Great Barrier Reef Travel Tips

The Great Barrier Reef truly is an amazing place to visit, with an absolute abundance of sights to see and things to do.

If you're considering making a visit to the Reef and surrounding mainland areas, it's important to make the most of your upcoming trip so that you can make the most of all that the region has to offer.

I've been fortunate enough to visit the Great Barrier Reef on two separate occasions, both as part of two major backpacking trips, and hopefully a third visit will happen in the not-too-distant future!

So based on my own personal experiences, here are some basic (but useful...) travel tips to help you get the most out of your visit:

First things first, check visa requirements! The chances are that you will need a holiday visa as well as your passport.
The website of the Australian Government will give you all the information available, and you can now apply online.
Be aware of the climate. The dry season is the best time for visiting the Reef, not only because the weather is much more comfortable with low humidity but also because there are no deadly jellyfish in the reef waters during the dry season (April - October)
Be prepared to suffer jet-lag if your flight is more than 8 hours duration (very likely). It will get you, and I've yet to find an effective way to get over it quickly.
Travel light! Even the Queensland winter is warm for most of us folks stuck up in the northern hemisphere.
Shorts and T-shirts are a sound choice with just one pair of casual/smart trousers thrown in for the evenings, and a couple of casual shirts (long-sleeved). As for warmer clothes, you shouldn't need much more than a sweatshirt / thin jumper and a light jacket that's easily 'packable'.
For footwear, I found that open sandals and lightweight sports shoes did the trick. If you're intending to do a lot of bushwalking, then something more sturdy (ie boots) should be considered and indeed are recommended.
Take insect repellent! Or at least get ready to buy some on your first day. The tropics can be a mosquito paradise, especially around mangrove swamps. Although there are no mosquito-carried diseases in the area, it's a very good idea to protect yourself as much as possible from these critters, because they'll get you otherwise!
Use sunscreen, and lots of it. The tropical Australian sun is very strong and with even a low-factor protection you can be burning within 15 minutes. A holiday is ruined from day one if you get badly burned. A good lip balm is also a must, as is a hat.
This protection is even more important when out on the water. Any boat trips should be taken with the maximum sunscreen applied to any exposed skin, and snorkelling can be lethal - wearing an old T-shirt (or half wet-suit etc) in the water is a very good idea indeed.
If you do snorkel, buy a disposable underwater camera. They cost very little and take perfectly good pictures so long as you're in shallow water and the light is good.
Try and carry a pair of compact binoculars as often as possible, if you're into nature. If there's one thing that I learned in Australia, it's "expect to see the unexpected"!
With such a huge array of bird and animal life, you just never know what's going to pop up from behind a bush!
If you've ever wanted to have a go at scuba diving, now's your chance. There are numerous diving schools that offer trial dives for half an hour or an hour.
Try and get inland too, especially if you're visiting the northern region (Cairns / Port Douglas / Mossman). The tropical rainforest is nothing short of spectacular and well worth seeing. There are numerous ways to 'get in there', and your local town will provide all opportunities.
Last but not least - enjoy every minute!

Getting to the Great Barrier Reef.

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Great Barrier Reef Travel Tips

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