Queensland + Great Barrier Reef

Midway through our Australian trip we ventured north to Carins and Port Douglas in Queensland. Our first day in Port Douglas we went on a Great Barrier Reef snorkeling tour. I knew that Maddie would be sea sick (this happened the prior year on the ferry in Capri, Italy) but I was unprepared for the rest of us to become sea sick as well. My advise, take Dramamine even if you've never been sea sick. It's a long ride to the GBR.

The snorkeling was fantastic, the tour guides were so informative and friendly. The provided lunch and snacks were delicious. I would absolutely recommend the Calypso Great Barrier Reef tour and would do it again with my family. We each brought a change of clothes and wet bags, showers were on board as well as changing rooms.

We stayed at the Sheraton Grand Mirage in Port Douglas right on Four Mile Beach. The beach was breathtaking, the Sheraton had a lot of pools and spaces for our kids to play while we lazily watched on. We also learned about ghost crabs, which eat small critters in the sand and leave behind discarded sand balls on the surface.