Great Barrier Reef, a living lattice of coral off Cairns

Great Barrier Reef unfolds off the coast of Queensland as a band of coral, sand and shallow sea that runs for more than 2,000 km along Australia’s north?east. It lies in the Coral Sea, offshore from towns such as Cairns, and has been recognised as a World Heritage Site since 1981 for the scale and richness of its coral reef ecosystems.

A reef the size of a country

Seen on a map, Great Barrier Reef forms a broken ribbon parallel to the Queensland coast, separated from the mainland by lagoons and deeper channels of the Coral Sea. The World Heritage Area covers around 348,000 km², an expanse comparable in area to Japan or Italy and far larger than many European countries.covers around 348,000 km² Within this broad belt lie coral reefs, continental islands, coral cays, mangrove islands and channels, forming a patchwork of shallows and deeper water rather than a single continuous wall of coral.

The reef complex extends for more than 2,300 km from near the tip of Cape York Peninsula towards waters north of Fraser Island off southern Queensland.extends for more than 2,300 km At its widest, the reef system reaches around 250 km offshore, while in other sections the outer reefs lie much closer to the coast.reaches around 250 km offshore This scale means that Great Barrier Reef is described as the world’s most extensive coral reef system and one of the largest single protected marine areas anywhere.

Coral, islands and clear shallows off Cairns

From Cairns, day?trip routes fan eastwards across the Coral Sea to sections of Great Barrier Reef that combine offshore coral platforms with sand cays and deeper blue channels. The reef itself is made up of thousands of individual coral structures built by coral polyps over millennia, creating hard frameworks that support living colonies of corals in varied forms and colours.made up of thousands of individual coral structures Around these rise and fall shallow terraces of sand and coral rubble, while nearby channels drop away into deeper water.

Within the wider reef system there are continental islands fringed by coral, low coral cays built almost entirely from reef material, and mangrove islands that form sheltered nurseries for marine life.continental islands fringed by coral Off Cairns, vessels travel out across the lagoon to pontoons moored near outer reefs or to islands that sit within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Approaches typically cross pale turquoise shallows before reaching darker bands where the coral formations fall into deeper channels, creating a marked contrast between gently rippled sandy platforms and shadowed walls of reef.

An immense reservoir of marine life

Great Barrier Reef is known for the range of plants and animals that inhabit its waters, shallows and islands. Surveys describe hundreds of species of hard and soft corals, along with macroalgae, sponges, anemones and many other invertebrates.hundreds of species of hard and soft corals Around and within these structures live more than 1,500 species of fish, from small reef fish to larger pelagic species, together with various crustaceans, molluscs and echinoderms such as sea stars.

The wider Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area supports six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle, thirty recorded species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, and at least 215 bird species that visit or nest on the islands.six of the world’s seven species of marine turtle Dugongs, sometimes called sea cows, inhabit seagrass meadows within the reef lagoon, and shorebirds use the sand cays and low?lying islands as resting and nesting sites.dugongs inhabit seagrass meadows This breadth of life underpins the scientific importance of Great Barrier Reef and was central to its inscription on the World Heritage List in 1981.

Visiting Great Barrier Reef: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Great Barrier Reef lies off the north?east coast of Australia, in the Coral Sea, with sections accessible from coastal centres such as Cairns in Queensland.
• Approaches from Cairns involve crossings of open water and time on vessels, with boarding via piers or marina jetties and movement on decks, gangways and sometimes ladders.
• On reef platforms and coral islands, surfaces range from sand and coral rubble to constructed walkways; walking areas can include uneven ground and exposed rock near the waterline.
• The official language is English and the currency is the Australian dollar.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

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Frequently asked questions about Great Barrier Reef

Where is Great Barrier Reef in relation to Cairns?

Great Barrier Reef lies offshore in the Coral Sea along the north?east coast of Australia, with sections of the reef accessible on boat trips from Cairns in Queensland.

What should travellers expect when visiting Great Barrier Reef from Cairns?

Visits from Cairns involve time on vessels crossing open water to outer reefs or islands, followed by periods on pontoons, jetties, walkways, sand or coral surfaces near the sea.

What makes Great Barrier Reef distinctive as a marine destination?

Its distinction lies in the scale of the coral reef system, the mixture of reefs, islands and lagoons over an area of hundreds of thousands of square kilometres, and the breadth of marine life it supports.