Great Barrier Reef
Great Barrier Reef - Majestic Underwater Life
The Great Barrier Reef is the only one of its kind in the world, which is one of Nature’s gifts with her signature on it to Australia. It is the most extensive, the most captivating world of coral reefs in which their variety and those of the species of fish and the mollusks is the music of diversity. It is the largest living reef system on the planet. The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia. It is a state icon of Queensland, a special honour given to it by the Queensland National Trust.
It is all very strange, all the same interesting. In the world you left behind, there is the battle of the egos and the scramble to make it which is another name for competition. Here in Great Barrier Reef, the population of its inhabitants is beyond counting as everything is. Yet, here the air is fresh like a baby opening her eyes in the morning or the flower opening its buds or the four o’clock, one of them, just waking up. There is no scrambling here, no jostling for positions and hazzle and hurry have been thrown out if ever they existed here at all. Welcome to peace on earth, the heart of paradise.
For sure you would like to take a tour of these wonders on earth, the Great Barrier Reef which was declared a World Heritage area in 1981 and added to the National Heritage List in 2007.
It is possible, we contend that it is true, that you have not given thought enough to the wonders in the world of corals and reefs and the coral reefs. Nor, even being an artistic mind, have imagined Nature building carpets under the sea whose choice of colours that beats the dance of colours of neon lights in the city, balloons at cultural festivals, beads that adorn the neck and the hand at special occasions.
At the Great Barrier Reef, the undersea waterlife of corals welcomes you to a social order in which a male can call itself the parents, the kind of claim that is strange but normal in the ecosystem of the corals and in which male and female also do mate too just as you have it in your world, the other world. There in their world they have the hills and the lowlands, indeed, a short visit to them is an immersion in a very lovely, lively landscape of fishes dancing with their tails, pouring out bubbles of water as part of their sport as they move around the hills and hillocks of the land inside-under the sea, strolling around the parks and the rendezvous of corals and reefs and other waterlife families. All this is happening in a stretch of land and see that could claim to be a town, indeed the coral reefs town.
Below, in a nutshell, is something dry but may be necessary.
- The Great Barrier Reef is over 2000 kilometers long
- It stretches from southern Queensland to beyond the northernmost tip of Australia, towards Papua New Guinea
- The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park covers an area half the size of Texas
- It's the only living structure that's visible from the moon
- Almost 3000 separate coral reefs and over 900 islands go towards making up the Great Barrier Reef
- The Reef is home to the planet's most complex ecosystem
- The Reef's origins date back to the last Ice Age
With over 2900 individual reefs and 900 islands, Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure of coral reefs and islands in the world.
Running over a distance of more than 2000kms down the Queensland coast, the reef has a total area of around 344,000 square kilometres. In this vast space, the reef provides shelters to a beautiful marine life consisting of coloured fish, coral, whales, dolphins and turtles.
Great Barrier Reef is a world heritage listed tourist attraction. It is often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world and is even in the shortlist for the new Seven Wonders of the World.
People who visit the Great Barrier Reef enjoy the most beautiful views for scuba diving and snorkelling. There are lot of diving companies who offer services to interested divers at all levels.
For people who are not too adventurous for diving or snorkelling, there are daily reef trips arranged from Cairns and Port Douglas.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 3000km of Queensland coast. The reef runs from the coast of Bundaberg to past the tip of Cape York in Northern Queensland.
An amazing protected Marine Park, which is in fact the only living thing on earth which is visible from space. The reef recently made the list on the seven wonders of the natural world.
Home to the worlds largest collection of coral. As well as more then 1500 species of tropical fish, 200 types of birds, 20 types of reptiles and not to mention the Giant Clams which are over 120 years old. Also the home to some of the Australia's most endangered species, the Dugong and the Large Green Sea Turtle. The Great Barrier Reef is also the breeding grounds for migrating Humpback Whales.
In 1981 The Great Barrier Reef was listed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is no wonder, the natural beauty and sheer size of this reef is something that must be seen to believe. The reef was recently made famous again by the movie 'Finding Nemo', which was soon to become an Australian favourite.
Not only is this Australia's favourite tourist destination but also one of the worlds. With so many great destinations along the reef. Including the Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Airlie Beach, Townsville and Cairns. These are just located on the coast of the main land, it is the sunny islands located in amongst the reef which gets tourists excited. Islands available to visit include, Bedarra Island, Brampton Island, Daydream Island, Dunk Island, Fitzroy Island, Great Keppel Island, Green Island, Haggerstone Island, Hayman Island, Hamilton Island, Heron Island, Hichinbrook Island, Lindeman Island, Lizard Island, Long Island, South Molle Island and Whitsunday Island.
All the Islands located on the Great Barrier Reef are protected National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries. Although tourists are aloud to stay on the island there are only certain parts of islands and certain islands that are open for development.
With climate change dawning down on us, Australia is doing everything it can to help protect the Great Barrier Reef. In early 2009 it was found that 32,000 tones of fertiliser nutrients from farms in adjoining catchments where making its way into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. This has impacted severely on the reef, polluting its waters. This is why the Queensland Government is starting to bring in tougher laws to help protect the reef, in doing so they hope to decrease the amount of pesticides, sediment and nutrients that enter the reef by up to 50% over the next 4 years. A huge step forward by Australia to help protect its most amazing Natural Wonder, will it be enough though?
To create awareness to tourists and locals, each tourist sight along the reef offers tours. These tours help to educate humans on the current threats to the marine ecosystem as well as what we can do to protect it.
Locals also run a monitoring program to help report dumping of chemicals into the water, as well as any other illegal activity. This is done by calling the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to report what has been seen.
The Great Barrier Reef, is a home to many as well as one of the most beautiful sights on the planet. It is time humans start stepping up to protect this part of our great land.
The Great Barrier Reef stretches over 3000km of Queensland coast. The reef runs from the coast of Bundaberg to past the tip of Cape York in Northern Queensland.
An amazing protected Marine Park, which is in fact the only living thing on earth which is visible from space. The reef recently made the list on the seven wonders of the natural world.
Home to the worlds largest collection of coral. As well as more then 1500 species of tropical fish, 200 types of birds, 20 types of reptiles and not to mention the Giant Clams which are over 120 years old. Also the home to some of the Australia's most endangered species, the Dugong and the Large Green Sea Turtle. The Great Barrier Reef is also the breeding grounds for migrating Humpback Whales.
In 1981 The Great Barrier Reef was listed a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It is no wonder, the natural beauty and sheer size of this reef is something that must be seen to believe. The reef was recently made famous again by the movie 'Finding Nemo', which was soon to become an Australian favourite.
Not only is this Australia's favourite tourist destination but also one of the worlds. With so many great destinations along the reef. Including the Bundaberg, Rockhampton, Mackay, Airlie Beach, Townsville and Cairns. These are just located on the coast of the main land, it is the sunny islands located in amongst the reef which gets tourists excited. Islands available to visit include, Bedarra Island, Brampton Island, Daydream Island, Dunk Island, Fitzroy Island, Great Keppel Island, Green Island, Haggerstone Island, Hayman Island, Hamilton Island, Heron Island, Hichinbrook Island, Lindeman Island, Lizard Island, Long Island, South Molle Island and Whitsunday Island.
All the Islands located on the Great Barrier Reef are protected National Parks and Marine Sanctuaries. Although tourists are aloud to stay on the island there are only certain parts of islands and certain islands that are open for development.
With climate change dawning down on us, Australia is doing everything it can to help protect the Great Barrier Reef. In early 2009 it was found that 32,000 tones of fertiliser nutrients from farms in adjoining catchments where making its way into the waters of the Great Barrier Reef. This has impacted severely on the reef, polluting its waters. This is why the Queensland Government is starting to bring in tougher laws to help protect the reef, in doing so they hope to decrease the amount of pesticides, sediment and nutrients that enter the reef by up to 50% over the next 4 years. A huge step forward by Australia to help protect its most amazing Natural Wonder, will it be enough though?
To create awareness to tourists and locals, each tourist sight along the reef offers tours. These tours help to educate humans on the current threats to the marine ecosystem as well as what we can do to protect it.
Locals also run a monitoring program to help report dumping of chemicals into the water, as well as any other illegal activity. This is done by calling the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to report what has been seen.
The Great Barrier Reef, is a home to many as well as one of the most beautiful sights on the planet. It is time humans start stepping up to protect this part of our great land.
