Where Is the Great Barrier Reef Located?

If you have ever looked at a map of Australia and wondered, “Where exactly is the Great Barrier Reef?”, the simple answer is that it runs along the Queensland coast in north-eastern Australia.

It stretches for more than 2,000 kilometres, from around Bundaberg in the south to the waters of the Torres Strait in the north.

But that answer doesn’t really tell you what you probably want to know.

Where do I go if I actually want to see it?

For me, the answer is Cairns.

I’ve spent more than 20 years in tourism in Cairns, and one of the things I still love is watching someone see the outer Great Barrier Reef for the first time.

You can show people photographs. You can explain how big the Reef is. You can tell them about the coral and the incredible marine life.

But then the boat slows down, the colour of the water changes, and suddenly they’re actually there.

That’s different.

The Great Barrier Reef isn’t one reef

This sometimes surprises our guests.

The Great Barrier Reef isn’t a single reef sitting just offshore from Cairns. It is an enormous reef system made up of thousands of individual reefs and hundreds of islands.

When you take a Great Barrier Reef day trip from Cairns, you don’t visit “the Great Barrier Reef” in its entirety.

You travel out to particular reef locations.

On Reef Experience, we visit the outer Great Barrier Reef, including locations at Norman Reef, Saxon Reef and Hastings Reef.

We choose the locations we visit on the day according to conditions so that we can give our guests the best experience possible.

And getting there is part of the adventure.

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and it’s a genuinely precious place. It’s very important that we all take great care of it, both for the marine life that calls it home and for the generations of travellers who will want to see it after us.

Leaving Cairns for the Reef

Our day starts at Cairns Marlin Marina.

Guests check in from 7:30 in the morning and, once everyone is aboard, we head out from Cairns towards the outer reef.

I love this part of the day.

There’s something special about leaving Cairns behind and heading across the Coral Sea knowing what is waiting out there.

Have a look behind the boat as we travel.

Sometimes you’ll see dolphins playing in the wake. Keep watching the surface and you may even spot little flying fish launching themselves out of the water — something many people don’t even realise we have here.

Then, as we approach the reef, the ocean begins to change.

You start seeing those beautiful shades of blue and turquoise.

And then you’re there.

The moment you first look underwater

This is probably my favourite part.

Someone puts on their mask, looks beneath the surface for the first time and discovers this enormous world underneath them.

There are fish everywhere.

Tiny colourful fish darting around the coral. Parrotfish. Clownfish living amongst their anemones. Giant clams with interiors that can look almost like brightly coloured velvet.

There are little cleaning stations where cleaner fish perform an important job for other reef animals.

And there is always something happening.

You don’t have to understand marine biology to appreciate it.

You just have to put your face in the water and look.

After all these years, I still think it is one of the most extraordinary places on Earth.

“But I’m not a good swimmer…”

We hear this all the time.

People travel all the way to Cairns dreaming about seeing the Great Barrier Reef, then suddenly become nervous when it’s time to get into the water.

Please tell our crew.

You don’t need to pretend you’re confident if you’re not.

We want you to experience the Reef safely and comfortably, and our crew are there to help. We have flotation equipment available, and if you’re not a comfortable swimmer, our crew can actually swim for you — and they’re genuinely happy to help.

I’ve always believed the Great Barrier Reef should be something people can experience rather than something they sit on the boat wishing they’d had the confidence to see.

A little tip from me if the sea is going to be rough

One thing I always tell people is to check the weather before their reef trip.

If the forecast is for a rough day and you know you’re prone to seasickness, consider taking your usual seasickness medication before the boat leaves, following the directions on the medication or advice from your pharmacist or doctor. It’s much better to be prepared than to wait until you’re already feeling unwell.

And here’s another little tip I’ve used for years: sip some lemonade during the trip. Many people find that sipping something sweet and fizzy helps them feel a little better when the sea is moving.

Most importantly, don’t be embarrassed to tell the crew if you’re starting to feel seasick. We see it all the time. Find some fresh air, look towards the horizon, and let us help you.

A bit of preparation can make a very big difference to your day — and we want you arriving at the Reef ready to enjoy it.

Where should you stay to visit the Great Barrier Reef?

If you’re planning your first visit, Cairns is one of the main gateways to the Great Barrier Reef.

You can fly into Cairns, stay in the city and take a boat from Cairns Marlin Marina out to the reef.

You don’t need your own boat.

You don’t need to know how to scuba dive.

And you certainly don’t need to be an expert on the Reef before you come.

That’s our job.

Come curious. Ask questions. Talk to the crew. Look for the tiny things as well as the big things. And don’t spend the whole day looking through your phone. Every now and then, just stop and look around. You’re floating above the Great Barrier Reef.

After more than 20 years, it still gets me

I have been involved in tourism in Cairns for more than 20 years, and perhaps I should be used to the Great Barrier Reef by now.

I’m not.

There is always something different to see.

There are days when dolphins appear beside the boat. Days when the water is incredibly clear. Days when a particular fish seems determined to follow you around.

And there are those wonderful moments when someone comes out of the water absolutely bursting to tell the crew what they have just seen.

That’s one of the reasons I still love what we do.

The Great Barrier Reef might stretch for thousands of kilometres along Queensland’s coast.

But you don’t need to see thousands of kilometres of it.

You just need to see it properly once.

And if you’re coming to Cairns and would like us to show you our little part of it, we’d love to have you aboard.

Explore our Great Barrier Reef day trip from Cairns →

— Lyndell, Reef Experience, Cairns