Great Barrier Reef holiday ideas for your budding marine biologists
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By Kim Barnard
Visiting Queensland’s World Heritage listed Great Barrier Reef is an adventure on the top of a lot of people’s bucket lists. Its reefs, teeming with an abundance of weird and wonderful marine life, are nothing short of spectacular, and what better place to learn about this ecosystem than spending time in and around it.
If your kids are fascinated by the ocean and its inhabitants, then a trip to the world’s largest and most complex living organism will be the experience of a lifetime. There’s so much to learn about the ecology and sustainability of this underwater wonderland.
This guide uncovers a range of Great Barrier Reef holiday ideas for families; perfect for all kinds of explorers and budgets.
Stay at an eco-resort
Your adventure begins when you hop on board the Seair Pacific plane, headed to the southernmost island on the Great Barrier Reef—Lady Elliot Island.
Since 1996, this charter flight (which is the only way to get to Lady Elliot Eco Resort) has provided guests with an impeccable bird’s eye view of the reef. You can catch this unique ride from Brisbane, Gold Coast, Hervey Bay or Bundaberg.
When you arrive at the resort, which is dedicated to preserving its pristine surroundings, spend an hour or so before dinner at the world-class Reef Education Centre. The kids’ curiosities will be explored with the educational wall graphics and fact sheets, as well as the touchable displays of coral and shells. You’ll leave this space knowing why Lady Elliot Island is so special.
When the kids want to experience the magical waters first hand, head to the eastern side of the island and dive into the tidal coral lagoon. This is the perfect spot for children to snorkel in at high tide, or go for a guided reef walk at low tide.
Hot tip: Lady Elliot Island also goes by the name ‘Home of the Manta Rays’. This island is one of Project Manta’s most important sites for studying the ecology of manta rays. If you take any photos of mantas during your trip, be sure to submit them to Project Manta on Facebook so they can be added to their database.
If you want to pack the fun and adventure of Lady Elliot into a 48-hour trip, this handy guide will help.
Witness turtle miracles at Mon Repos
To experience the miracle of life in front of your very eyes, line up your trip with turtle season.
Every year from November to March, loggerhead turtles migrate to Mon Repos beach, near Bundaberg, to lay their eggs. Early in the year (January to March) the sand starts to rumble as the nests explode with baby turtles who scramble to their ocean home.
During the season, tours are conducted nightly by expert park rangers, who’ll be ready to answer all your kids’ budding questions. The stars of the show can run on ‘turtle-time’ so be sure to pack something to keep the kids entertained as the wait can be upwards of an hour. As a must-do Great Barrier Reef holiday idea for families, it will undoubtedly be worth the wait!
To learn more about turtle season in Queensland, check out this post.
Say hello to Heron Island
All aboard the Heron Islander for the two-hour trip to Heron Island, where you can tour the island, reefs and water, and watch picture-perfect sunsets over the tranquil ocean.
Heron Island is home to an information centre where you can discover how the reef ecosystem operates. Large infographic panels highlight food chains from phytoplankton to reef sharks, and how the island attracts travellers from all over the world—such as turtles from Indonesia, whales from Antarctica and birds that fly in from the icy Arctic Circle.
You’ll also obtain a wealth of knowledge from the University of Queensland’s world-class Research Station, which happens to be the largest island-based research station in the Southern Hemisphere. Listen to the station staff discuss their interesting investigations and experiments in and around Heron Reef; this will give the kids an excellent insight into working with marine life.
After the family has soaked up all there is to know about the reef, register for a diving or snorkelling tour so you can immerse yourself in it and meet and greet the locals. If you’re lucky, you might even spot nemo and his friends or Queensland’s great eight!
If your kids are a bit younger (7 to 12), and not up to diving or snorkelling, the Junior Rangers program is the perfect replacement. This experience is filled with nature-based activities to insight a sense of exploration and caring for the environment—from reef walks, bird-watching and beachcombing, to getting imaginative and designing/running their own resort island. The kids can even earn embroidered badges to show off their educational efforts!
Visit Reef HQ in Townsville
Another excellent Great Barrier Reef holiday idea for families is venturing to Townsville and experiencing the reef without getting wet.
As the world’s largest living coral reef aquarium and the Australian Government’s national education centre for the Great Barrier Reef, you can expect to spend a whole day exploring Reef HQ.
Featuring a 2.5 million litre coral reef exhibition, underwater viewing tunnel, daily talks and tours, and a turtle hospital, this innovative classroom is one the kids won’t want to leave.
Reef HQ is dedicated to keeping their environmental impact to a minimum, and have recently implemented two great initiatives: upgrading their solar energy system to increase its capacity and introducing a ‘Reef-fuse single use’ policy within their onsite cafe.
Be marooned on a pontoon
Pontoons provide the perfect base for a family day on the reef with plenty of activities and the ability to chill out after a few hours in the water. Three operators who offer this unique experience include Sunlover Reef Cruises, Quicksilver Cruises and Cruise Whitsundays.
Eco-certified Sunlover Reef Cruises depart from Cairns on a daily basis, taking passengers to Moore Reef Marine Base. This special spot is suitable for all ages and abilities, so no one will miss out on spotting the colourful coral, fish, turtles and other fascinating sea life. After four hours of reef time, spread out on the Sunlover Sun Deck and sip on a refreshing drink. When the kids’ energy has returned, they’ll be itching to take a dip in the enclosed kids pool and race down the only water slide on the reef.
To take your reef experience to the next level, stay overnight on the Moore Reef pontoon with the Sunlover by Starlight experience. Between the hours of 3:45pm (when day guests depart) and 11:30am (when day guests arrive) only a handful of people will occupy the deck. Get cozy in a swag and sleep under the stars to the sound of water gently lapping on the boat. Note: 12 to 15 year-olds are permitted with a guardian.
Departing Port Douglas, Quicksilver Cruises runs cruises suitable for toddlers to teenagers. The Agincourt Reef pontoon (located on the outer edge of the Great Barrier Reef) has a number of family-friendly activities, including an underwater observatory, semi-submersibles, snorkelling platforms and specially designed introductory dive areas.
Introductory scuba diving lessons are offered for children 12 and over. There’s also the added luxury of undercover tables and seating, and freshwater showers and change rooms.
Further south in the Whitsundays, is the region’s largest and most experienced marine operator, Cruise Whitsundays. Offering cruises for children of all ages, this experience will keep everyone entertained. Take your pick from a trip to Whitehaven Beach, Hamilton Island or their Reefworld pontoon at Hardy Reef.
For children who prefer to keep dry, there are viewing chambers and semi-submersibles to explore the underwater world. The shallower waters are the perfect environment for children to go snorkelling, plus there’s the added bonus of a lifeguard station and rest stations in the water.
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