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The Coral Sea Coast - Australia's most Spectacular
Coastal Ride |
1500ft ascent of rainforest-flanked Rex Range |
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Quiet backroads into Daintree Rainforest &
luxuriously secluded
swimming in Mossman River |
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Outback Hinterland |
CLICK HERE for full
info on this Ride |
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Twisty Gillies and
flowing Palmerston Ranges: A Motorcyclist's Natural High
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Cool 3000ft Cairns Highlands
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Lush Lowlands & swimming at cool, clear Josephine Falls/Babinda Boulders |
CLICK HERE for full
info on this Ride |
NL1: Full-day Northern Loop Ride:
Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas and Outback Hinterland
Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas, and Outback Hinterland
This ride threads north out of Cairns on The Captain Cook Highway - a scenic ribbon of road that bursts with vistas of rainforest-smothered peaks stacked atop lush cane fields.
The ride then gets phenomenally involving and scenic as riders tackle Australia's most stunning coastal road, drinking in endless Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef vistas en route to Port Douglas.
 Just a short drive north of the resort village at Palm Cove, the highway opens out to reveal sensational views of steep rainforest peaks tumbling down to meet lush strips of sand. A great place to stop and take in all this riotous beauty is the Ellis Beach Bar and Grill, a real coastal retreat beside tropic seas sizzling on an ivory carpet beach.
The gogglingly gorgeous views are not over yet though not by a long shot. Driving north from Ellis Beach to Rex Lookout, the highway really gets into its serpentine and scenic stride a cliff-hugging, swooping and meandering scribble of road that alternately plunges into tunnels of rainforest and bursts with blinding Coral Sea views. Simply sensational.
Time for a change of pace now, and to exchange excited breathlessness with a breathtaking luxury wilderness experience at Thala Beach Lodge, a snug retreat installed amid the feathery crowns of the coastal rainforest.
Morning tea is served amid the busy flittings of 34 varieties of butterflies including the electric blue Ulysses butterfly and Cairns Birdwing butterfly, as well as a rare parade of 101 species of birds including the White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Thala's mascot) and raucous flocks of exotic Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos.
 After refreshments in Port Douglas, it's time to hit the wide open road north to Mossman, where a dip (or a snorkel) in the cool, fresh, and deliciously drinkable waters of Mossman Gorge may be in order.
 Heading inland now, to the riot of tropical abundance that is the twisty Rex Range Highway, ascending to the cool curves of the Cairns Highlands. Time to get the bikes into their stride now through a succession of series of sweeping bends, leading to wide open termite mound-studded plains, red earth hills and eucalypts - and an inimitably Aussie bush experience.
 A hearty bush lunch is served at the National Hotel in Mount Molloy, a real 'Fair Dinkum' (honest to goodness) Aussie Outback hotel.
Then it's a cruise through Cairns Highlands sweepers en route to the Kuranda Range Road, where the going turns invitingly twisty again and a tunnel of richly complex rainforest envelops the road, delivering a feast for the senses - all the whoops, whistles, sweet aromas and visual feasts the Tropical North is famous for.
As the bikes descend the endlessly varied turns of the Kuranda Range, views of The Coral Sea and the Great Barrier Reef at Green Island flood the skyline as the city of Cairns comes into view, nestled between mountains at the head of Trinity Inlet.
Should you join us for this Full-Day Northern Loop Ride, no doubt your appetite will be whetted for another side to the Tropical North Queensland Riding Experience - our Full-Day Southern Loop Ride, as below. Alternatively, you could combine this Full-Day Northern Ride with our Full-Day Southern Ride and save money while experiencing all the thrills of this region, on our Two-Day Complete Tropical North Queensland Ride, as below.
Rates (all in Australian Dollars) for this one-day guided tour differ according to the model of bike hired, as per this schedule:
(Just click on the bike model links to find out more about them.)
Yamaha RD/RZ250LC YPVS: $270
Yamaha RD/RZ350LC YPVS: $285
Aprilia Pegaso Strada 650: $295
BMW R 1200 GS: $315
Unaccompanied pillion rate (Chauffeured Rides): $230. (Please note: this rate is valid ONLY when accompanying a guided tour. If no guided tours are going out on the day you want to ride pillion, a single supplement of $75 will apply.)
What's Included:
*Riding gear: Helmets, jackets, gloves
(We take cash, credit cards, traveller's cheques, and online payments.)
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CT1: Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation Ride:
Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest, Port Douglas, Cape Tribulation
 Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation
This ride threads north out of Cairns on The Captain Cook Highway - a scenic ribbon of road that bursts with vistas of rainforest-smothered peaks stacked atop lush cane fields.
The ride then gets phenomenally involving and scenic as riders tackle Australia's most stunning coastal road, drinking in endless Coral Sea and Great Barrier Reef vistas.
Just a short drive north of the resort village at Palm Cove, the highway opens out to reveal sensational views of steep rainforest peaks tumbling down to meet lush strips of sand. A great place to stop and take in all this riotous beauty is the Ellis Beach Bar and Grill, a real coastal retreat beside tropic seas sizzling on an ivory carpet beach.
The gogglingly gorgeous views are not over yet though not by a long shot. Driving north from Ellis Beach to Rex Lookout, (pictured above) the highway really gets into its serpentine and scenic stride a cliff-hugging, swooping and meandering scribble of road that alternately plunges into tunnels of rainforest and bursts with blinding Coral Sea views. Simply sensational.
Time for a change of pace now, and to exchange excited breathlessness with a breathtaking luxury wilderness experience at Thala Beach Lodge, a snug retreat installed amid the feathery crowns of the coastal rainforest.
Morning tea is served amid the busy flittings of 34 varieties of butterflies including the electric blue Ulysses butterfly and Cairns Birdwing butterfly, as well as a rare parade of 101 species of birds including the White-bellied Sea-Eagle (Thala's mascot) and raucous flocks of exotic Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos.
 Heading north into the heart of the World Heritage-Listed Daintree Rainforest now, and an unmistakeable feeling of frontier-exploring as you ride your bike onto the Daintree River Ferry - the gateway to the wilderness peninsula of Cape York.
With just enough time on hand to shoot some memorable photos and chat with fellow travellers, it's off at the northern side of the Daintree River - and time to plunge into the dense lushness of the Daintree Rainforest proper.
 The road to Cape Tribulation is undoubtedly THE highlight of any motorcycling journey in Tropical North Queensland.
 Cocooned by riotous growths of rainforest, it twists and winds and dips and climbs around giant buttress roots, thick glossy stands of fan palms, and over 600 varieties of rainforest foliage - a stunning feast for the senses.
 Everything you could ever want in a spectacular bike ride is here: tight twisty roads, wide open sweepers, massive mountain vistas, dozens of wooden bridges spanning cool clear rivers and at the end of it all, the spectacle of Cape Tribulation's ivory carpet beaches and
rainforest-smothered headlands.
 Should you join us for this Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation Ride, no doubt your appetite will be whetted for another side to the Tropical North Queensland Riding Experience - our Full-Day Southern Ride, as below. Alternatively, you could combine this Coral Sea, Daintree and Cape Tribulation Ride with our Full-day Southern Ride and save money while experiencing all the thrills of this region, on our Two-Day Coral Sea Coast,
Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation
and Cairns Highlands Loop , as below.
Rates (all in Australian Dollars) for this one-day guided tour differ according to the model of bike hired, as per this schedule:
(Just click on the bike model links to find out more about them.)
Yamaha RD/RZ250LC YPVS: $270
Yamaha RD/RZ350LC YPVS: $285
Aprilia Pegaso Strada 650: $295
BMW R 1200 GS: $315
Unaccompanied pillion rate (Chauffeured Rides): $230. (Please note: this rate is valid ONLY when accompanying a guided tour. If no guided tours are going out on the day you want to ride pillion, a single supplement of $75 will apply.)
What's Included:
*Riding gear: Helmets, jackets, gloves
(We take cash, credit cards, traveller's cheques, and online payments.)
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SL1: Full-day Southern Loop Ride:
Gillies and Palmerston Ranges, Cairns Highlands, High Peak Country, Lush Lowlands
Gillies and Palmerston Ranges, Cairns Highlands, High Peak Country, Lush Lowlands
For a total immersion' Tropical North Queensland experience, just ride into the sky and the beautiful matrix of rolling country roads that is the Cairns Highlands - on The Gillies Highway as it ascends from dense, moist lowland rainforest to cool, high cloud rainforest and a natural tropical high.
 The Gillies Highway
The Gillies Highway has achieved legendary status both through its infamy as a tortuous, single-lane goat track in the 1920s, to its current exalted status as Tropical North Queensland's most involving and varied mountain ride. The Gillies', as locals refer to it, sweeps in wide, generous arcs beside the perennial Mulgrave River, flanked by the perfect volcanic cone of 922m (3000ft.) Walsh's Pyramid and the massive flanks of 1258m (4126ft.) Mount Massey.
After a pit stop/refreshment stop at the Mountain View Hotel at the base of the Gillies - and perhaps a dip in the adjacent Mulgrave River - the Gillies twists and winds up the steep flanks of Lamb Range, climbing 900 metres (2950ft.) in altitude in 258 turns over 19km (12 miles), affording eagle-eye views of Queensland's highest mountain chain in the Bellenden Ker National Park.
In fact, the lushly rainforested peaks of Bellenden Ker (1593 metres/5225 ft) and Bartle Frere (1622 metres/5320 ft) are the highest free-standing peaks in Australia; rising abruptly as they do from cane fields on the coastal plain. Nearby Walsh's Pyramid
(922 m, 3026 ft), an almost perfect volcanic cone,
is the tallest free-standing pyramid in the world.
 The Cairns Highlands
After summiting the Gillies, twisty mountain roads open out to the exhilarating sweepers, cool rainforest tunnels and wide, fast roads of The Cairns Highlands.
This a vast matrix of rolling country roads presents a feast of touring options, making it possible to take a different route almost every trip.
However, firm favourites among visiting riders include the Millaa Millaa 'waterfall circuit' (pictured at left) and the unfettered sweepers of East Evelyn Road en route to Ravenshoe, which at over 3000 ft is Queensland's highest town.
 Back down to the coastal plain now, via The Palmerston Highway - a big bike rider's dream ride of great sweeping high-speed bends flanked by rich, dense rainforest. The sensation of pure speed is intoxicating; luxurious; pure motorcycling enrapture.
 Energetic riders can take hikes through rainforest trails along the way to access waterfalls, rivers and creeks - where there are ample opportunities to swim in pure sweet tropical streams, in enviable seclusion.
 High Peak Country
After the high jinks of the mountain range roads, now it's time to thread along the Bruce Highway alongside the highest mountain flanks in Australia - the 5500ft. rainforest-smothered Bellenden Ker and Bartle Frere mountain ranges in the World Heritage-listed Wooroonooran National Park.
The sheer size of these peaks becomes apparent when reeling them in while riding toward ever-welcome swimming holes at their feet - the crystal-clear rockpools at Josephine Falls and cool calm tranquility of The Boulders at Babinda.
Afternoon tea is served at Babinda while riders and passengers enjoy hearty Aussie hospitality while recounting the day's great riding moments. From Babinda the party rides the remaining 60km (40 miles) along the Bruce Highway to Cairns, flanked on both sides by lush, blinding green rainforested ranges.
Should you join us for this Full-Day Southern Loop Ride, no doubt your appetite will be whetted for another side to the Tropical North Queensland Riding Experience - our Full-day Northern Loop Ride, as above. Another option is to go for our Coral Sea Coast, Daintree
Rainforest & Cape Tribulation Ride.
You could combine the Southern Loop Ride with our Full-Day Northern Ride and save money while experiencing all the thrills of this region, on our Two-Day Coral Sea Coast, Cairns Highlands & Outback, as below. Alternatively, you can combine this Southern Loop Ride with our Coral Sea Coast, Daintree Rainforest & Cape Tribulation Ride, on our Two-Day Coral Sea Coast,
Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation
and Cairns Highlands Loop.
Rates (all in Australian Dollars) for this one-day guided tour differ according to the model of bike hired, as per this schedule:
(Just click on the bike model links to find out more about them.)
Yamaha RD/RZ250LC YPVS: $270
Yamaha RD/RZ350LC YPVS: $285
Aprilia Pegaso Strada 650: $295
BMW R 1200 GS: $315
Unaccompanied pillion rate (Chauffeured Rides): $230. (Please note: this rate is valid ONLY when accompanying a guided tour. If no guided tours are going out on the day you want to ride pillion, a single supplement of $75 will apply.)
What's Included:
*Riding gear: Helmets, jackets, gloves
(We take cash, credit cards, traveller's cheques, and online payments.)
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Tel. (In Australia): 0427 774 285
Tel. (Outside Australia): (+6142) 7 774 285 |
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