Garie Beach

What city or cities in Australia are closest to the Great Barrier Reef??

What city or cities do I need to plan to visit in Australia in order to have an opportunity to visit, see, and/or take a glass bottom boat trip over the Great Barrier Reef??? Is the GBR close enough to Sydney to go there and see it in one day or do I need to actually fly to another city (what city) that's closer to get a day trip to the GBR.?? Anyone know any good tour companies that do Reef tours??? ... URL's would be nice.

Public Comments

1. NO you can not go from Sydney in a day it is about 2400 km between the two and Brisbane which is the capital of Queensland the state with the reef in it is about 1600 kms I am an Australian and went there in July last year I would recommend flying. I would recommend going to the outer reef which is about 1 1/2 boat ride out and you go out onto a pontoon. You are out there for the day and go snorkling and everything.
2. It would take you 3 days or more by car to go one way from Sydney to Cairns which is the main place for the Great Barrier Reef. Australia is freakin huge. Places that seem a stones throw away from each other on a map actually take an hour to two driving time. I live in Brisbane and I know it takes 2 days drive to Melbourne or 2 days drive to Cairns, probably more unless you drive and never stop. Sydney to Cairns would probably take about 3 hours in a plane so if you had the money I guess you could fly from Sydney to Cairns, see the reef and fly back.
3. The only "large" cities close to the GBR are Townsville and Cairns. Other places like Mackay are smaller cities of around 50,000 but the reef is a long way offshore there I think. Sydney is nowhere near the GBR, the southern extremity of the GBR would be almost 1600km (1000miles) north. That is a tad south of Gladstone. Your best jumping off places are Cairns or perhaps Airlie Beach, the latter is a small resort town between Mackay and Townsville. When former Pres. Clinton visited the GBR some years ago he used Cairns as a base. That is probably the best bet, it has been the base for GBR tours since Moses ran on for the Egyptian team. (Well, maybe not that long.) Cairns is close to "Green Island" which has the glass bottom boat and a sunken observatory - there are also platforms on the reef nearby - at least I think they are there. Here's a basic website - http://www.barrierreefaustralia.com/ If you get an answer from K Bear you are in luck, she lives in Cairns.
4. Cairns - Cairns - Cairns ! North Queensland. http://www.cairns.com.au You can't see the Great Barrier Reef from Sydney. Sydney to Cairns it's about a 3-4 hour flight. Main tour operators are :: http://www.greatadventures.com.au and http://www.quicksilver-cruises.com Most companies do the glass bottom boat, snorkelling and diving, but for something different try the http://www.scubadoocairns.com or http://www.seawalker.com.au/english_site/ A day trip out to Green Island - Otherwise you can go out on the Outer Barrier Reef on their platform for lunch. Most 'tourism' operators will do pick ups from your accommodation. Seasonal info on the GBR - http://www.divethereef.com/Guides/SeasonsF.asp If you are doing Sydney and other cities in Australia, I would suggest fly into Cairns (yes we do have an International airport) See the Great Barrier Reef and other attractions here, then head down the coast to Brisbane > Sydney etc... Cruise ships also come into Cairns. Port Douglas is about a 50 min drive from Cairns city – worth it for the scenery. – You can also go out on the Great Barrier Reef from there also. http://www.portdouglaseguide.com or http://www.vcentres.com.au/port-douglas/ For accommodation in Port Douglas - http://www.portdouglasaccom.com.au Other things to see in Cairns http://www.tropicalaustralia.com.au/things_to_do_and_see http://www.cairnsvisitorcentre.com http://www.cairnsattractions.com/index.html I could go on forever here ... but check out the cairns.com.au - it lists all the 'Top ten things MUST do's in Cairns' and alot of info. The website was only lauched last week. Have a great trip !
5. The Great Barrier Reef is in the state of Queensland, Cairns is a beautiful tropical city and the gateway to the GBR, it has the reef, rainforest and tablelands. It's infrastructure is built for tourism, it has an international airport. Daily flights to Cairns from Sydney or any city/town in Australia. Take a day trip to the islands/reef and cays from Cairns or any of the towns like Mackay, Airlie Beach, Townsville, Gladstone, Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Hervey Bay. If you are taking a cruise up the Queensland coast make sure it sails through the GBR Whitsunday Isles. Try Captain Cook and Quicksilver cruises for day trips they are popular. (site listed below) Or you can catch the Sunlander train from Brisbane to Cairns on a rail and sail tour. Stopping off at various ports for cruises. Brisbane is the capital city of Queensland(QLD) and the nearest big city to the GBR region, 30 mins from there is the Gold Coast, a tourist mecca. Sydney is in New South Wales, and further down the coast, it's nowhere near the reef, but its harbour and beaches are beautiful, it's well worth a visit just for its own charm and its myriad of sights.
6. Lol, is it close to Sydney? Hell no mate. If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef, base yourself in Brisbane and fly to Cairns or Townsville. I'll put it to you this way, a flight from Brisbane to Cairns (both in the same state) is longer than a flight from Brisbane to Melbourne (which is two states away). I wouldn't even bother driving from Brisbane or Sydney to a town close to the Great Barrier Reef. In my opinion, Cairns would be the best place to see the Great Barrier Reef for a day trip. For example, fly to Cairns and spend ~4 days there seeing the Great Barrier Reef and Nothern QLD, then fly back to the original city, or have it as the last thing on your agenda. The vast distances between places in Australia is not really understood by tourists.