Introduction
Cruise to Australia, a land teeming with extraordinary wildlife, vast wild spaces, idyllic beaches, far-flung islands, lively cities, and people renowned for their warmth and friendliness. One Australian source of pride in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR), the largest and one of the finest and healthiest coral reef systems in the world. Running parallel to the Queensland seaboard for more than 1,200 miles from the northern tip of the Cape York Peninsula to Bundaberg in the south, the reef is so big that it can be seen from space.

It’s easy to see why this tropical paradise of 2,900 reefs and network of islands and islets is famous for its snorkeling and diving. Its clean, bath-like, shallow waters and its relative isolation from the mainland provide an uncanny number of habitats for a mesmerizing variety of bright corals, radiant fish, graceful rays, enormous clams, and other marine life. Cod Hole on the Ribbon Reefs beyond Cairns is one of the world’s premier dive sites, where giant grouper or potato cod are often sighted. Jacques Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso were inspired to explore and film here. The abundance of otherworldly underwater animals, from parrot fish and white-tipped reef sharks to feather stars and massive leafy sponges, evokes a sense of mystery.

The islands themselves are remarkable for their wildly divergent array of terrain and variety of flora and fauna. Birding opportunities are excellent.
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Natural History
The reef is the world’s largest living organism. It consists of tiny polyps, marine invertebrates of little more than a mouth encircled by tentacles to feed it. Polyps secrete limestone skeletons, where they stay during the day. Coral, the remains of these long, bony, continuous skeletons, intertwine over hundreds of years to form the reef’s white substructure.

A single coral polyp, called a solitary, may live alone, or many hundreds may join together in a colony (predictably called colonial coral). Living polyps within the limestone give the coral its wide range of colors. Body tissues join the polyps together to share a colony’s food. Algae cement the skeletons together into massive walls and ledges. Coral grows in a wide array of shapes and sizes: huge sea fans 10 feet or more in diameter; boulders of brain coral; and violet-hued staghorn coral. The Great Barrier Reef contains some 350 coral species.

One of the single most amazing phenomena of the reef occurs when the coral spawn. A few nights after full moons in the spring, coral polyps throughout thousands of square miles of the reef spew a collective cloud of colorful eggs and sperm into the currents. The ocean appears to glisten like a rainbow in this epic moment of synchronized fertility.

The reef provides sheltered protection for myriad life, including over 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 species of mollusks. Blue chunks of mushroom coral, stretches of pink plate coral, and lumps of green brain coral create a labyrinth of underwater habitats as weird and alien as any science fiction landscape. Parrot fish scrape algae from the reefs’ rough edges with their beaks. Giant clams grow larger than three feet long and weigh a whopping 575 pounds. At night, small damselfish find safety among the branch-like formations of soft coral called gorgonians. Nocturnal nurse sharks, though unlikely to bite a diver unless provoked, feed on smaller reef fish. Eagle rays soar through the water, their long tails swaying behind them. Horse mackerels, swarms of yellowtail jacks, and schools of batfish swim in and around the underwater rainforest.

On the Ribbon Reef, a family of huge, 175-pound potato cod (giant grouper) swims easily with divers. White-tipped reef sharks, it seems, guard their territories in great intertwining loops. Silver trevallies swirl through the water like tails on a high-flying kite. Moray eels lurk in coral caves. The fantastic array of animals—loggerhead turtles and the world’s largest black marlin, lobsters, shrimp, lionfish, devilfish, and goblinfish—overwhelm us land-dwellers.

Above the surface, the only distraction in the aquamarine horizon might come from a small island a-twitter with seabirds or a waiting sun chair and a tall, cool beverage. So don your mask and snorkel, and prepare for sensory overload.

For more information on the natural history of Australia, see book selections below.
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History
Today’s Great Barrier Reef began to grow at the end of the Pleistocene era, the last Ice Age, about 8,500 years ago. As global temperatures climbed higher, ice melted. Sea levels rose. The oceans filled up to roughly their present positions about 6,200 years ago. This rise in sea level cultivated habitats for the 2,900 reef systems that now comprise the GBR.

They did not appreciate the intrusion of westerners in the 19th century. There was much bloodshed. By the early 1900s the western settlers had killed hundreds and run off the rest of the Aborigines. The Aborigines moved inland and were forced onto reservations in the dusty, infertile areas unwanted by the white settlers.

When the first Europeans arrived 200 years ago, the Kuku-Yalanki people inhabited the coast of southeastern Cape York Peninsula on the far northern tip of Queensland. Their ancestors were Aborigines who came from Indonesia all the way to present-day Queensland forty-thousand years ago. Dense, wet rainforests cloak the peninsula, and white sand beaches stretch for miles along the coastline. The Kuku-Yalanki lived in semi-permanent camps and hunted, fished, and gathered wild fruits and vegetables. Fish and shellfish provided the foundation of a steady diet; bird and reptile eggs added protein, as did mammals and kangaroos.

In the late 1700s, Europeans began exploration of the northern coast. Captain Cook navigated the waters. Captain William Bligh landed on his way to Timor after the mutiny on the Bounty. For these and other early visitors, the coast was a treacherous place, with an uncharted coastline and uncertain passage through made dangerous by the reefs.

However, various parties surveyed the waters bit by bit, and by the 1840s the coast was well charted. Up until World War II, the GBR was primarily an area of commercial shipping and pearl diving. Only after the war, with the advent of snorkeling and scuba, did it develop as a recreational destination.

In 1975 public outcry about the threats to the fragile reef system resulted in the creation of the 133,000-square-mile Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA). The GBRMPA created zoning and multi-use management guidelines for appropriate use. The park gained World Heritage Site status from UNESCO in 1981. As environmentalism grew in force in the early 1990s, the James Cook University in Townsville established a Cooperative Research Center to study the sustained development of different industries of the GBR.

Wildlife poaching among the reefs was once a considerable problem. Indonesian and Taiwanese hunters ransacked giant clams and triton shells to haul back to their countries for big profits. Fortunately a coast watch service has cracked down on the practice and continues to patrol the waters for poaching activity.

Nowadays, concern for the reef focuses mostly on minimizing fertilizer runoff from the mainland and keeping visitors from touching the coral, which kills them. Under environmental concerns, resorts run top-quality charter services and strive to show the world the wonders of Australia’s submarine park.

For more information on the history of Australia, see book selections below.
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Culture
Little is left of aboriginal culture, except on a few island reserves. From the time of the first white settlers in Queensland, interaction with Aborigines has been characterized by conflict, brutality, and bloodshed. The majority of Aborigines were killed or driven away. The debate over aboriginal land rights has become a hot topic in recent years—not just in Queensland but all over Australia.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Queensland was where the worst of society was sent—the place where the penal colony of Sydney sent its criminals. The colony originally settled at Moreton Bay in 1820, but the convicts were soon moved inland to what is now Brisbane. Eventually Sydney decided to halt its shipping of convicts. However, this caused an outcry amongst Queensland ranchers, who relied on convicts for cheap labor.

In general, Queensland’s inhabitants retain something of a wild streak in them today. The state is sometimes compared to Texas in its reputation for fierce independence, self-reliance, and sometimes extreme political conservatism. Discovery after discovery of water, coal, minerals, and other natural resources have given the region a boomtown, “gold rush” feeling which has perpetrated a pro-development, damn-the-cost attitude in some areas.

These political differences are set aside, though, as Aussies from all over flock to Queensland for holiday. Like most Aussies, Queenslanders love a good time, and visitors to the Great Barrier Reef can expect to encounter the fun-loving, relaxed side of society, influenced by surfers and fishermen.

Over the years, the Queensland coastline and the Great Barrier Reef have given rise to a culture of fishermen, both sport and commercial. Add tourism to fishing and you have the cultural and economic foundation of the modern-day reef. The gateway cities of Port Douglas and Cairns provide bases for dive ships, fishing boats, and sunset catamaran cruises. The waters over the northern reef are now mainly the realms of live-aboard ships. Resorts speckle the islands throughout the reef. A resort and an island are often one and the same. The sea still serves up much of the food: crayfish, shrimp, scallops, and seemingly endless lists of fish grace the menus, although much of it comes from waters outside the reef.

For more information on Australian culture, see book selections below.
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Dos and Don'ts
Australia Travel Tips:

Don’t forget your sun block, sun hat and plenty of lightweight clothes to protect you from the intense tropical sun.

Be smart: always snorkel or dive with a buddy.

For the best comfort and fit, bring your own mask and snorkel.

Don’t touch or stand on the coral. This kills them.

Remember to ask your guides if they carry picture-coded fish lists.

Don’t feed any wildlife; the reef is not an aquarium.

Learn the language—yes, that’s right! Aussie English is full of colorful phrases and slang. Knowing how to properly interpret an Aussie’s directions and order a beer will make your visit much more fun. Lonely Planet publishes an Australian English phrasebook which provides an excellent introduction course.

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Weather
Northern Australia lies in the tropical zone north of the Tropic of Capricorn. There are only two seasons in the Top End: dry season (April–November) and wet season (December – March). In the dry season there are warm days, clear blue skies, and cool nights. The wet, however, is generally flooded. The Great Barrier Reef experiences the most rain during January and February.
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Best Time to Go
April – November
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Temperature Range
80° – 90ºF
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Books
The Fatal Shore, by Robert Hughes
History
The author traces the history of those who arrived in Australia in the 17th and 18th centuries, with many accounts drawn from the colonists themselves.

The Snorkeller's Guide to the Coral Reef: Red Sea to the Pacific, by Paddy Ryan
Guide Book
A well-illustrated guide focusing on coral reef marine life of the Pacific and Indian oceans. An excellent choice for anyone planning to explore the underwater world.

Lonely Planet Australia (Lonely Planet Australia, 10th Ed), by Denis O'Byrne, Jon Murray, Paul Harding
Guide Book
Featuring numerous maps and a glossary of Australian slang, a new edition of the classic guide to Australia is completely updated and includes wildlife-spotting in Kakadu, snorkeling on the Barrier Reef, bushwalking in Tasmania, and socializing in Sydney.

The Songlines, by Bruce Chatwin
Culture
One of the most poignant tales of Australia's native people. Through his well-crafted narrative, Chatwin transports the reader to a world and a people that stretch back tens of thousands of years, inextricably linked by the fascinating Songlines.

Diving & Snorkeling Australia's Great Barrier Reef, by Len Zell
Field Guide
A general guide published by Lonely Planet on visiting the Great Barrier Reef.

Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea, by Neville Coleman
Field Guide
A great guide outlining both dive and snorkeling sites.

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