Garie Beach

What is the best time to travel to the Great Barrier Reef?

also what is the geographical location of the great barrier reef

Public Comments

1. welll. they have deadly jelly fish called irukanji on the reef and box jellyfish more near the coast and on the islands.. these are around from November to May over summer.. so best time for me is around August september before they arrive and weather is great too.. great barrier reef location spreads from off rockhampton region to the tip of cape york.. 2000 km long
2. Best time is May - November. Fewer stingers, and not as hot or humid. On a map of Queensland find Gladstone. The southern tip of the reef is around here, and it stretches north to the northern tip of Cape York.
3. During the dry season, which is usually April - September. It's just too humid for the rest of year. Or at least it used to be, who knows what the weather will do these days? Don't pay too much attention to the temperature, because the humidity stops it getting into the high 30's and 40's, but it feels much worse. 30 degrees C can be almost unbearable up there when the humidity is 89%, and it isn't even raining! The reef starts at Cape York Peninsula, the pointy bit at the top of Queensland and continues south along the coast as far as Rockhampton, with bits and pieces all the way down to around Bundaberg. Do a bit of research, some of the reef has been over exploited, and sadly there's not much left to see in some areas. If you're planning on visiting the reef with a tour operator, try and make sure they are taking you somewhere that is worth seeing. Some of them have been going to the same place for over thirty years, and have caused quite a bit of damage. Ask the locals, over a drink, in the pub. Make sure you buy - Australians got a weird sense of humor and consider it hilarious to tell tall tales. Hope you have a nice holiday, and remember thongs go on your feet not your bum (butt).