TNQ Writer
For international travellers, there is something wonderfully novel about watching the sun rise over the ocean. For Australians, it may be par for the course, but add golden beaches, nocturnal wildlife settling in for the day and a tropical landscape waking around you, and there is plenty of incentive to set the alarm. Here are nine reasons to become a morning person, at least temporarily.
1. Jump into your day by skydiving at sunrise
Skydiving over Cairns
Skydiving over Cairns
Skydive Cairns
Skydive Cairns
There is waking up early, and then there is starting your morning several thousand feet above the ground. Most of us have seen a sunrise from a plane, you know the ones, where the sky turns brilliant orange and you cannot stop looking out the window. Now imagine jumping out into it. Skydive Australia offers Australia’s only sunrise skydiving experience, with that golden-hour view changing by the second as a patchwork of rainforest, coastline and Coral Sea becomes a whole lot less distant. By mid-morning, you are back on solid ground with the whole day ahead of you. Once your heart rate returns to normal, that is.
2. Float in a hot-air balloon over the Atherton Tablelands
Hot-air balloon over the Atherton Tablelands
Hot-air balloon over the Atherton Tablelands
Hot-air balloon over the Atherton Tablelands
Hot-air balloon over the Atherton Tablelands
Hot-air balloon at sunrise
Hot-air balloon at sunrise
Wallabies, kookaburras and cockatoos are probably not what you associate with a hot air balloon experience, but this is the Atherton Tablelands. Think year-round sunshine, big blue skies, endless countryside and, yes, a bird’s-eye view of some of Australia’s most iconic wildlife. As you float silently above the landscape with Hot Air Balloon Cairns, keep watch for wallabies and birds in the tree canopies.
With no engine noise, between blasts of the burner you can even hear birds calling and even cattle in the paddocks below. The pilot uses those bursts of heat to control altitude, taking you higher for sweeping views or lower over the countryside, so the perspective is constantly changing. Hot Air operates year-round with the option to upgrade to the VIP experience, which will have tucking into breakfast at Palm Cove’s famed Nu Nu’s all before 9am.
3. Wake up on the Great Barrier Reef
Pro Dive liveaboard
Pro Dive liveaboard
Spirit of Freedom
Spirit of Freedom
Wildlife in the reef at sunrise
Wildlife in the reef at sunrise
There is something pretty special about waking up on the Great Barrier Reef. Slip into the water for an early dive or snorkel and you are there as the reef wakes up. Depending on the season, those incredible underwater moments can include dwarf minke whales, humpback whales and even coral spawning. The other bonus of staying aboard is time. Liveaboards travel between multiple sites, giving you more opportunities to experience different parts of the Great Barrier Reef and see what happens when you stick around a little longer.
Pro Dive Cairns gets divers into the water from 6.30 am on its three-day, two-night liveaboard, exploring 19 sites across Flynn, Thetford, Milln and Pellowe reefs. Reef Encounter offers its first dive or snorkel session at 6.15 am across a rotating selection of Outer Reef sites. Further north, Mike Ball Dive Expeditions and Spirit of Freedom venture to the Ribbon Reefs and Cod Hole, with some itineraries continuing into the outer Coral Sea.
4. Break the dawn with a sunrise hike
Summit at Fitzroy Island, sunrise views
Summit at Fitzroy Island, sunrise views
Flagstaff Hill lookout
Flagstaff Hill lookout
Red Arrow lookout
Red Arrow lookout
Mount Bartle Frere sunrise views
Mount Bartle Frere sunrise views
If you prefer to earn your sunrise, Tropical North Queensland has plenty of trails worth tackling in the early hours. From a quick pre-breakfast lap to spending the night on a mountain, how hard you work for your sunrise is entirely up to you.
On Fitzroy Island, make your way to the lighthouse or climb higher for incredible views. In Port Douglas, the Flagstaff Hill Walking Trail delivers sunrise views over Four Mile Beach, while in Cairns, the Red Arrow is an easy-to-access local favourite for an early morning climb that rewards all those stairs with views over the city.
Then there is Mount Bartle Frere. At 1622m, Queensland’s highest mountain takes considerably more commitment. Make it an overnight hike and wake early to catch sunrise from the mountain before beginning the journey back down.
5. Watch the outback wake
Mount Mulligan
At Mount Mulligan Lodge, luxury starts well before breakfast. Make the most of every hour at this remote outback retreat with the Sunrise Splendour experience, setting off by ATV through Savannah country as first light reaches Ngarrabullgan (Mount Mulligan) and the Hodgkinson Valley shifts through shades of red and orange. Stop at a secluded vantage point to watch the sun appear, before coffee at Geraldine Lookout and birdwatching at Lake Geraldine. Then it is back to the lodge for breakfast, with most of the day still ahead of you.
6. Surf the sky
Morning Glory at Burketown
Some sunrises come with a cloud or two. This one comes with a cloud that can stretch for hundreds of kilometres. The Morning Glory is a rare weather phenomenon that rolls across the Gulf Country like a giant tube in the sky, sometimes stretching up to 1,000km long and travelling at speeds of up to 60km per hour. Burketown is renowned as one of the most reliable places in the world to see it, with your best chance from September to mid-November, when it can appear around sunrise before disappearing as the morning warms. Watch from the ground, take a scenic flight or, for the seriously adventurous, join the glider pilots who travel from around the world to ‘surf’ the atmospheric wave it creates.
7. Watch the rainforest change shifts
Cape Tribulation Daintree
Cape Tribulation Daintree
Mountains in the Daintree
Mountains in the Daintree
Sunrise over the horizon is only half the show in the Daintree, where the Great Barrier Reef meets World Heritage-listed rainforest dating back 180 million years. But look away from the horizon and there is plenty happening under the rainforest canopy. Head out on a private early morning crocodile and wildlife cruise and you might spot Scarface or one of the Daintree River’s other well-known resident crocodiles cruising home after a busy night, while flying foxes return to roost and the rainforest’s daytime residents begin to stir. Early mornings also bring plenty of birdlife, from great-billed herons to Papuan frogmouths. This is the Daintree between shifts, and it is worth setting the alarm for.
8. Stretch, float or paddle into the day
The Reef House sunrise yoga
The Reef House sunrise yoga
Crystalbrook Riley sunrise yoga
Crystalbrook Riley sunrise yoga
There are two ways to do sunrise at Palm Cove – zen or with a paddle in your hands. Roll out a yoga mat beneath the palms with The Reef House and start the morning with beachfront yoga as the sun rises over one of Australia’s most beautiful beaches.
Or swap downward dog for a double kayak and head out with Pacific Watersports on its Sunrise Kayak Turtle Tour. Setting off from Palm Cove Beach, paddle towards Double Island Reef as the sun comes up, keeping watch for green and hawksbill turtles, rays and birdlife along the way. There is even time to explore the mangroves and Double Island before pointing the kayak back towards Palm Cove.
In Cairns, Crystalbrook Riley and Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Port Douglas take morning yoga off the mat altogether with an Aqua Sculpt Floating Yoga session, which has guests stretching, flowing and attempting to balance on a floating board in the pool.
