Stretching over 2,000 kilometres along the Queensland coastline from Bundaberg to beyond Cape York is the world's largest living marine formation, the Great Barrier Reef. It is an awe inspiring creation and a magnificent habitat for thousands of marine species.
On the mainland, parallel to the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef lies Bundaberg. Volcanic action millions of years ago laid an ideal bed for fringing coral reefs which can be seen on fine calm days by snorkelling only a metre or two from shore.
Both islands are true coral cays. Reefwalkers may discover jewel-bright starfish, sea urchins, clams and corals. Scuba divers may come face to face with a manta ray or moray eel and snorkellers with giant rainbow-coloured parrot fish or coral trout.
In the summer months turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. Some eight weeks later, tiny turtle hatchlings make their dash for the sea. Thousands of seabirds nest in rookeries on the two islands. Many rare birds have been attracted to these havens and Lady Elliot now has its own small colony of red-tailed tropic birds.
Keen whale watchers will make many sightings of pods of Humpback whales passing close by on their annual migration.
Divers are well catered for with dive facilities on the islands and specialised dive boats. Diving is not confined to the islands with dive sites just offshore at the Beaufort Bomber wreck, artificial reef and Evans Patch.