5 Great Gateway Towns to Australia's Great Barrier Reef

[Jason Stephens]

The Great Barrier Reef is certainly the gem of Australia. When it comes to planning a Great Barrier Reef holiday, choosing the right port city to stay in can make a big difference in your experience. Even if you are staying on an island, you still need to get there, so you should plan on a mainland port city that offers something you are also interested in doing. Hiring a car with Apex Rent a Car Cairns  allows you the freedom of travelling on your own schedule and adding on any port city sightseeing you decide. Join us as we explore the five main port cities and towns you can choose to stay in when planning a holiday to this amazing natural wonder.


Rockhampton

 

Mount Etna (NationalParks.Queensland.com)

Great Keppel Island (Wikipedia)

Google Maps

The southernmost gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, Rockhampton puts you close to Great Keppel Island, the Keppel Bay Islands National Park, Curtis Island National Park, and some popular dive spots. You can stay in Rockhampton and take some day trips out to the reef or you can stay on Great Keppel Island where there is a variety of accommodations from camping to a luxury resort. Of course, you can combine a little bit of both. When it comes to Rockhampton, there are plenty of fun things to do including sailing on the Fitzroy River, visiting Mt Archer National Park, exploring the caves there or in the nearby Capricorn Caves, and taking an Aboriginal culture tour to learn about the cultural history of the region.

Mackay

Araluen Falls in Eungella National Park (Wikipedia)

Hill Inlet, Whitsunday Islands (Wikipedia)


About 335 km north of Rockhampton, Mackay is still considered the southern section of the Great Barrier Reef. A well-known vacation mecca in itself; the town is also one of the Reef's most popular areas, the Whitsunday Islands. An archipelago of 74 islands and cays that dot the clear blue Coral Sea, the Whitsundays are known for island beaches with some of the purest white sand in the world. A few of the islands have resorts on them which make for amazing island getaways. When you are on the mainland of Mackay, there are also beautiful beaches, Hillsborough National Park on the coast and inland is Eungella National Park. It is located in the Pioneer Valley and is very beautiful with tranquil scenery, picturesque waterfalls and the best place in the world to catch a glimpse of wild platypus.

Townsville

Picturesque and tropical Hinchinbrook Island (nprsr.qld.gov.au)

Alligator Creek and Mount Elliot in Bowling Green National Park (Queensland.com)

(Google Maps)

As we head further north 386 km up the coast, we will find Townsville, centrepiece of the central region of the Great Barrier Reef. Townsville is more of an industrial city, also the beef capital of Australia, and with a growing tourism base as well as for the Reef. Both Magnetic Island and Hinchinbrook Island are very close to the mainland and these give you a great taste of the Reef without venturing too far away from the coast. A little further north you have Orpheus Island and Great Palm Island too. Townsville has a tropical climate and as you head north, you are moving into tropical rainforest territory. Many of the nearby national parks are protected rainforests, and you shouldn’t miss out on visiting at least one, such as Bowling Green National Park, Paluma Range National Park, or Girringun National Park. Other things to do while in Townsville include the Billabong Sanctuary, the Museum of Tropical Queensland, Reef HQ Aquarium, or check out Castle Hill, one of many popular hiking destinations near Townsville.

Cairns

(Australia.com)

Kuranda Skyrail (Australia.com)

(Google Maps)

Once you reach Cairns, you are in North Queensland and in store for some of the best diving off of the coast. Charters are leaving daily and there are many to choose from. In an around Cairns there is plenty to see and do, especially in the beautiful tropical rainforests and national parks near the city; the Kuranda Rainforest in particular is a must-see, with a scenic railway and skyrail which give you a bird’s eye view of the canopy of the lush flora. There is also Barron Gorge National Park, Paronella Park with a very interesting history, the Cairns Zoo, the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, white water rafting, Hartleys Crocodile Adventure Park, Chillagoe Caves, Tjapukai Cultural Park, and horseback riding.

 

Port Douglas

Low Isles (CairnsAttractions.com.au)

Daintree Rainforest (DaintreeRainforest.net.au)

Google Maps

Port Douglas is the Reef's northernmost port city, as well as gateway to the far north of Queensland. Cairns and Port Douglas are the closest together of any of the other two ports, so you can visit both since they are only an hour's drive from each other. One of the popular Great Barrier Reef destinations near Port Douglas is the Low Isles, a small cay not too far off the coast, so easy to reach and spend the day exploring, snorkelling, or relaxing. Heron Island is also close to Port Douglas. While in Port Douglas, you can visit the Mossman Gorge and the Rainforest Habitat Wildlife Sanctuary. If you are this far north, you definitely should visit the Daintree Rainforest just north of town, the oldest and largest contiguous tropical rainforest left in the world, thought to be 140 million years old and home to more biodiversity per square metre than anywhere else on the planet. 

top photo: NASA, by MISR