Great Barrier Reef
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The Great Barrier Reef is a true wonder
of the world and is an amazing place to visit. You really
can't imagine its beauty until you actually see it for yourself.
There are plenty of places from where you can explore the
Great Barrier Reef, and whether you travel to the outer
reef or visit some of the other reefs and Islands
nearer the coast you are sure to be satisfied. |
Although the reef is called the Great Barrier Reef, it is actually
made up of around 2600 different reefs. The Great Barrier Reef
is 2000km long, starting just south
of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the Queensland coastline from just north of Bundaberg (where you will find the Southern Reef Islands) right upto Far North
Queensland and the Torres Strait. Due to the reefs amazing and
spectacular natural beauty the Great Barrier Reef was declared
as a World Heritage Area in 1981.
The reef is called the 'Barrier' Reef because it is an outer
reef, situated along the Australian continental shelf with the
channel between the coastline and the reef reaching a depth of
about 60m. The other type of reef is a 'Fringe' reef, which is
situated along the coastline of land and islands.
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The coral on the reef dates back to around
18 million years old, and is thought to be about 500 metres
in some places. Coral is made by Polyps which are marine
animals from the Cindaria family. When the Polyps die, their
skeletons turn white (which is how you know if coral is
alive or dead) and then more Polyps grow on top of them.
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There are a few conditions that are required for healthy growth
of coral. The water must be salty, clear and not lower in temperature
than 17.5 degrees and lower in depth than 30 metres. An amazing
sight is seeing the spawning of the coral, which happens in late
spring/early summer and is often called an 'underwater snowstorm'.
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There are nearly 400 types of coral in
the reef and plenty of other species of fish, clams and
other sea creatures. The islands are also popular with sea
birds and turtles. The colours of all of the coral and sealife
is wonderful, from pinks and greens to deep blues and silvers.
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There are few dangerous creatures on the reef,
although you may see reef sharks there are no noted attacks on
visitors. The most dangerous things in the Barrier Reef is the
coral itself (if you touch them you can cut yourself as well as
damage the coral), Jellyfish and Scorpion Fish.
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There are also a number of islands throughout
the Great Barrier Reef. They all offer something special
to the visitor and are made up of a variety of plantlife.
To the south of the reef are a selection of continental
islands including Dunk Island, Great
Keppel Island, Hinchinbrook Island and several of
the Whitsundays. |
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Further north are around 300 Cays, which
are created when the reef lies above sea level causing the
waves to ground the coral into sand. Cays include Green
Island, Heron Island and the Low Isles. You can
stay on several of the islands which are all truly beautiful.
Accommodation ranges from exclusive resorts to camping. |
Wherever you decide to go in the Great Barrier Reef, make sure you go somewhere. Once you get there, although many tours offer glass bottom boats and semi-submersible boats, the best way to see the reef is by snorkeling or diving. Even for those who don't feel brave enough, try. It is definitely worth it. |
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Popular Queensland Travel Destinations
PLEASE NOTE: The Queensland travel destinations outlined above are only a small selection from the tens of thousands of Australian travel information pages available on Australian Explorer. A comprehensive list of destinations for Queensland Holidays can be found on the main Queensland Holidays location guide.
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