Great Barrier Reef And The Daintree Coast
The Great Barrier Reef is located off the coast of Queensland along the continental shelf and extends for over 2000 kilometres. It consists of a broken maze of around 2900 individual reefs, including many fringe reefs along the coastline and around islands. The interconnection of these reefs with the wet tropics coastline of the Daintree is of special significance and was one of the criteria for the Great Barrier Reef being World Heritage Listed.
The bio-diversity of this reef system is especially evident along the Daintree Coast with its fringe coral reefs and relatively unpopulated rainforest coastline being a rare combination in the world. This proximity to the coast makes it easily accessible to anyone visiting this area. Mackay and Undine reefs, which form part of the outer barrier reef, are only a half hour boat ride from Cape Tribulation and all along the Daintree Coast the fringe coral reefs can be accessed from the beaches providing snorkeling opportunities.
At low tide it is possible to explore many exposed sections of coastal reef and rock formations on foot, with a myriad of marine life sheltering amongst the remaining pools of water awaiting the inundation of the incoming tide. There are also small coastal islands such as Snapper Island, close enough to the mainland to reach by Kayak.
The Daintree coast section of the Great Barrier reef provides habitat for many diverse forms of marine life including hard corals, sponges, fish, sea urchins, anemones, crustaceans, birds and much, much more. It is a common occurrence to see turtles and stingrays swimming off the beaches. Here crayfish thrive in the coastal fringe reefs, fish life abounds and dugong grazes in the sea grass beds. Even Humpback whales visit the area annually during their migration north, traversing the deeper waters between the small coastal islands and outer reef.
Daintree is where “the rainforest meets the reef” and it is this interaction between land and sea that is truly remarkable. Here you can experience the coast in its natural state, just as the traditional owners of this country, the Kuku Yalanji have always done, and as Captain Cook did when he first explored the area in 1770.
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