Great Barrier Reef

© Roy Digital Design

The magnificent Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia's greatest assets. It runs along nearly all of Queensland's coast and it is considered one of the world's natural wonders. The Great Barrier Reef is the most extensive reef system on earth and the planet's largest structure, made by living organisms.It was inscribed into the World heritage list in 1981

The northern part of the reef is virtually continuous and it lies about 50 km offshore. To the south there are more individual reefs that are located up to 300 km from the coast. There are hundreds of islands in the reef system, of which some 20 have tourist resort facilities. You can camp on many of the others.

The underwater world around the Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's most amazing sights and if you go diving there you will encounter numerous of the colorful, exotic and bizarre sea creatures that live there. The best diving facilities are available on the islands of Heron, Lady Elliot and Lizard. There are expensive and secluded resorts on Bedarra, Hayman, Lizard, Green and Orpheus islands. The cheaper islands to stay on include Lady Elliot, Magnetic and Hook. Good camping facilities are available on Dunk, Great Keppel and Hinchinbrook. Great Keppel and South Molle are mass market destinations. The best beaches are found on Great Keppel and Lizard. Large parts of the reef are part of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Environment

The Great Barrier Reef, just like all other reefs, was formed from the accumulated skeletal remains of zillions of marine polyps of the Coelenterata family. New polyps grow on the lime-based structure and are continually added to the reef. Coral needs a number of delicate conditions to ensure healthy growth, or even survival. The water temperature should be very stable and not drop below 17.5°C. Coral has a very low tolerance factor and only one or two degrees difference in the water temperature can be catastrophic. Sunlight must be able to penetrate the water, which must be clean and salty.

Between the Great Barrier Reef and the Australian coast is a lagoon of deep water that is dotted with islands. Reef islands, or cays, tend to be low-lying and very small. The larger islands that you'll find in the region are actually the tops of flooded mountains, which were previously part of the coastline. As a result, their vegetation is similar to that on the mainland.

The Great Barrier Reef starts in the Torres Strait, just south of Papua New Guinea and it runs 2000 km down to the Tropic of Capricorn, just off the coast from Gladstone. It covers some 344,000 km². The reef environment is extremely fragile and pollution, power-boat agitation, fuel deposits, changes in water temperature and even human sweat can irretrievably alter and damage its ecosystem. There are also biological threats, including the notorious crown-of-thorns starfish. Reef-walking is particularly damaging and should only be done in resort areas where the reefs have already been damaged so much that more harm can hardly be done. Dead and broken coral, especially in the southern areas, can often be seen. Studies are currently underway to gauge the extent of the situation and it is clear that practical recommendations need to be put in place in order to control tourism and to prevent further damage. Despite of all the efforts, studies have shown that more than half the reef's coral cover has been lost since 1985.

Another big problem is the effect of global warming. It is thought that it causes the so-called 'El Niño' effect, which is the source of large variations in sea temperature. Since the coral is very sensitive to temperature-changes, global warming is threatening the reef.

The coral structure is made up of both dead and living creatures. The living polyps give the coral its colorful appearance, while, when the creatures die, they form the reef's white substructure. The full beauty of the living coral is best seen at night. Soft corals also exist and are equally varied.

About 2000 species of fish dwell among the coral of the Great Barrier Reef. They range from tiny gobies to large whale sharks. Many fish boast fantastic colors and can be seen when you go scuba diving, or snorkeling around the reef. Trips with glass-bottomed boats are also available. More variety is added by shells and shelled creatures, echinoderms (such as sea urchins, starfish and sea cucumbers) and crustaceans (such as crabs, shrimps and lobsters). If you are lucky, you might also see dolphins, humpback whales, dugongs and turtles.

The islands in the southern part of the reef are home to huge colonies of birds that come there to breed. On Dunk and Bedarra you can see huge, bright blue Ulysses butterflies. Wallabies can be found on Hinchinbrook Island and koalas and possums on Magnetic Island.

The Great Barrier Reef lies in the tropics and the temperature increases as you head north. From Cairns northwards the water is pleasant year round. The best time to visit the region is during the winter, although, in the extreme south it can be chilly between June and August. During the summer it is extremely hot and thunderstorms and cyclones often occur. The months of February and March can be extremely wet. Rainfall is heavier in the northern parts of the reef. The division of seasons into just two, dry and wet, is also more noticeable in the north.

The Islands

There are more than 600 islands on and around the Great Barrier Reef. Some of them have expensive resorts, while others are uninhabited national parks, or not much more than a sand bank. Fresh water is available on a handful of islands only. If you plan to camp on one of the islands, make sure you bring everything you need to be self-sufficient. Guidelines and camping permits are available from the Queensland National Parks & Wildlife Service.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) administers the reef and has classified it into zones. The reef's zones include preserved, scientific research, marine national park and recreational and commercial general use areas.

The reef is further divided into the Southern Reef Islands/Capricorn Marine Park, which is offshore from Gladstone and includes Lady Elliot and Heron islands, as well as the Bunker and Capricorn groups of islands; the Mackay/Capricorn Section, which includes the Great Keppel Island resort; the Central Section is offshore from Townsville and includes Magnetic Island and the Whitsunday group; the Cairns Section, with secluded Lizard Island, the Dunk Island resort and Hinchinbrook Island and the Far Northern Section, which is the reef's least touristy area).

The reef has long been an important cultural and spiritual part of Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander peoples' believes.