Queensland & the Great Barrier Reef

Queensland is Australia’s tropical north-east, where the Great Barrier Reef runs along the Coral Sea coast. The Whitsunday Islands, among them Hayman and Hamilton, are ringed by turquoise lagoons and the white silica sand of Whitehaven Beach, while remote Lizard Island in the far north puts the reef within snorkelling reach of the shore. Near Mossman the ancient Daintree rainforest runs almost down to the sea, and south-west of Brisbane the Scenic Rim offers cool mountain air, vineyards and walking trails. The best months are May to October, when it is dry and warm.