Tropical North Queensland Travel Guide

The reason to come this far north is singular, and no other part of Australia can offer it. Tropical North Queensland is the one place where rainforest this old runs directly into a reef this large, close enough together that you can spend one day beneath the water and the next beneath the canopy without changing hotels. Cairns is the base for both, a small city with a lagoon on its waterfront rather than a beach, which surprises a lot of first time visitors.

The Great Barrier Reef is not one place but a system stretching more than 1,400 miles, so the question that actually matters is which section your boat reaches. Inner reef trips are shorter and cheaper and the coral is generally in poorer condition, while outer reef trips take ninety minutes to two hours each way and put you somewhere healthier. Port Douglas, an hour north of Cairns, reaches the Agincourt Ribbon Reefs and has a real beach in Four Mile Beach, which is a legitimate reason to base there instead.

One thing worth planning around is that the reef does not run on your schedule. Trips cancel for wind regularly, so book yours early in your stay rather than on the last day, and leave a spare day if you can. The dry season from May through October gives you the calmest water and the best visibility. Below are the guides for the reef, the rainforest, and how to fit both into a first visit.