10 of the most environmentally conscious Great Barrier Reef tours

Kristie Lau-AdamsBy Kristie Lau-Adams
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Be treated to world-class snorkelling and diving, or just sit back in total awe, by signing up for one of the best Great Barrier Reef tours.

Sprawled across more than 348,000 square kilometres, the Great Barrier Reef flows with rainbow coral gardens, robust marine life and sparkling turquoise waters. While the reef’s health has notably deteriorated in recent decades, coral restoration and water improvement efforts are working to secure the Far North Queensland marvel’s future. The best Great Barrier Reef tours are also doing a superb job in educating visitors while immersing them in its unique beauty.

Amid the admirable initiatives happening here, a string of environmentally responsible Great Barrier Reef tours are working to shine a light on the reef’s intricacies while showcasing just how special this place is. Focused on paving a sustainable future for the world’s largest coral reef system. Here are ten of our favourite tours to sign up for.

1. Reef Magic’s Reef Indulgence Package

abundant fish and coral reefs at Reef Magic Pontoon, Great Barrier Reef
Discover the horseshoe-shaped Moore Reef. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

Hear the ins and outs of conservation efforts straight from the horse’s mouth thanks to Reef Magic’s Reef Indulgence Package . Departing from Cairns via a chopper and destined for the company’s own pontoon located on the outer reef, the tour takes a bird’s eye view of this stunning corner of the world before guests take part in a lab tour led by a marine biologist. While fascinating intel is provided, so are canapes, champagne, a private snorkelling tour followed by lunch and a glass-bottom boat tour before guests are swept back up and over the reef to Cairns. Prices start from $1,499 per person with a two-guest minimum.

2. Wavelength’s Full Day Outer Reef Snorkel Tour

vibrant and abundant coral reefs in Port Douglas
See vibrant coral reefs on a snorkel tour with Wavelength. (Image: Tourism Australia)

Departing from: Port Douglas

Speaking of first-hand wisdom, Wavelength’s Full Day Outer Reef Snorkel Tour offers a leisurely day on the outer reef led by marine biologists. While reef talks offer a genuine debrief on the Great Barrier Reef and the environmental threats it faces, guided snorkelling across three locations is also steered by the experienced experts. Expect morning tea, gourmet rolls for lunch, complimentary underwater photos and, if you’re travelling in the cooler months, even the odd whale sighting as the Great Barrier Reef tour familiarises guests in style. Prices start from around $298 per person.

3. Sunlover Reef Cruises’ Reef & Island tours

a scenic flight over the Great Barrier Reef with Sunlover Reef Cruises
Go on a scenic flight over the reef with Sunlover Reef Cruises. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

Sunlover Reef Cruises’ Reef & Island tours offer travellers an action-packed immersion while adhering to strict environmentally responsible practices. Choose from two varieties: the ’10-Minute Scenic’ which includes a 10-minute scenic flight over the reef, a buffet lunch at Fitzroy Island and plenty of time for snorkelling, or the ‘Fly Out | Cruise Back’ which includes a 25-minute flight from Cairns to a private pontoon, buffet lunch at Fitzroy Island, snorkelling and a catamaran cruise back to Cairns. Prices start from $475 per person.

4. Quicksilver’s Great Barrier Reef Tour

Departing from: Port Douglas

Spend a day onboard Quicksilver’s Great Barrier Reef Tour, where a catamaran will escort you to the underwater wonderland of Agincourt Reef, one of the best snorkelling and diving spots on the Great Barrier Reef. Prefer to stay dry? An underwater observatory and semi-submersible coral reef viewing platform means you can experience a diver’s view of the reef in air-conditioned comfort. A marine biologist presentation is also included, as is morning and afternoon tea, a buffet lunch and all snorkelling gear. Prices start from $325 per person.

5. Sailaway’s Great Barrier Reef tours

a Great Barrier Reef tour with Sailaway
Explore the dreamy Mackay Cay onboard a luxury catamaran. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Port Douglas

Leading eco-tourism operator Sailaway offers snorkelling tours with marine biologists as well as relaxing sailing tours, which – running mostly on wind power – offer the most sustainable way to experience the Great Barrier Reef. Various tours are on offer, including explorations of dreamy Mackay Cay and the white sand Low Isles coral cay, while your mode of transport comes in the way of luxury catamarans. Afternoon tea and a buffet lunch, plus snorkelling equipment and reef talks, are typically included. Prices vary a lot so check the website to find your tour’s current cost.

6. Passions of Paradise’s Full Day Great Barrier Reef Tour

a 25-metre sailing catamaran, Great Barrier Reef Tour with Passions of Paradise
All aboard the 25-metre sailing catamaran with Passions of Paradise. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

With its 25-metre sailing catamaran and a deep desire to spread reef protection education, Passions of Paradise’s Full Day Great Barrier Reef Tour is a great example of sustainable reef tourism. Journey from Cairns to two outer reef locations in search of sea turtles, colourful fish and a variety of corals. The Great Barrier Reef tour also provides an opportunity to meet with an eco-accredited marine naturalist, while all snorkelling gear, a chef-prepared lunch and fruit, morning and afternoon tea are also included. Prices start from $260 per person.

7. Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel

diving at the Great Barrier Reef with Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel
Join local Indigenous sea rangers on a Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel day tour. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

One of the few Great Barrier Reef tours to embrace Indigenous culture and creation stories as part of its reef showcase, Dreamtime Dive & Snorkel delivers a deeper understanding and appreciation of the largest living coral reef structure on Earth. You’ll visit two outer reefs within Gunggandji Sea Country, not before being treated to an Indigenous welcome and acknowledgement, and a morning tea spread. Then, once the first snorkelling location wraps, a buffet lunch will be served and it’s straight onto the second reef. Taste bush foods along the journey, too. Prices start from $225 per person.

8. Ocean Spirit Cruises’ Discover Michaelmas Cay tour

a sea turtle swimming at Michaelmas Cay
Swim with sea turtles at Michaelmas Cay. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

Combine boat and beach time on a chilled day out from Cairns with Ocean Spirit Cruises’ Discover Michaelmas Cay tour . A two-hour motorised sail onboard a 32-metre sailing catamaran will land you at Michaelmas Cay, a small sand cay encircled by a spectacular fringing reef. It’s also a protected sanctuary for migratory seabirds. Once here, opt for a snorkel in the cay’s shallow waters, try an introductory scuba dive, cruise the semi-submarine for a diver’s perspective on the reef, watch a fish-feeding presentation, observe the bird life or simply relax in your own little slice of paradise. This is both an eco-friendly and family-friendly option, with prices starting from $276 per adult and $144 per child.

9. Big Cat Green Island Reef Tours’ Full-Day tour

guests admiring marine life from a glass-bottom boat, Big Cat Green Island Reef Tours’ Full-Day tour
See the reef from a glass-bottom boat. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

For a day out on a rainforest-clad coral cay, just say yes to Green Island, 28 km off the coast of Cairns. Big Cat Green Island Reef Cruises’ Full-Day tour whisks you over to snorkel, dive and swim in its bath-like warm waters, plus you can pay a little extra to see the reef from a semi-submarine or a glass-bottom boat. Green Island holds traditional and contemporary significance for the Guru-Gulu Gungandji people, so expect to learn how its Indigenous roots work in harmony within the wider Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. While you’re on the tiny island, snap up the chance to visit a crocodile sanctuary, home to the largest captive varieties. Prices start from $120 per person.

10. Frankland Islands Reef Tour

the Frankland Islands Reef Tour, Great Barrier Reef
Take a cruise to the pristine white sands of the Frankland Islands. (Image: Tourism and Events Queensland)

Departing from: Cairns

Start the day with a rainforest river cruise before a quick skip – the shortest open water crossing of any day tour from Cairns – to Normanby Island in Frankland Islands National Park on board the Frankland Islands Reef Tour . The Great Barrier Reef tour will place you right on the Great Barrier Reef with its vibrant fringing reefs teeming with all manner of marine life, including turtles, octopuses and anemone clownfish. Lunch and transfers from select Cairns accommodation are also included with prices starting from $250 per adult.

For more travel tips and itineraries, read our ultimate guide to visiting the Great Barrier Reef

Kristie Lau-Adams
Kristie Lau-Adams is a Gold Coast-based freelance writer after working as a journalist and editorial director for almost 20 years across Australia's best-known media brands including The Sun-Herald, WHO and Woman's Day. She has spent significant time exploring the world with highlights including trekking Japan’s life-changing Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage and ziplining 140 metres above the vines of Mexico’s Puerto Villarta. She loves exploring her own backyard (quite literally, with her two young children who love bugs), but can also be found stalking remote corners globally for outstanding chilli margaritas and soul-stirring cultural experiences.
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You haven’t heard of this Qld outback town, but history buffs can’t miss it

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    Under wide-open outback skies, discover a fossicking gem that’s managed to slip under the radar.

    While the name Clermont may feel new to even the most intrepid traveller, its gilded history stretches back centuries. You’ll find it just off the highway, humming quietly under the hazy veil of Queensland’s outback sun. It’s here, hemmed in by mountains and perched atop soil heavy with the earth’s treasures, that one of Australia’s most accessible outback adventures awaits.

    Thanks to deposits of gold, copper and gemstones – souvenirs left by exploding supernovas and the heave of tectonic plates – Clermont became a centre point of Queensland’s Gold Rush. And now? Australia’s fossicking capital is yours to discover.

    Getting there

    car driving along Capricorn Way in queensland
    Take a drive through Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. (Image: Sean Scott/ TEQ)

    You’ll find Clermont in Queensland’s Mackay Isaac region. To get here, it’s an easy three-hour drive over sealed roads from Mackay. Or, if you’re heading from the Sapphire Fields of Emerald, the drive will carve out just over an hour from your day.

    Whether you’re road-tripping through outback Queensland or just tracing your way through all that Australia has to offer, Clermont is remote but easily accessible.

    Best accommodation in Clermont

    Theresa CreekDam in clermont
    Camp by Theresa Creek Dam. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    All accommodation comes with a generous helping of country hospitality here. The choice is yours between modern hotels, parking up the camper or pitching a tent.

    Theresa Creek Dam lies just outside town. Begin each day with crisp country air and bright outback sunrises. Spend the night under the sparkling country stars and your days out on the dam fishing or kayaking. Even if you aren’t camping, be sure to save space in your itinerary for an afternoon on the red dirt shore.

    To stay closer to town, opt for a central hotel to base yourself between exploring and fossicking, like Smart Stayzzz Inn and Clermont Country Motor Inn .

    Things to do in Clermont

    three people on a tour with Golden Prospecting
    Join a tour with Golden Prospecting.

    One does not visit Clermont without trying their hand at fossicking. There are strict rules when it comes to fossicking, so stick to areas dedicated for general permission and make sure you obtain your license beforehand. Try your luck at McMasters , Four Mile , Town Desert, McDonald Flat and Flat Diggings . To increase your odds, sign on for a tour with the expert team at Golden Prospecting . They’ll give you access to exclusive plots and expert advice along the way.

    Once you’ve tried your luck on the gold fields, head to the Clermont Township and Historical Museum . Each exhibit works like an archaeologist’s brush to dust away the layers of Clermont’s history. Like the steam engine that painstakingly relocated the entire town inch by inch to higher ground after it was decimated by flooding in 1916. See the tools that helped build the Blair Athol mine, historic fire engines, shearing sheds and all sorts of relics that make up Clermont’s story.

    The historic Copperfield Chimney offers a change of pace. Legend has it that fossickers found a solid wall of copper here, over three metres high, kick-starting Queensland’s first-ever copper mine.

    Bush Heli Services flying over clermont queensland
    See Clermont from above with Bush Heli Services. (Image: Riptide Creative/ TEQ)

    For hiking, nearby Dysart is the best place to access Peak Range National Park. Here, mountainous horizons stretch across the outback as if plucked from another world. Set off for a scenic drive along the Peak Downs Highway for access to countless geological wonders. Like the slanting rockface of Wolfang Peak. Summit it, and you’ll find yourself looking out across a scene surely conjured up by Banjo Paterson. Dry scrub dancing in the warm breeze, grazing cattle, eucalypts and the gentle creak of windmills. Don’t miss visiting Gemini Peaks, either, for one of the park’s best vistas, and a blanket of wild flowers after rain.

    Then, take to the skies with a scenic helicopter tour with Bush Heli-Services . Shift your perspective and cruise above all the sights from your trip. Spots like Lords Table Mountain and Campbell’s Peak are best viewed from the skies.

    Before you head home, be sure to explore the neighbouring townships. Spend a lazy afternoon in the shade of Nebo Hotel’s wrap-around verandahs . The hotel’s 1900s dance hall has since been replaced with one of the area’s biggest rodeo arenas, so consider timing your trip to line up with a boot scootin’ rodeo. Or, stop by a ghost town. Mount Britton was once a thriving town during the 1880s Gold Rush. It’s been totally abandoned and now lies untouched, a perfect relic of the Gold Rush.

    Best restaurants and cafes in Clermont

    meal at Commercial Hotel
    Stop into the Commercial Hotel Clermont.

    Days spent fossicking, bushwalking and cramming on history call for excellent coffee and hearty country meals. Luckily, Clermont delivers in spades.

    Lotta Lattes Cafe is beloved by locals for a reason. Start your days here for the best caffeine fix in town and an impeccable brunch menu.

    For a real country meal, an icy cold beer and that famed country hospitality, head straight to the town’s iconic hotel: the Commercial Hotel (known endearingly to locals as ‘The Commie’). It’s been a staple in Clermont since 1877. The hotel even survived the flood of 1916 when it was sawn in two and moved to higher ground.

    Naturally, time spent in the outback must include calling into the local bakery. For delicious pies and a tantalising array of sweet treats, make Bluemac Bakehouse your go-to while in town.

    Discover more of The Mackay Isaac region, and start planning your trip at mackayisaac.com.