Lady Elliot Island

After the two days on Fraser Island, the next day Lady Elliot Island was on the itinerary. That was not planned, but due to the weather-related cancellation of the tour to the Great Barrier Reef from Agnes Water, it was the only possibility to still see the Great Barrier Reef.

I had only booked the tour four days earlier and was curious if everything would work out. Since the island is about 80 kilometers away from Hervey Bay, you can only get there by plane. According to the tour description, all I needed to bring was sunglasses, sunscreen, a hat, a camera, swimwear, and some money in case I wanted to buy something there. So I packed a small backpack and made my way to the airport, which was only 9 minutes away from my accommodation according to the GPS. Check-in was scheduled for 07:40 AM.

The traffic in the morning was like the one at Lübeck Airport...

The plane had about 15 seats, but 3 or 4 of them were unoccupied. It was my first time boarding such a small aircraft. But it's really not suitable for people with claustrophobia. There were two slightly heavier passengers who had a hard time getting to their seats. And anyone over 160 cm had to bend down to their seat.

But at some point, everyone was seated, buckled up, and the plane took off at exactly 08:10 AM.

Right from the start, I saw Hervey Bay and the one-kilometer long pier, the longest in Australia. From the top, you can observe whales and dolphins during the season.

Although there was a lot of wind predicted, I found the flight to be very calm and pleasant. The weather once again played along.

After 35 minutes, Lady Elliot Island came into view. The pilot made a left and a right turn before landing, so that everyone could see and photograph the island completely, and then we landed.

The landing was gentle, but the roll-out was a bit like a rodeo, because you land on a 'coral meadow' ...

Now please don't be surprised, you will see black dots in many pictures. That's not dirt on the camera, those are birds, building nests here by the thousands and starting to breed. Some bird was always in front of the lens when I took a picture...

Right at the landing strip, one tree was already black with birds.

After landing, we received a 15-minute briefing on what we are allowed to do and not to do on the island, where everything is located, and what guided activities are offered, which we could participate in or not. Towels, a locker for our belongings, snorkeling equipment, reef shoes, and lunch were included.

Lady Elliot Island is the southernmost coral island of the Great Barrier Reef. Our dear friend James Cook did not have a hand in naming it, it was named after the explorer's ship. Lady Elliot Island is 43 hectares and was formed only 3,000 years ago when the coral reef suddenly rose and a part of it remained permanently above sea level. This attracted generations of birds and in the mid-19th century also people who were interested in the bird droppings, guano, which was then considered a valuable fertilizer.

Today, there is a resort on the island. It consists of a reception, a small souvenir shop, a diving school, a restaurant, and many small bungalows. Only 150 guests are allowed to stay on the island at a time, plus about two dozen day visitors.

And today, I was one of the day visitors. After the briefing, my day plan was set. First, explore the island a bit, then take a ride on the glass-bottom boat, followed by snorkeling from the boat, snorkeling in the lagoon, and in between, see, discover, and observe as much as possible...

So first, I walked around the island, which takes about 50 minutes if you take your time...

Each side looks different. During low tide, you can 'walk through' the lagoon and look at the reef 'on foot', because the water is only knee-deep. This was not possible during our stay, as the lagoon was filling up with water and would be perfect for snorkeling around noon.

The sand in this section is not very fine, but not too coarse either. You could still walk barefoot. That changed abruptly a few meters further. The dead corals and shells were scattered there like bulk material. I wouldn't have wanted to walk there without swim shoes...

Then came the Lighthouse section. This is where the glass-bottom boats depart and it is another snorkeling area. The beach is fine again. The lighthouse is still in operation.

After that, the beach became coarse again.

And then I was back at the lagoon.

The island itself is not super spectacular, but it's more about the underwater world around it. And since I didn't bring an underwater camera on this trip, I can only describe my impressions. So far, I haven't missed the camera, but unfortunately that will change a bit at the end of the day...

First, I got on the glass-bottom boat. Unfortunately, it was very unspectacular. There is a difference between snorkeling yourself and looking down through a glass window. And there was no sign of the promised manta rays anywhere. That was a shame, but of course, it couldn't be changed. If you want to see animals guaranteed, you have to go to the zoo or the aquarium. And I have already seen quite a few animals on this trip, so I can live with not having seen manta rays.

However, snorkeling from the boat into the water about 6-8 meters deep was really an experience. I have never seen such a variety of corals before. It wasn't just about the colors or anything, but the sheer size and force that overwhelmed you. I would have almost said that I watched it with amazement and an open mouth, but that would have been disadvantageous while snorkeling... It was really impressive.

Afterwards, I walked around the island again and had a look at the 'noise' of the nesting birds... There is no tree or bush where birds are not nesting. The (probably) males fly past you with building material in their beaks, very close to your head, and the noise is truly incredible. Here are a few examples.

After lunch and some relaxation on the beach, the lagoon was very well filled due to the high tide. The water level was high enough to snorkel without the risk of touching the corals. I took a closer look at the underwater world, saw many colorful and large fish, and then caught sight of my highlight of the day. Suddenly, a huge turtle was grazing in front of me... It was about one meter long and munching on grass. It didn't mind me at all, even though I was watching from a distance of only 2-3 meters at most. It was funny to see that it was struggling with a fish. I don't know if it was a cleaner fish trying to remove parasites from the turtle or if the fish was defending something. In any case, the fish always attacked the turtle's eye area, which was constantly disturbed while grazing and tried to keep the fish away... I watched the spectacle for at least 10 minutes or longer and would have loved to have a camera with me at that moment. But I will probably remember it for a long time...

Then it was time to come out of the water. I noticed that one of my shoes had suffered a bit. I didn't even notice it. Without shoes, it would probably have ended bloody...

Unfortunately, it was time to change and stroll towards the landing strip. The plane took off again towards Hervey Bay at exactly 4:10 PM.

And then the day was already over. I have to say, it was really worth it to experience the Great Barrier Reef live. It's good that the opportunity presented itself again.

Due to the change of plans and the inserted day on Lady Elliot Island, I now had a 260-kilometer drive to Noosa ahead of me. But I felt good, time passed quickly. I only had to drive for an hour in the dark and I always hoped that there wouldn't be any kangaroos warming their feet on the asphalt. But everything went well, the apartment is bigger than some apartments, and I have three nights here on the Sunshine Coast before heading to Brisbane.