Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot is a small coral cay at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, about forty-five hectares, reached only by light aircraft landing on a grass strip that runs across the island. Guano mining in the nineteenth century stripped it of vegetation and topsoil; replanting from the 1960s brought back pisonia forest and with it the seabirds, which now nest in tens of thousands. The surrounding lagoon and reef are in a green zone with no fishing, and the water is clear enough that snorkelling from the beach reaches coral, turtles and reef fish. Manta rays aggregate here through the cooler months in numbers that make the island a recognised manta site.

What you actually see

• The manta rays - aggregations in the lagoon and around the reef from autumn to spring.
• The snorkelling lagoon - coral and turtles reachable directly from the beach.
• The seabird colonies - noddies and terns nesting in the regrown pisonia forest.
• The nesting turtles - green and loggerhead turtles laying in summer.

When to go

May to October for manta rays and clear water; November to March for nesting and hatching turtles, though it is hotter and wetter. Whales pass from June to October. Day trips are long, so an overnight stay gets far more from the island.

Honest expectations

Access is by small aircraft only, with strict luggage weight limits and flights cancelled in poor weather. The resort is simple and expensive, and there is no other accommodation or shop. Day trips involve several hours of travel for a few hours on the island.

Nearby

Bundaberg and Hervey Bay are the usual departure points; Lady Musgrave Island lies north.