Going Troppo

Blessed with some of Australia’s most important and treasured natural wonders, the Cairns region offers a wide variety of options for delegates who want to experience adventure and unique attractions.

Known as the place where rainforest meets reef, this part of the world has some of the oldest pockets of rainforest on earth – unchanged for more than 100 million years – as well as the aquatic wonders of the Great Barrier Reef.
The habitats that surround the Daintree River, Cape Tribulation and southern Wet Tropics Rainforest offer a breath of fresh air after the hard work of conferencing and can be enjoyed from the heights of the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, luxury 4WD or guided trek.

The azure waters of the reef – only an hour or so away by fast catamaran – are perfect for diving or snorkelling. As the world’s largest marine park, the Great Barrier Reef is the largest single collection of coral reefs in the world and is protected by its World Heritage listing.

>> Cairns & Port Douglas conference venues >> Cairns hotels

The Cairns region’s conference market was on a winning streak in 2005, with some of its major venues taking out accolades for their facilities, staff and service, while others have completed major refurbishment programs.

Following its 2004 title of World’s Best Congress Centre, the Cairns Convention Centre once again made it to the final three of the World’s Best Congress Centres for 2005.

The announcement by the General Assembly of the International Association of Congress Centres (AIPC) put Cairns in the same league as the other two finalists, Sophia Congress Centre in Bulgaria and Congress Innsbruck in Austria, and ahead of 142 venue members in 50 countries.

CCC managing director Geoff Donaghy says the centre set out to consistently deliver the standards of service clients would expect to find in the world’s major destinations. “Last year’s win confirmed the centre had reached that peak. Just as importantly, though, this year’s recognition acknowledges those world-class standards are being consistently maintained,” he says.

One of the newest luxury hotels in town, Shangri-La Hotel The Marina, Cairns won the award for Best Redeveloped Accommodation Hotel/Resort at the 2005 Queensland Hotel Association Awards for Excellence, and is now a finalist at the 2006 Australian Hotel Association Awards for Excellence.

The hotel and adjacent Pier shopping complex have been transformed by a $35 million makeover, including renovation of the lobby, guestrooms, restaurant and bar, and the addition of a Horizon Club Floor, which encompasses a lounge, business centre and 36 luxurious Horizon Club Rooms with water views.

“Receiving this honour just one year after launching our large-scale renovation is a significant milestone,” says hotel general manager Ed Brea.

Further renovations include an upgrade of the hotel’s 21 suites, a refurbishment of the ballroom, the addition of 500 square metres of meetings space, and in mid/late 2006, the hotel will debut Australia’s first CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La, the group’s signature spa brand.

In nearby Port Douglas, Radisson Treetops Resort & Spa has completed an $8.5 million enhancement program that has seen the creation of the resort’s new Treetops Life Spa (created in the former signature tree houses perched above the resort’s lagoon pool) and the opening of a new, purpose-built conference centre.

Since 1996, the resort has been popular with convention delegates. Built around a natural creek with waterlilies scattered along its length, the resort’s walkways, restaurants, rooms and suites are also surrounded by natural rainforest, and the canopy in the treetops is open over the free-form swimming pool.