A few favourite Reef spots



The Great Barrier Reef is a truly awe-inspiring area of this world, and with so many fascinating areas within the Reef to see it's difficult to pick out one from the other in terms of favouritism.

But without doubt, having said that, a few places will always be on the top of my list - these are;

~ Fraser Island
~ Mission Beach and surrounding area
~ Port Douglas

Actually, Fraser Island shouldn't really be mentioned in this website because it lies a few kilometers outside the official southern border of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, but it's close enough and fantastic enough to be included!
Like the Reef, Fraser Island is listed as a World Heritage Area and is the only island to be made entirely of sand. Lush tropical rainforests meet long golden sandy beaches and there are no sealed roads throughout the island, only sand tracks.
Seeing the island is certainly a great adventure, and it's one of the top visited places in Australia. Driving on Fraser is strictly with an all-terrain (4x4) vehicle only - either a self-drive using your own or a rented vehicle or by organised tour on large 4 wheel drive tour buses.

Read more about Fraser Island.


The Mission Beach area includes Mission Beach itself, South Mission Beach and Dunk Island - a stereotypical tropical island resort and a very popular destination for those holidaying on the Great Barrier Reef.
Mission Beach is the largest town although several smaller townships are included under the 'Mission Beach umbrella', South Mission Beach is a slightly quieter spot and an excellent place to see the very rare and endangered Cassowary (I saw one!) - a large flightless bird closely related to the emu, only a lot more interesting!

Read more about Mission Beach.


Port Douglas, my 3rd on the list, is situated an hours drive north of Cairns in Far North Queensland. It's a small(ish) town that occupies a headland at the northern end of a 4 mile stretch of golden sand, aptly named '4 Mile Beach'.
A perfect gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, particularly the Low Isles, Port Douglas can become overwhelmed in the summer season because of its small size and 'enclosed' location. An attractive and modern marina is home to tour operators offering boat trips out to the Reef, along with multi-million dollar private yachts and motor cruisers.
At the southern end of Port Douglas is a well respected Country Club, which adds to the attraction of this area.

Read more about Port Douglas.

 

Related pages

Great Barrier Reef islands.