Australia in July....Great Barrier Reef temps??

[BecABD]

I am curious as to how the cold the water is in July for our snorkeling adventure and are we supplied with wet suits or what? Is it too cold to snorkel?? We will be on the July 18th tour.

 

[TDC Nala]

I just got back - water temp in January may not be the same as water temp in July (in January it was quite warm) - and we had to wear blue lycra full body suits that made everybody look like Blue Man Group on vacation.

These were meant to keep out the stinging jellyfish, though. July isn't jellyfish (stinger) season.

I do not know if it's standard on all tours to wear the suits (which are provided) or just the stinger season.

 

[travelingirlie]

We were there in august, and it wasn't too cold. It IS standard for ALL tours to were the blue suits..(make sure you get your picture taken in them!!) They make you wear them just for pre-caution.
For us, the water was alright. I stayed in all morning with my husband, 8yr old, and 12 yr. old. In the afternoon, all three of my kids went in, but I stayed on the beach. I wouldn't worry too much, it was pretty nice for us.

 

[originalkk]

We visited the GBR many years ago in July/August, and snorkelled the Ribbon Reefs on the fast catamaran out of Port Douglas. We both wore 3mm full wetsuits and found it fairly cold (certainly colder than the Carribbean in January), though we do tend to feel the cold.

Despite getting cold, the snorkelling on the outer reef was very good.

 

[PleakleysPugPal]

We were there in June and the water was a little cool but really not too bad. I'm usually freezing, and I had no issues although a couple of the kids on the tour were cold and got out early. The blue suits definitely help with the temps. Out of the water, the weather was lovely--shorts and a t-shirt (I brought a long-sleeve shirt to layer just in case). I agree with travelingirlie: Make sure to get your photo snapped in your Teletububbies suits. It always makes us laugh when we look at them.

 

[BecABD]

OK, help me out with the snorkeling part...I called and we get wet suits but I forgot to ask details about snorkeling. Is it the sort of top of the water snorkeling with tube that sticks out of the water or do you go pretty deep like scuba diving?? Is it nice and shallow where they bring you? Are there sharks or any other creepy creatures??

 

[TDC Nala]

You don't go underwater, just surface snorkeling. Parts of the area are reasonably shallow but you can't stand on the corals, you will break or damage them and that is a major no no. They will give you swim noodles to float on to help keep your feet off the corals. Yes there may be small sharks, apparently the jellyfish are more dangerous.

 

[Pennyb123]

I went to Australia in 2007 and snorkled on the reef. It was June. You have to remember that they are in the Southern Hemisphere and they have the opposite seasons. I was actually very cold in some parts of Sydney in the shadows of the city buildings. Once you are out in the open and the sun is shining, it becomes much nicer. The reef was cool in the morning and the funky blue suit was , um... interesting. It is to protect you from the Box Jelly fish which is terribly tiny and terribly dangerous. As I understand it, it can kill you, but luckily, it isn't their season. On a side note: you MUST do the bridgeclimb! I don't do well with heights, but I had set my mind to do this, and loved it! Next time I go, I want to do a night climb. And don't be shocked when you see birds sitting on tables at indor/outdoor eateries. Apparently they don't find that as unsanitary as we do, but they don't want you to feed them either. And in Sydney Harbour... there is a reason why all those seagullls say, "MINE. MINE. MINE." in Finding Nemo... If you have food, you have to beat them off with a stick! OK not really, but darn close! Everyone enjoy your trip down under and those lovely economy class seats on that LONG flight. Qantas does all it can to make it bearable and I LOVE them for it. The people are lovely!

 

[Pennyb123]

OH! one more thing. MEAT PIES. I can't say it enough. I could eat my weight in them. Before you ride the sky rail down, there is wonderful shopping area on top of the mountain. I purchased a kangaroo pelt purse, and some other lovely goodies and ate a raosted lamb meat pie. No sauce. Their BBQ sauce is tomato based. Don't care much for it, being from the south here. Like mine sweet. Fish and Chips is a good quick lunch in a pub in Sydney. Cost $5. You don't get much ice there. THEY DON'T SPLIT THE CHECK FOR BIG PARTIES if you go eat.... I was shocked. There is a Hard Rock in Sydney. McDonalds is good, but the meat is their meat, so it does taste slightly different. Kangaroo is ok to eat, but it must be cooked no more than medium or it it too tough to eat. They are like deer here, overpopulated and dead all over the sides of the roads. The landscape looks ancient, but it is one of the oldest continents. The soil just looks so different. The sky at night is surreal. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, they have a totally different set of stars at night. They have the Southern Cross. <Starts humming Crosby, Stills and Nash> You know you are someplace different and very special at night. Roundabouts! Why haven't they really caught on here in the US? Interesting concept. The staff at Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park are so wonderful. Ok, I have to quit now because I could just go on forever! You all enjoy and I home to revisit the land down under again soon!

 

[teskak]

As an Aussie - be very very careful of the meat pie unless you know where it has come from or is of a gourmet variety.

A "meat pie" you can buy from a takeaway outlet is about 35% meat with the rest being gravy or pastry. That 35% meat does not have to be choice cuts either, think lips, stomach, offal, sinew etc. Covered in tomato sauce (similar but not quite to ketchup) with cold greasy chips & washed down with a beer and you have standard fare for watching the football.

 

[caseybruna]

As an Aussie - be very very careful of the meat pie unless you know where it has come from or is of a gourmet variety.

A "meat pie" you can buy from a takeaway outlet is about 35% meat with the rest being gravy or pastry. That 35% meat does not have to be choice cuts either, think lips, stomach, offal, sinew etc. Covered in tomato sauce (similar but not quite to ketchup) with cold greasy chips & washed down with a beer and you have standard fare for watching the football.

This is true. There are a lot of crap meat pies out there. As with anywhere, the touristy places aren't the places to find nice food. You need to look a little further

Also, It's going to be pretty cold when you visit, Im not going to lie. Up at the GBR its more tropical so you should be fine but if you head down to Sydney, or worse Melbourne, you will need to rug up.

 

[BecABD]

All these tips have been super helpful!
We leave in 2 1/2 weeks for our Discovery Down Under...I'm beyond excited. I have a terrible time sleeping on planes too. I keep trying to figure out my seats on Quantas, but they don't tell you in advance. I wanted to see about upgrading. Does anyone know how to do this??

 

[queenie82]

Good Luck with a Qantas upgrade....I must say not my favourite Airline. I fly United when I go to and from the US.
I'm assuming the package has bought full price economy tickets or it might be tourist class? This often affects upgrades. And I'm pretty sure tour groups rarely get an upgrade. It is usually offered to couples at the desk who are "well dressed"

Anyway...I love reading others comments on Australia.
It is a bit nippy in Sydney at the moment. I have my quilt and electric blanket on most nights. BUT in the sun it is pretty good.
I am a winter person and LOATHE Summer (thats when I hop over to the US during our summer ) so I love this time of year. The best time is September though.

As for Meat pies...even the "crap" ones are better than what passed for a meat pie in a Canadian supermarket. There are a number of really good ones out here though. Bourke street Bakery which is down the road from Central Station is AMAZING. I don't know if you will get up that way. It is the CBD and only minutes away but not where all the "touristy" shops are. Just keep following George street...lol. I'm not sure how you get around on the tour but we have CBD green free shuttle buses during the day.

Re Bridgeclimb....I think the Skywalk is better (but not for the faint of heart). This is where you go up to the top of centrepoint tower and go out onto a platform which has glass that goes clear underneath your feet. In the very least you must go to the general observation deck.
Another way to get a great view is to go to the summit restaurant:
http://www.summitrestaurant.com.au/
The food is AMAZING and the view from the revolving restaurant is simply spectacular.

The Hard Rock Cafe NO LONGER exists in Sydney.
In McDonalds indeed it is our meat...so better quality....what can I say.
The Wraps are really good too.

In Melbourne you can go to the top of the Eureka tower which has like a box that goes out of the top of the building.

Onto the reef. Its been a number of years since I went up there but the water is never too bad. It is a tropical area. As for Stingers they are a VERY serious issue. It may not be the season but they can be there anytime and they are lethal. I'm glad Disney take this seriously because it is better being a living dag than the other option.

Do have fun though and just let yourself float. I love snorkling up there and the reef in parts will probably be right beneath you. I hope you see a turtle. I remember following a turtle as it swam beneath me. Of course it is a bit mesmerizing so I had to stop myself before I swam too far.

Sigh...I love living in Oz. I hope the weather treats you well. I would suggest layering as in the sun it can get warm. I usually do a T-shirt, long sleeve top and jacket. If it is overcast I will have a long sleeve top on the bottom and then a couple of jacket options and just see what it is like.

G'day!

Oh and yeah kangaroos are skittled all over the roads in the outback. And get used to the red dirt when you are out there!!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! Wish I had some in Sydney.

Well why don't I get you into the mood for some dirt...and other critters...