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Great Barrier Reef

Australia

Background

World Heritage since
1981
Type of site
Natural
Length of the reef
2,300 km

The Great Barrier Reef is a site of remarkable variety and beauty on the north-east coast of Australia. UNESCO says it contains the world's largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc, and is the habitat of threatened species such as the dugong and the large green turtle.

Over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretch for more than 2,300 km, separated from the coast by a channel up to 160 km wide; the reef can be seen from space and is the world's biggest structure made by living organisms. Wikipedia reports it has lost more than half its coral cover since 1985 through bleaching, runoff and crown-of-thorns starfish, and Wikivoyage asks every visitor to take their share of responsibility for it. Cairns is the gateway, with boats also from Port Douglas, Airlie Beach and Townsville.

More on the UNESCO listing More on Wikipedia

  1. MillenniaAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples know and use the reef
  2. 1981Inscribed as World Heritage, one of the earliest sites
  3. 1997CNN names it one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World
  4. 2012A study finds more than half the coral cover lost since 1985
  5. 2020A widespread bleaching event

Find Your Way Around

The main parts of the site, in the order most visitors see them

  1. 1
    Outer Reef Pontoons
    Day boats tie up at pontoons or cays for snorkelling and diving.
  2. 2
    Coral and Fish
    359 hard corals, 80 soft corals and over 1,500 fish species, says Wikivoyage.
  3. 3
    Turtles
    Six of the world's seven sea turtle species are found here.
  4. 4
    Cairns and Port Douglas
    The northern ports, closest to the reef as it nears the coast at Cape Tribulation.
  5. 5
    The Whitsundays
    The other great tourist region, from Airlie Beach.

Know Before You Go

From Wikivoyage and the GoGo guides

A Day Boat
Wikivoyage: the typical trip is an early-morning departure, a few hours at a pontoon or cay with lunch, and a late-afternoon return; the further north you leave from, the shorter the crossing.
Jellyfish Season
Box jellyfish occur near beaches and estuaries from October to April north of the town of 1770; follow signs and local advice.
Tread Lightly
The reef is endangered by climate change, pollution and tourism itself; do not touch the coral.
Reef Safety
Stonefish, sea snakes and sharks exist but injuries are rare; obey all signs and warnings.

Out to the Reef

Not yet in a GoGo guide

  1. 07:30
    Reef Boat from Cairns9 hrs
    Early departure, snorkelling at a pontoon, lunch aboard, back by late afternoon.

Best Time to Visit

Best months: Apr–Dec. Rainy season Feb.

Typical highs

Best monthsRain: wettest Feb (176 mm), driest Sep (10 mm)

Climate: NASA POWER

Pair It With

Other World Heritage sites nearby, by distance

WORTH A NIGHTDAY TRIPSAME DAYDistance not to scale · tap a site
Do These Together
The Wet Tropics of Queensland rainforest is 222 km from the reef's centre point and meets it at Cape Tribulation, north of Cairns.
Sources
UNESCO World Heritage Centre, listing 154 · Wikipedia: Great Barrier Reef · Wikivoyage: Great Barrier Reef (CC BY-SA 4.0) · UNESCO listing