Families give Daydream top marks in national awards

DAYDREAM Island Resort and Spa has been nominated as one of Australia’s best four-star resorts for a prestigious national award.

The resort is a finalist in the Best Hotel/Resort 4 Stars and Over category in the third-annual 2014 Out & About with Kids Best of Family Travel Awards.

Readers of Out & About with Kids cast thousands of votes for the finalists online. The winner will be announced in the July edition of the magazine.

Daydream Island Resort and Spa CEO Phil Casey said it was exciting news for the family-friendly resort, located in the tropical Whitsundays.

“I am very proud that Daydream Island Resort and Spa has been recognised by so many happy holidaymakers,” he said.

“Our team has worked hard to make the resort a success by providing our guests with warm, friendly and professional service in a beautiful, comfortable setting.

“Daydream Island Resort and Spa is a great place for families to relax and unwind with more than 20 free activities for all ages to enjoy including kayaks, catamarans, stand-up paddle boards, a stingray and shark feeding show at The Living Reef lagoon and an open air cinema.

“We’re delighted that so many people have had such a positive experience at Daydream Island and we look forward to welcoming them back here in the future.”

Daydream Island Resort and Spa is located in Queensland’s tropical Whitsundays in the heart of the magnificent Great Barrier Reef.

The multi award-winning resort is home to one of the world’s largest man-made living reef lagoons known as The Living Reef, a great selection of restaurants and bars, a fringing coral reef and a Rejuvenation Spa offering a comprehensive selection of health and beauty treatments.

Daydream Island also boasts action-packed activities including jet skiing, parasailing, reef fishing and scuba diving, and day trips such as a helicopter ride to famous Whitehaven Beach for a private picnic and a sunset champagne cruise around the Whitsunday islands.

For bookings call 1800 075 040, contact your local travel agent or visit www.daydreamisland.com.

ENDS Media enquiries to brenton@rgcommunications.com.au

Daydream welcomes new Living Reef manager

Marine biologist John Gaskell has joined Daydream Island Resort and Spa as the new manager of the Living Reef team.

The Living Reef is one of the world's largest man-made living coral reef lagoons and features more than 140 species of marine fish and 83 species of coral.

Mr Gaskell’s role is to ensure that the marine life is happy and well-maintained in their habitat. He will also further develop the Living Reef’s educational programs for visiting schools.

Mr Gaskell is an experienced marine biologist with expertise in Australian marine life and marine education. He has a Bachelor of Science, marine biology and a Bachelor of Teaching, primary and secondary majoring in environmental science and biology.

This training inspired him to set up his own small business in marine education, marine life research and underwater photography.

In addition to his theoretical knowledge, he has practical experience as a dive master at Ningaloo Reef off the north-west coast of Western Australia, and has held various roles with the Melbourne Aquarium.

“I’ve done a lot of work with southern animals and tropical species and the Living Reef is a great opportunity to broaden my experience by working with some of the animals of the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr Gaskell said.

“With a background in education, I plan to implement the Australian curriculum which does have a lot of relevant standards to marine biology and looking after the environment into our programs at Daydream.

“This will make our educational programs more useful for visiting students and teachers.”

The Living Reef totals a massive 2650sqm in size and contains over 1.5 million litres of water through its north and south lagoons.

Guided by Living Reef biologists, visitors can take part in fish and shark feeding shows or programs like the Stingray Splash, where guests walk knee-deep into the Living Reef and hand-feed and pat stingrays.

“I’ll also be looking to implement exciting new experiences where guests can further interact with the incredible characters of the Great Barrier Reef,” Mr Gaskell said.

ENDS Media enquiries to brenton@rgcommunications.com.au 

Baby shark boom at Daydream

Daydream Island Resort and Spa is in the midst of a baby boom with a record number of bamboo sharks born in the island’s Living Reef lagoon.

A total of 44 bamboo sharks have been born in the aquarium over the past two months with another four still to hatch.

The island has also welcomed its very first epaulette shark born in the lagoon.

“That’s double the best bamboo shark breeding season we’ve had in the past – a record,” Daydream Island Living Reef manager John Gaskell said.

“We also have our first baby epaulette shark born on Daydream Island and a second still to hatch in the coming weeks. We are extremely proud and excited to see the birth of so many baby sharks in the Living Reef.”

The bamboo shark lays transparent eggs that look like oblong cocoons. The eggs take about 14 weeks to hatch, and when born, the pups are about 15 centimetres in length and will grow up to a metre.

Mr Gaskell said a milder winter last year and improved care techniques by Living Reef staff had led to Daydream’s bumper bamboo shark breeding season.

“With our baby epaulette shark, the parents Mr and Mr Freckles have both just become mature so this is the first time we’ve seen a fertilised egg on Daydream,” he said.

The Living Reef is one of the world's largest man-made living coral reef lagoons. It is home to more than 140 species of colourful marine fish, 82 species of coral and 15 species of invertebrates such as starfish, sea cucumbers and crabs.

Comprising a north and south lagoon and holding more than 1.5 million litres of water, the Living Reef lets visitors learn about and get up close to the fascinating inhabitants of the Great Barrier Reef.

The baby shark boom comes as Daydream has made improvements to the Living Reef. They include the upgrade of the north lagoon with a new submersible pump, increasing water flow, filtration and clarity of water, an upgrade to the south lagoon filtration and the addition of new corals to both lagoons.

“We have improved the filtration and pumping system to produce about another 50% total volume of water going into the north lagoon,” Mr Gaskell said. “It’s made a big difference in the flow and salinity and temperature changes and will help ensure the health of the lagoon.”

ENDS Media enquiries to brenton@rgcommunications.com.au