News and updates about Port Douglas, Cairns, The Great Barrier Reef, North Queensland and Thala Beach Nature Reserve. Share our News on social media and don’t forget to use the #thalabeach hashtag!
WIN 2 nts at Thala: name #AppletheWallaby’s joey!
UPDATE: Kathy Mitchell is the winner of this competition, nominating the name Coco. Kathy said: "I'd like this gorgeous joey's name to be Coco after all the beautiful coconut trees at Thala which we remember from our honeymoon there." We're thrilled at Thala Beach Nature Reserve to have
Great Barrier Reef recovers from coral bleaching
Visitors to the Great Barrier Reef are reporting that the reef is looking as vibrant, colourful and as spectacular as ever. The widely reported coral bleaching event in early 2016 had the greatest impact north of Lizard Island with coral reefs accessible from Port Douglas and Cairns little
Aussie Backyard Bird Count is on again in October
As if Australians needed any reason to get out and enjoy their backyard, National Bird Week and the Aussie Backyard Bird Count is on again! Now in its third year, over one million birds were counted during the week long 2015 campaign. National Birdweek and the Bird Count
Cairns Frog Hospital – saving amphibians one frog at a time
Frogs don’t get a lot of publicity, which is a bit unfair. Frogs of Tropical North Queensland are one of the forest’s most remarkable creature. For a start, they’re amphibians, which means they spend part of their life in water as well as on land. They start their
Rare humpback whale song recorded near Port Douglas
Robert Prettejohn, the owner of Thala Beach Nature Reserve was fortunate to experience an extraordinary humpback whale encounter in the Coral Sea near Port Douglas. A humpback 'family' was sighted near Snapper Island, with a female humpback seemingly showing a young calf how to breach. While a male
Amazing humpback whale encounter with mother & calf on Great Barrier Reef
It’s definitely humpback whale watching season in Port Douglas and Cairns! Robert Prettejohn was lucky enough to see a pod of humpback whales near Snapper Island and captured some wonderful photos above and below the water. Famous albino humpback Migaloo was also recently spotted on Great Barrier Reef
Queensland Weekender features Thala Beach
Queensland Weekender visited Thala Beach Nature Reserve. One of the highlights of their visit was learning about the life cycle of coconuts on Thala's unique Coconut Odyssey Tour. One of many complimentary tours available for in-house guests, Guide Emma explains the different qualities of coconuts from tiny nut
Meet the Great Eight wildlife of the Great Barrier Reef
The Great Barrier Reef’s Great Eight is the underwater equivalent to Africa’s Big Five. The Big difference however is that the Great Eight can all be viewed within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. If you’re lucky you’ll be able to get so close to one of these
Married at First Sight – filmed at Thala!
Married at First Sight is an Australian reality television series based on the Danish program which is currently screening on the Nine Network. The show features couples who are matched by three experts, who agree to marry when they first meet. Married at First Sight follows four couples
Frogs are checking into Cairns Frog Hospital
Cairns Frog Hospital has been caring for sick and injured frogs in Tropical North Queensland for almost twenty years. During that time almost 2,500 frogs (as well as countless toads and tadpoles) have been admitted to the frog hospital. Most have since been rehabilitated and returned to their
Magda Szubanski is special guest at Cairns Tropical Writers Festival
The Cairns Tropical Writers Festival (12 – 14 August 2016) is the pre-eminent literary event on the north Queensland calendar. One of Australia's best loved Australian entertainers, Magda Szubanski, is the first guest author to be announced for the line up of the 2016 Cairns Tropical Writers Festival.
Thala welcomes Dawn Princess cruise ship to Cairns
The first of Princess Cruises’ Sun class vessels sailed into Cairns Cruise Liner Terminal recently marking the beginning of terrific opportunites for visitors to explore Tropical North Queensland before or after a luxury cruise. Travellers are now able to take a cruise ship to Cairns in order to
Wonders of the Great Barrier Reef Australia
Australia is home to the world's biggest living structure. Running almost the whole length of Queensland, The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from space. Made of thousands of small reefs, islets, atolls and islands, the Great Barrier Reef starts near Bundaberg in the south and continues north
Saltwater crocodiles – be ‘crocwise’& view them safely
Saltwater crocodiles go by a few different names. Estuarine crocodile, Indo-Pacific crocodile, sea-going crocodile or simply just ‘saltie’ are some of their names. Not to be confused with the fresh water variety, which are smaller and generally less fearsome, salties inhabit the northern coastline of Australia across Queensland,
Celebrating World Oceans Day with a special seafood menu
June 8th is World Oceans Day and we're laying on the water-infused charm on the shores of the Great Barrier Reef. At Thala Beach Nature Reserve we're committed to environmental sustainability across all facets of our nature-based retreat. From the way we maintain our 58ha of native forest
Green Ants of Australia & why they’re busy little rainforest builders
Green tree ants are essential builders in the rainforest. They're like the worker bees of the ant world. The native forest of Thala Beach Nature Reserve is a thriving habitat for these insects. If you thought life was busy, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen a green
Whale sharks on the Great Barrier Reef
The world’s largest fish, the whale shark, is rarely spotted in the waters off the north Queensland coast. A mysterious migratory creature, whale sharks are under threat worldwide So it was quite a thrill when Seton Prettejohn encountered one of these majestic creatures while out on the Great
Celebrate Carnivale festival in tropical Port Douglas
Port Douglas’s fabulous festival Carnivale is an annual fun-filled festival held across different venues in this beachside village. This year the festivities kick off with a tantalising taster as the fabulous Spiegeltent comes to Port Douglas from 12 to 22 May 2016. The Carnivale Festival weekend runs from
Strap yourself in for adventure in the Daintree Rainforest!
If the most adventurous you’ve been lately is ordering a spicy Thai curry, go north my friend, for Port Douglas and its tropical surrounds are an adrenaline-junkie’s paradise. It’s where I find myself hanging upside down, 12 metres above the ground in the majestic Daintree Rainforest, with my
Thala Beach & Tourism Australia’s coastal & aquatic campaign
Thala Beach is honoured to be included in Tourism Australia's latest promotional campaign focusing on Australia's world-class coastal and aquatic experiences. The Tourism Australia production crew spent two days filming at Thala Beach Nature Reserve's to capture the eco retreats coastal and aquatic features in ;ate 2015. Virtual
