The reef is the 8th wonder of the world and good for snorkeling, diving, sailing or just swimming. It is part of the marine park since 1976 which is a protected national park.
Great Barrier Reef: Where does the name come from?
In 1802 Matthew Flinders was looking for a throughway in the ocean to Queensland. It was a big barrier for him.
Size of the reef:
- lengh: 2,000km (from Papua Neuguinea to Gladstone) - Whitsundays inclusive
- 2,600 individual reefs
- 300 islands
- covers more than ~250,000km²
- biggest coral reef on earth
- biggest 'structure' built by creatures on earth
Who created the fascinating destination?
- coral polyp (living organism) built the reef over thousands of years
What can you see down there?
- corals till 20 meter depth (they need light to grow)
- tropical, colourful fish
--> starfish
--> crustaceans (crabs, prawns)
--> turtles
--> snails
--> shells
--> rays
--> sharks
--> Humpback Whales (between August and October)
Visit the Great Barrier Reef:
You won't be alone, believe me. It is very crowed. I heard that more than 2.5 million people visit the reef every year!
But it is worth it ( I went twice), have a closer look here:
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