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Some of the Great Barrier Reef’s most iconic species are now spitting out baggage at Cairns Airport.
Hand-made, life-like sculptures of a humphead maori wrasse, a clown anemone fish, a green sea turtle and a grey reef shark are greeting passengers at the luggage carousels.
Information boards about each species are also in place.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Airport, Cairns Aquarium and Tourism Tropical North Queensland.
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Cairns Airport CEO Richard Barker says it’s one-of-a-kind.
“Two metre-high fish replicas on our luggage belts, now that’s unique for any airport,” he said.
“Cairns Airport has been working hard to set itself apart from other airports by making sure visitors feel welcomed, relaxed and excited as soon as they arrive.”
The Airport is expecting to welcome more than two million tourists per year now that both domestic and international borders have re-opened.
Tourism Tropical North Queensland Chief Executive Officer Mark Olsen said holidays begin as soon as you touch down at a destination making it important to delight travellers when they arrive.
“Visitors can now learn about iconic Great Barrier Reef species while waiting for their bags and start thinking about how they might see these species in real life during their Tropical North Queensland holiday,” he said.
“What better way to start a holiday than having your photo taken with a giant sea turtle or colourful nemo behind you for that perfect Instagram post”.
Cairns Aquarium CEO and project lead Daniel Leipnik said the sculptures were made in Australia and took three months to complete.
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“All aspects had to be created from photos of actual fish and animals at the Cairns Aquarium and then scaled up.
“We had to think about designing the finished sculptures to look authentic but fit around specific shape and functionality requirements where the luggage enters and exits on the carousels.”
“The project is all about having fun while learning about reef life.”
Main points
- Four marine creatures have been installed on luggage carousels in the domestic terminal of Cairns Airport
- Each of the sculptures was custom made, with the project led by Cairns Aquarium
- The airport is expecting to welcome two million passengers annually, now borders are open
