Hardy Reef is home to the Whitsunday icon Heart Reef, which is aptly named after the natural shape this reef has taken.

After a long day underwater, sit on the back deck and enjoy the clarity in the night sky as the milky way is clearly visible most evenings without cloud.įor those diving fanatics looking for some incredible dive sites, head to Hardy Reef. 8 It supports a wide diversity of life and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. 7 This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. Little Fairey Inlet is a great spot for snorkeling as well as diving along the wall of the inlet. The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. Spend your days diving the famous Stepping Stones, which are unique in that you will find 18 or more flat-topped coral pinnacles lined up in a row along the south-west face of the reef.

What a truly amazing place! Port Douglas is the perfect base for exploring the wonders of the Great Barrier Reef – how lucky we are to live so close to such a breathtaking beauty.Ĭheck out the fantastic Great Barrier Reef trips available on our Tour Desk.The Whitsunday Islands themselves are surrounded by fringing reefs, providing some great snorkeling opportunities, but for those wanting a real Great Barrier Reef diving experience, the below itinerary takes in some of the best locations the reef has to offer in this region. The Great Barrier Reef is the size of 70 million football fields….The Great Barrier Reef is greater is size than Tasmania and Victoria combined! The Great Barrier Reef extends for roughly 2000 kilometres along the North East coast of Australia,, view from Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-48. The Great Barrier Reef is so big, it can be seen from outer space Stressful events caused by climate change - like storms, cyclones, floods, and warming seas - have a harmful impact on.How old is the Great Barrier Reef? It is thought to be as much as 20,000,000 years old!.The Great Barrier Reef attracts over 2,000,000 visitors each year!.This was the first discovery of its kind in 120 years. 10% of the worlds total fish species can be found just within the Great Barrier Reef. In October 2020, Australian scientists found a detached coral reef skyscraper on Australia’s Great Barrier Reefnearly 500 meters tall and 1.5 kilometres wide that exceeds the height of the Eiffel Tower and New York’s Empire State Building.This impressive reef is home to countless species including 6 species of turtles, 215 species of birds, 17 species of sea snakes and more than 1,500 species of fish!.There are 600 types of hard and soft coral.There are thousands of reefs and hundreds of islands. This Envisat image features one of the natural wonders of the world the Great Barrier Reef in the Coral Sea off the east coast of Queensland, Australia.This incredible eco-system is 2,300km long.Much of the Great Barrier Reef is a marine protected area, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of Australia. which is large enough to be visible from space, is made up of nearly 3,000 individual reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living thing on Earth and is visible from outer space! According to the GBRMPA in 2014, the most significant threat to the status of the Great Barrier Reef is climate change.The reef is made up of over 3000 individual reef systems, coral cays, gorgeous tropical islands and picturesque golden beaches.īelow are some interesting facts and statistics about the magical Great Barrier Reef. The iconic Great Barrier Reef is one of Australia’s most impressive natural landmarks, not to mention one of the seven wonders of the natural world!īecause of its natural beauty, the Great Barrier Reef attracts tourists from far and wide who want to experience this incredible destination first hand.

Great barrier reef from space