#CAIRNS SLIPWAYS UPGRADE#
#CAIRNS SLIPWAYS PLUS#

#CAIRNS SLIPWAYS UPGRADE#

Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef superyachtgroup.Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP and Federal Member for Leichhardt Warren Entsch today announced the delivery of the Coalition’s election commitment to provide $24 million toward the upgrade of the Cairns Marine Precinct. “They’re keen to see the parts of the world that aren’t the traditional cruising grounds.” More so, Millett says, they want to be “the only boat in the bay and enjoy what our natural environment has to offer.” “A growing number of wealthy individuals don’t just want to be sitting at the likes of Monaco or on the Riviera,” he notes.

#CAIRNS SLIPWAYS PLUS#

She notes “mind-blowing diving and snorkeling sites,” for instance, plus “every piece of infrastructure you could need.” The international airport and the South Pacific’s largest mobile boat hoist, both in Cairns, are part of that infrastructure.īill Millett, a Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef board member, believes Australia’s relative isolation is a huge draw as well. Drake additionally expects post-COVID visits to double. Specifically, the sites are the Great Barrier Reef and the Wet Tropics Rainforest. “We have the only place where two World Heritage Sites meet,” notes Joanne Drake, Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef’s manager. Therefore, more visits and longer stays are possible.Ĭairns is particularly a busy Australian superyacht port. Plus, the Group has a new cruising itinerary from Cairns to Tasmania. Therefore, more Great Barrier Reef anchorages exist. “Some are up to 500 to 600 feet and worth half a billion dollars.”įurther helping, Australia has relaxed foreign-flagged charter regulations. “We’ve gone from superyachts of 50 to 60 meters to megayachts and gigayachts,” he notes. James says the Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef’s efforts have paid off. The ensuing years saw suitable marinas and more infrastructures develop, further with government support. PHOTO: courtesy Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef With the help of captains and crew keen to show off their homes, they lured yachts Down Under. “Going south of the equator was like going to the dark side of the moon for them,” he explains. They’d heard of the Great Barrier Reef and Sydney, James says, but not Cairns and Queensland. After a while, American and European owners warmed up to learning more. “We had to give it that Australian theme,” Smith says.

They further handed out boxes of Vegemite, bottles of Bundaberg rum, and other tastes of home to the Aussie crews they encountered. James and Smith pounded the docks at the Monaco Yacht Show as well as at marinas throughout Europe. “We established Cairns as the South Pacific superyacht hub,” James says of his and Smith’s efforts. Cairns Slipways already had large-yacht refit business, but wanted more, too. The duo-Ley as manager of Cairns Slipways, and Smith as owner of Cairns Wholesale Paints-formed the group to promote it. Two Cairns yachting executives, Ley James and Stewart Smith, believed the Great Barrier Reef belongs on superyacht itineraries. It all started in the months prior to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Over the past 21 years, the Superyacht Group Great Barrier Reef and its principle destination of Cairns have gone from fledglings to specialists. Add in two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the privacy that comes from seclusion, and solid yachting infrastructure, and even more will visit. It’s no surprise that yacht owners and guests prioritize tropical destinations.

Cairns slipways