By air
Cairns (CNS), ~7 km from the city; the main reef gateway
Australia & New Zealand · Australia
Great Barrier Reef, Australia
The world's largest coral reef
Getting there
Best time to visit
June to October — dry, calm and clear (stinger season runs November to May)
Don't miss
The outer-reef pontoons
Green Island
Low Isles
The Ribbon Reefs
Things to do
Snorkelling and diving from Cairns or Port Douglas
A scenic flight over Heart Reef
Liveaboard dive trips
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Toby Hudson · CC BY-SA 3.0
What to pack
Reef-safe sunscreen, a rash vest, seasickness tablets
A quieter corner
Lady Elliot Island, a southern eco-island with manta rays
Questions travellers ask
When is the best season for the Great Barrier Reef?
June to October, when it's dry, calm and clear. Stinger season runs November to May.
How do I reach the Great Barrier Reef?
Fly into Cairns (CNS), the main reef gateway, about 7 km from the city. Snorkelling and diving trips run from Cairns or Port Douglas, and fresh reef fish and prawns wait along the Cairns Esplanade.
What should I pack for the Great Barrier Reef?
Reef-safe sunscreen, a rash vest and seasickness tablets.
Which parts of the Great Barrier Reef should I see?
The outer-reef pontoons, Green Island, Low Isles and the Ribbon Reefs. For something special, take a scenic flight over Heart Reef or a liveaboard dive trip, or head to Lady Elliot Island, a southern eco-island with manta rays.
About Great Barrier Reef
- Coastal
- Island
Where it is
The Great Barrier Reef stretches for more than 2,300 km along the coast of Queensland in north-eastern Australia, in the Coral Sea, from the Torres Strait in the north to near Bundaberg in the south, reached from towns such as Cairns, Port Douglas and Airlie Beach.
History
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have fished and navigated these waters for thousands of years, and the reef lies within their sea country. James Cook's Endeavour ran aground on it in 1770. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was created in 1975 and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1981, and in recent decades warming seas have caused repeated mass coral bleaching.
People
Some 70 Traditional Owner groups of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have connections to the reef, from the Yirrganydji and Gimuy Walubara Yidinji around Cairns to the Torres Strait Islanders in the far north. Coastal towns live from tourism, fishing, sugar cane and marine science.
Known for
- Snorkelling and diving on coral reefs
- Green Island and the Low Isles
- Heart Reef seen from the air
- Liveaboard trips to the Ribbon Reefs
- Sea turtles, manta rays and reef fish
Did you know?
The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, made up of more than 2,900 individual reefs and some 900 islands, and it can be seen from space.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.