Cairn's reef retreat

LUSH is a word that slips easily from the tongue, but in tropical Cairns it has a meaning so rich you can eat it.

In far north Queensland, lush describes the environment, from sweating rainforests to the underwater garden of the Great Barrier Reef.

Even the air is fertile with fragrance, moisture and heat. Full clouds promise a tropical shower.

Cairns sits on the Coral Sea with a harbour and marina for the rich and adventurous, while Trinity Inlet leads inland past estuarine crocodiles basking on mud banks.

The Whitfield ranges hug the coastline, the humped backs of each mountain crouching towards the ocean where twisted roots of mangroves grip the shoreline mud.

Cairns is where the World Heritage-listed tropical rainforest is at one of its closest points to the Great Barrier Reef – recognised as one of the wonders of the world, and nature at its best.

The lure of the reef is powerful to tourists and a boon to businesses.

Locals Lyndell Ross and John VandenHeuvel invested $2.5 million in a new tourism vessel, the Reef Experience.

The twin-hulled boat takes passengers to Saxan Reef, less than an hour out of Cairns, for introductory scuba diving, snorkeling, certified diving or a glass-bottom boat ride.

A labradoodle of a man with kind eyes and sun-bleached curls takes novices diving, while a group launches over the side along with a guide, equipped with wet-suits, snorkeling gear and a noodle floating device – a narrow tube of polystyrene to keep you afloat.

At first I see white sand and coral outcrops far out of my reach but within a few minutes I am floating close over green-lipped giant clams.

Ahead lie canyons and undersea mountains where I cruise only a metre or two over coral.

Clown fish play in the sea grass, eyeing me for attention, while parrot fish – as bright as the local tropical flowers – forage on sea vegetation.

Fat sea cucumbers make their sluggish way along the ocean bottom, leaving a snaking trail.

The coral formations, underwater fungi-like growths, are rich in colour and shape.

Sea life plays and hides using the coral as camouflage.

The Reef Experience takes us to Breaking Patches, with its forest of staghorn coral, large black coral trees and home for sea turtles.

A friend sees one and I feel cheated until I meet a fluorescent fish about a metre long that looks directly at me.

Waltzing fish wind themselves around me as a school of fish, with colours so vibrant you think you are dreaming, passes below.

There are skyscrapers of coral with the deep valleys and fish weaving from the surface to the depths.

Oceans of indulgence

Back on land, the tallest building is the Sebel Cairns, with 16 floors of five-star accommodation.

The Sebel, formerly the Cairns International Hotel, is an oasis of opulence following a $3 million refurbishment and newly launched Mii Spa.

It is reminiscent of old-world Asia – not necessarily Singapore's Raffles Hotel but definitely luxury – all white and big and tropical.

The foyer has an atrium three storeys high and colonial traditions remain.

Take, for example, high tea. Hand-made goodies are delivered on three-tier silver stands, with a glass of Hardy's Collection Brut Reserve or Sir James Brut de Brut, 11am to 6pm daily from $13.50 to $24.50.

Sunday brunch in the hotel's Coco's Restaurant has a buffet of Cairns' best seafood along with breakfast, dessert – and cocktails.

Another indulgence is the rejuvenating and relaxing therapies at the hotel's in-house Mii Spa.

Spa manager John Hibbert says the complex provides the ultimate in "wellness and lifestyle", open to 9pm Wednesdays to Fridays.

"You can exfoliate, have a full-body massage that takes in the hands and feet and face and feast on tropical fruit and juices."

Another treat is to dine at the Sebel Reef House and Spa 30 minutes from Cairns at Palm Cove, where buildings are no higher than surrounding melaleuca trees.

This is a boutique resort where executive chef Philip Mitchell hand-picks the freshest ingredients. I try the scallop entree, followed by the barramundi fillet. Scrumptious.

There is a story about a wealthy businessman who dines there. A friend suggested he could buy a property, cook for himself and enjoy the sunshine cheaply.

He replied: "Why would I do that? I come here to be pampered."

credited to news.com.au