Australias Reefs

Great Barrier Reef

One of the most famous places on the planet is the World heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system. Every ocean and wildlife luminary in the world has been, reported on, snorkelled and dived on the reef. Now it’s your turn.

#It is worth noting that the best time to visit the Great Barrier Reef and the coasts of Queenstown are June-October. Whilst Australia has plenty of creepy crawlies on land, they also have the pleasure of the company of box jellyfish in the sea between November and May.

We have been going to the Great Barrier Reef for years and it is still an exciting, beautiful place to visit. It is approx. 1200 miles long which means that access can be from many different towns in Australia. The most popular place from which to visit the Reef for our customers is Port Douglas in the far North east of the country. We offer day trips which always include pick up and drop off from your resort, lunch and snorkelling equipment. The boat journey is approx. 90 minutes to get out tio the Reef.

But there are plenty of other places, arguably better coral location than the far north. Lady Elliot Island is a coral cay located at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, known for its abundance of Manta Rays, Turtles and an unspoilt coral reef. Close by is Lady Musgrave Island, another idyll and good for day trips only from Bundaberg.

If you are reef addicts and we are, with a bit of time and want to visit parts of the Great Barrier Reef others will not, we recommend going on one of our 3, 4 or 7 night expeditions. The tailor-made itineraries venture to the pristine outer reef and exclusive mooring destinations and you have the bonus of a Marine Biologist helping you understand what you see. This is the ultimate Great Barrier Reef experience.

Wait, there is another reef we want to tell you about. This one is the largest fringing reef (close to the shoreline) in the world. It is a World heritage Site, a 162-mile long coral reef swarming with turtles, tropical fish, manta rays, humpback whales and the elusive whale shark. Nowhere on Earth do these majestic creatures reliably congregate in such large numbers as here.

We introduce Ningaloo Reef.

Its beauty and serenity lie in its location, it is a good 12 hour and very interesting drive north of Cairns (or a short flight from Perth to Exmouth) and an ideal stop off en route to Broome and the start of the fabulous Gibb River Road.

Between April and August is when Ningaloo reef is at its busiest (and that isn’t super busy) as this is the migrating season for the mighty and majestic Whale Shark. You can snorkel alongside these serene nonmammalian vertebrates which can reach lengths of a whopping 40 feet.

For a real treat stay in the luxurious Sal Salis tented camp, a very special location in the sand dunes of cape range national park.

Both Ningaloo Reef and The Great Barrier Reef are fabulous highlights of Australia. For sure the Great Barrier Reef is the by far more accessible and offers an array of stunning islands to stay on (see our next article) and multiple places to access it. Give us a call and speak to one of our Australian Reef specialists who can help you book the suitable reef experience for you.