contact with a large number of the members resulting in many meetings and we met even more during the Nautical Nights, the Associations’ monthly get together. 

 To us as outsiders it was fantastic to see so many highly qualified companies and individuals offering their services to superyachts visiting the region. We are impressed with Cairns as a destination and as a stepping stone to the Great Barrier Reef and Papua New Guinea. The captains and crew we interviewed were without exception very positive about the variety and quality of the services available. For them a reason to recommend the area to other captains and for us to list quite a few of the companies in our Australian Special Edition of the Superyacht Services Guide with captain recommend services. 

Cairns is a fantastic location for superyachts to visit, whether it as base to further explore the beautiful barrier reef or just to replenish stocks needed for the next voyage. There are excellent provisioning options, great places for guests and crew to visit, tantalizing local cuisine and lively local bars and restaurants.

If any maintenance or repairs are needed, the local tradesmen are of the best I have worked with and the standard of workmanship is very high. Service in this region is excellent and people are incredibly friendly, I look forward to being back soon!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank and commend the Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef for their great work in organizing and promoting the professional Super Yacht Industry in North East Australia. Their effort make cruising the area a lot easier and give a Captain peace of mind knowing that businesses operating within the Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef are familiar with our needs and understand the quality and standards required to operate a Super Yacht.

I would not hesitate to recommend any of the Super Yacht Group Great Barrier Reef Businesses to any Cruising Super Yacht planning to visit the Great Barrier Reef Region.

From myself as well as the rest of the Ethereal crew here, to you and the entire group there, thank you very much! We all had a great time, met some very interesting characters/crew, as well as meeting and getting to know a few more of your Group.

I’ll also take this opportunity to point out how much more Super Yacht friendly Cairns has become even since my last visit here just under 4 years ago. My plain of reference encompasses almost 15 years of visits to Cairns and in that time Cairns has made great strides in the services available as well as the performance of those services.

Having visited so many typical cruising and home port destinations, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef is like the industry’s New Superyacht Frontier! Wonderfully wild surroundings, friendly, cuddly and not so cuddly locals, incredible and vast cruising grounds and an emerging and passionate infrastructure that delivers a ‘Can Do’ attitude to any visiting Superyacht – It’s Wild, it’s Wonderful and it’s definitely Worth the journey!

I had the pleasure of visiting Cairns, courtesy of the Super Yacht Group, Great Barrier Reef in May 2016. Cairns has excellent facility for superyachts. Marlin Marina, steps away from CBD and 10 minutes from the airport, has accommodated various yachts above 100m. For repair facilities, there are a few yards in Cairns including BSE Slipway, Norship Marine and skilled local tradesmen that could handle the demand of superyachts. With her proximity to South East Asia, Cairns is the gateway to Great Barrier Reef and an ideal stop for yachts heading to and from South Pacific.

I would not hesitate to recommend my clients to visit Cairns.

We decided to haul out in Cairns which was very successful.

We spent the most divine five days at Lizard Island. I snorkelled everyday and walked along all the beaches, we really fell in love with the whole area.

I recently visited Cairns and was stunned at the world class superyacht infrastructure and services that are available in this fabulous place. Cairns has a rich maritime history and this is no more apparent than when dealing with the local industry leaders, who are highly knowledgable about our industry and the needs of owners, guests, yachts, captains and crew.

Cairns is clearly the gateway linking Asia and Australia, but in addition is a terrific destination in its own right. It is the perfect place for owners and guests to fly in and join a yacht for cruising the Great Barrier Reef and visit local destinations to the North and South. This place has world class shipyards that easily rival any yacht repair facility in Europe and the USA, probably the best maritime school I have ever had the privilege to visit, plus every service ashore that a superyacht would need to prepare for guests to join, to lay up for regulator crew maintenance, or to do major yard periods.

It is easy to see why Cairns is fast becoming known as the logical hub for superyachts travelling this region, and I was continually impressed during my entire visit. I can’t wait to come back!