The Great Barrier Reef is a true wonder of the world and is an amazing place to visit. You really can't imagine its beauty until you actually see it for yourself. There are plenty of places from where you can explore the Great Barrier Reef, and whether you travel to the outer reef or visit some of the other reefs and Islands nearer the coast you are sure to be satisfied.
Although the reef is called the Great Barrier Reef, it is actually made up of around 2600 different reefs. The Great Barrier Reef is 2000km long, starting just south of the Tropic of Capricorn. The Great Barrier Reef stretches along the Queensland coastline from just north of Bundaberg (where you will find the Southern Reef Islands) right up to Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait. Due to the reefs amazing and spectacular natural beauty the Great Barrier Reef was declared as a World Heritage Area in 1981.
The reef is called the 'Barrier' Reef because it is an outer reef, situated along the Australian continental shelf with the channel between the coastline and the reef reaching a depth of about 60m. The other type of reef is a 'Fringe' reef, which is situated along the coastline of land and islands.
