Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reef is popular for its cascading
drop-offs. Snorkelers can explore
not just the Outer Reef, but also
patch reefs among the islands and
rarely visited fringing reefs around
many island shores. See “The
Whitsunday Coast & Islands” in
chapter 6.
•
Heron Island
(QLD): Easily the
number-one snorkel and dive site
in Australia. If you stayed in the
water for a week, you couldn't
snorkel all the acres of coral
stretching from shore. Take your
pick of 22 dive sites: the Coral
Cascades, with football trout and
anemones; the Blue Pools, favored
by octopus, turtles, and sharks;
and Heron Bommie, with its rays,
eels, and Spanish dancers; and
more. Absolute magic. See “The
Capricorn Coast & the Southern
Reef Islands” in chapter 6.
•
Lady Elliot Island
(QLD): Gor-
geous coral lagoons, perfect for
snorkeling, line this coral cay
island off the town of Bundaberg.
Boats take you farther out to
snorkel above manta rays, plate
coral, and big fish. Divers can
swim through the blow hole, 16m
(52 ft.) down, and see Gorgonian
fans, soft and hard corals, sharks,
barracudas, and loads of reef fish.
See “The Capricorn Coast & the
Southern Reef Islands” in chap-
ter 6.
•
Rottnest Island
(WA): Just 19km
(12 miles) off Perth, this former
prison island has excellent snor-
keling and more than 100 dive
sites. Wrecks, limestone over-
hangs, and myriad fish will keep
divers entertained. There are no
cars, so snorkelers should rent a
bike and snorkel gear, buy a visitor
center map of suggested snorkel
trails, and head off to find their
own private coral garden. The
sunken grotto of Fishhook Bay is
great for fish life. See “Side Trips
from Perth” in chapter 9.
•
Ningaloo Reef
(WA): A well-kept
secret is how we'd describe Aus-
tralia's second great barrier reef,
stretching 260km (161 miles)
along the Northwest Cape halfway
up Western Australia. Coral starts
right on shore, not 90 minutes out
to sea as at the Great Barrier Reef.
You can snorkel or dive with
manta rays, and dive to see sharks,
angelfish, turtles, eels, grouper,
potato cod, and much more.
Snorkel with whale sharks up to
18m (59 ft.) long from March to
early June. See “The Midwest &
Northwest: Where the Outback
Meets the Sea” in chapter 9.
7 The Best Places to Bushwalk (Hike)
•
Blue Mountains
(NSW): Many
bushwalks in the Blue Mountains
National Park offer awesome
views of valleys, waterfalls, cliffs,
and forest. All are easily reached
from Sydney. See “The Blue
Mountains” in chapter 4.
•
Whitsunday Islands
(QLD):
Most people think of snorkeling
and watersports when they come
to these subtropical national-park
islands clad in dense rainforest
and bush, but every resort island
we recommend has hiking trails.
Some are flat, some are hilly. Wal-
labies and butterflies are common
sights. South Molle has the best
network of trails and 360-degree
island views from its peak. See
“The Whitsunday Coast &
Islands” in chapter 6.
•
Lamington National Park
(QLD): Few other national parks
in Australia have such a well-
marked network of trails (160km/
99 miles in all) as this one, just 90
