Great Barrier Reef

One of Australia’s most remarkable natural gifts, the Great Barrier Reef is blessed with the breathtaking beauty of the world’s largest coral reef.

The reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven wonders of the natural world, and pulling away from it, and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. It is larger than the Great Wall of China and the only living thing on earth visible from space.

The marine park stretches over 3000km (1800 miles) almost parallel to the Queensland coast, from near the coastal town of Bundaberg, up past the tip of Cape York. A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef’s impressive coral gardens reveals many astounding underwater attractions including the world’s largest collection of corals (in fact, more than 400 different kinds of coral), coral sponges, molluscs, rays, dolphins, tropical fish and giant clams over 120 years old.

Townsville is the perfect stepping off point to experience the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef and its many surrounding islands. There are many approaches to exploring the reef in North Queensland. You can book yourself a reef trip with one of the many licensed operators and in little more than an hour’s boat journey, you’ll find yourself immersed in the reef.

Dive and snorkel Wheeler Reef from Townsville or Magnetic Island, one of the premier sites on the outer Great Barrier Reef. This reef has many shallow areas well suited to snorkeling and introductory diving, as well as deep bommies and swim-throughs for the experienced diver. Explore the vast array of marine life and coral formations found in the pristine waters surrounding Pelorus and Orpheus Islands.

Snorkelling above the reef provides a great insight into the amazing underwater world that lies beneath. If you’d prefer to remain dry, the reef is easily viewed from glass-bottom boats or by scenic flight. During the winter months, humpback whales migrate to the warmer waters of North Queensland and you may get a glimpse of these mesmerising ocean creatures.

Those wishing for a more adventurous diving experience should visit the S.S. Yongala. This is a 28m deep shipwreck that sank off the coast of Townsville during a tropical cyclone in 1911. Rated one of the world’s top wreck dives, the S.S. Yongala is home to a captivating array of hard and soft coral and spectacular marine life including sea turtles, sea anemone, and thousands of inquisitive clown fish and reef fish. Immerse your senses – the discoveries are endless.

Nautilus Aviation provides scenic flights over Townsville and the local Great Barrier Reef.