8 ways a Lady Elliot Island trip can help The Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is a living structure under pressure, threatened by climate change, pollution and land run off, and other factors. While flying to Lady Elliot Island, its southernmost coral cay, for a few days of saltwater fun isn’t going to solve all the reef’s problems, your visit can have a positive impact finds Kara Murphy.

As your Seair Pacific flight circles Lady Elliot Island, two local celebrities – a manta ray and sea turtle – glide just beneath the sea’s surface, near an enticing stretch of reef. You can’t wait to land and get in the water.

This 45-hectare coral cay, 85 kilometres north-east of Bundaberg, in the southernmost Great Barrier Reef Marine Park , is a paradise for snorkellers and scuba divers. Its shallow lagoon teems with coral, fish, and sea turtles; its deeper waters harbour rich marine life; and its unpretentious eco resort champions conservation and sustainability. While your visit won’t magically eliminate major threats to the Great Barrier Reef (climate change, for example), it can help in the following ways.

1. Your tourism dollars support eco-initiatives

In 2005, managing director and leaseholder Peter Gash took over resort guardianship. Since then, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has significantly reduced its energy consumption and CO2 emissions by installing a hybrid power station and more than 417 solar panels. Renewable energy currently fulfils 80 per cent of the resort’s energy requirements, and it plans to be 100 per cent sustainable by 2020.

lady elliot island manta ray water resort save great barrier reef — Help the Project Manta team capture images of Manta Rays and you might get to name one (photo: Kara Murphy).

Other eco-initiatives include a re-vegetation program, which enhances natural habitats frequented by nesting seabirds and turtles; water conservation and solar freshwater production; waste management; and the use of environmentally friendly jet-powered outboard motors on boats. As you walk past seabird nests to snorkel near coral that hasn’t been damaged by propellers, smile knowing your tourist dollars are helping the resort preserve the Great Barrier Reef’s natural environment.

2. You can reduce the impact of your flights to Lady Elliot Island

Flying offers a beautiful perspective of Lady Elliot Island; however, the plane’s fuel releases carbon dioxide and other emissions into the atmosphere, which contributes to climate change. You can offset these emissions, though, by donating $2 per person per flight. These funds are used to plant native forests at Barolin Nature Reserve (near the Mon Repos turtle rookery), which help capture carbon emissions, reduce the impact of light pollution on nesting turtles and hatchlings, improve the quality of water flowing into the reef, and more.

3. You’ll learn about the reef

The more you know about something, the better positioned you are to protect it. With displays about the dive and snorkel sites and the creatures you’ll find there, the Reef Education Centre is a worthwhile stop. And you can learn about marine species and the fragile reef ecosystem as you snorkel as well, particularly on guided snorkel safaris and glass bottom boat tours. You’ll learn, for example, that the blacktipped reef shark you see enjoys swimming close to shore thanks to its diet of molluscs, crustaceans, and small fish… not because it wants to hang out near you.

4. You’ll protect your new friends

You could easily spend hours snorkelling near trusting sea turtles here; after a few moments swimming alongside one, you’ll want to protect them. Sea turtles (and other marine life) can become entangled in discarded fishing gear; they’ll also ingest plastic – for example, plastic bags, which they fatally mistake for jellyfish. Picking up rubbish, particularly near the ocean, is one thing you can do to help them.

Another is only buying seafood that is caught or farmed responsibly. (In unsustainable methods, turtles and other threatened species might be accidentally caught in fishing gear.)

5. You’ll avoid single-use plastic

If you’re hoping to buy bottled water or use plastic straws here, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, buy a reusable ‘Eco Warrior’ drink bottle and fill it with pure desalinated seawater. And island cocktails taste just as delicious with the environmentally friendly paper straws provided.

Bottled water generates hundreds of times more greenhouse gas emissions than tap water. In Australia alone, more than 300 million plastic water bottles end up in landfills each year. If they wind up in the ocean, they’ll eventually break into small pieces, which marine species and seabirds might fatally mistake for food. Armed with this knowledge (and a groovy reusable bottle), you’ll avoid single use plastics when you return home.

6. You can help monitor the reef

You’ll have plenty of time to marvel at coral while here – so why not also spend some time helping monitor it? Reef Check Australia has established several monitoring sites, which you can help monitor using a ReefSearch slate (available in the Reef Education Centre). To participate, snorkel for 10 minutes within a two metre-wide area, recording the key reef organisms (anemone fish, sea cucumbers, sea urchins, etc.), reef substrate (live corals, slimy algae, rocks, sand, and rubble), and impacts (broken coral, white coral, and rubbish). Afterwards, upload your findings to the ReefSearch Hub.

Eye on the Reef is another program. To participate, download the app and share photos of what you see while snorkelling or diving.

7. You can assist with manta ray research

The island is a hotspot for reef manta rays – particularly in winter, when they aggregate in larger numbers. If you have an underwater camera, you can assist with the University of Queensland’s Project Manta team’s research, which focuses on the population ecology and biology of manta rays within Australian waters.

When you encounter a manta, try to take a photo of its ventral surface (belly), which has unique markings. Afterwards, email your photos to project.manta@uq.edu.au , including the date and location of the sighting. If the manta you photographed is new to Project Manta’s database, you get to name it!

8. You’ll discover ways to protect the reef

If you’re starting to feel waterlogged after all that snorkelling, set out on the self-guided Climate Change Trail. The trail includes 11 signs highlighting the impacts climate change could have on a coral cay ecosystem – coral bleaching, rising sea levels, and ocean acidification, for example.

It also suggests ways you can help protect the reef. For example, you can help slow climate change by reusing your bath towels and sheets and investing in solar panels for your home. And you can help keep coral healthy (and better able to survive climate impacts) by staying clear of it when snorkelling and diving.

Exploring the world’s largest sand island starts with the perfect K’gari homebase.

The morning light is still soft, but it’s already a perfect sunny day. We left our K’gari homebase at Kingfisher Bay Resort with our guide, Peter Meyer, at 9 am to make the most of our time to explore all that the world’s largest sand island holds. The size of K’gari is hard to grasp until you arrive here. This is no sandbar. Stretching 120 kilometres, unique lakes, mangrove systems, rainforest, 75 Miles of beach, historic shipwrecks, small townships and even one of Queensland’s best bakeries are all hidden within its bounds.

But first, one of the island’s most iconic sights: the pure silica sand and crystal clear waters of Lake McKenzie.

Laying eyes on it for the first time, I’m finally able to confirm that the photos don’t lie. The sand is pure white, without the merest hint of yellow. The water fades from a light halo of aqua around the edges to a deeper, royal blue, the deeper it gets (not that it’s particularly deep, six metres at most). The surface remains surprisingly undisturbed, like a mirror.

Arriving with our guide before 10 am means that no one else is around when we get here. Which means we have the pleasure of breaking the smooth surface with our own ripples as we enter. As a self-confessed wimp with chilly water temperatures, my fears are quickly assuaged. Even in the morning, the water stays around 23 degrees – perfect for lazing about all day. But we have more sights to see.

Exploring K’gari

ariel of in lake mckenzie on k'gari fraser island — Relax in the warm waters of Lake McKenzie. (Image: Ayeisha Sheldon)

This was the Personalised 4WD tour offered by Kingfisher Bay Resort, and my absolute top pick of experiences. Over the course of the day, we had the freedom to create our own bespoke itinerary (plus a provided picnic lunch along the way), with an expert guide who had plenty of stories and local expertise to give context to what we were looking at. From the history of the SS Maheno shipwreck, which survived the First World War only to be washed ashore by a cyclone in 1935, to a detailed description of how an island made of sand could sustain such diverse flora.

If it’s your first time to K’gari, the Beauty Spots Tour is another great option. Departing daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort (you’ll start to notice a trend, as many of the tours do start and end here), an air-conditioned, 4WD bus takes guests to the island’s most iconic locations, including the best places to swim, like Lake McKenzie and Eli Creek. The latter offers a gentle current, perfect for riding with a blow-up tyre out towards the ocean.

The next day, for a look at a completely different side of K’gari, I joined one of Kingfisher Bay Resort’s Immersive Ranger-guided tours to kayak through the mangroves of Dundonga Creek. This long, snake-like stretch of creek winds its way inland from the ocean outlet we entered by, at times too narrow for three kayaks to be side-by-side. Small insects buzz from leaf to leaf, while birds call overhead. Occasional bubbles indicate we’ve passed some fish that call this place home.

kayak tour through the mangroves at k'gari island — Learn about the island’s mangroves from your Ranger. (Image: Reuben Nutt/ TEQ)

If kayaking isn’t for you – or if, like me, you simply want more – other ranger-led experiences include nature walks and a dedicated Junior Eco Ranger Program for kids ages five to 12 (these run every weekend, and daily over the peak December holidays). Just ask for a timetable of upcoming tours when you check in.

While during whale season, Hervey Bay Whale Watch & Charters operates tours from the hotel’s jetty to get up close to the famous Humpback Highway of Hervey Bay, from 7 November to 31 May, attention turns to the Aqua Oasis Cruise . Departing from the resort every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for resort guests, adventure along the island’s remote western coast, pointing out wildlife like dolphins, turtles, flying fish and eagles along the way.

The cruise drops anchor so guests can jump into the water using the boat’s equipment – from SUP boards to inflatable slides and jumping platforms. Then refuel with a provided lunch, of course.

Unwind at sunset

two people drinking cocktails at sunset bar, kingfisher bay resort — Unwind at the Sunset Bar. (Image: Sean Scott)

As much as days on K’gari can be filled with adventure, to me, the afternoons and evenings there are for unwinding. Sunsets on K’gari are absolutely unbelievable, with Kingfisher Bay on the west side being the best spot to catch the colours.

The Sunset Bar , located at the start of the resort’s jetty and overlooking the beach, is the ultimate location for sundowners. Let chill beats wash over you as you sip on cool wines, beers and cocktails in a relaxed, friendly vibe. Personally, a cheese board was also absolutely called for. As the sun sinks, the sand, sea and horizon turn a vibrant shade of orange, with the jetty casting a dramatic shadow across the water.

When the show is over, head back to the hotel for dinner at the Asian-fusion Dune restaurant, or the pub-style Sand + Wood. But if your appetite is still whetted for more lights and colours, the evening isn’t over yet.

Settle into the Illumina stage for Return to Sky, an immersive light and sound show leading viewers on a captivating journey through K’gari’s stories and landscapes.

Indulge and disconnect

woman setting up massage room at kingfisher bay resort Island Day Spa — Find bliss at Island Day Spa. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Of course, there is a type of traveller who knows that balance is important, day or night. While Kingfisher Bay Resort offers more than one pool for guests to spend all day lounging by (they’ll even serve you food and drinks while you do it), you’ll find me at the Island Day Spa.

The masseuses could match the magic hands of any big city spa, and I felt the warm welcome as I walked into the light, breezy reception. Choose from a range of botanical facials, beauty treatments and soothing massages using traditional techniques (obviously, I couldn’t go past a relaxing massage). All products used contain organic, native botanical ingredients with nutrient-rich plant extracts to soothe skin and mind. To really indulge, try out one of the packages, couples treatment or even a pre-wedding day offering.

Getting there

kingfisher bay resort 4wd tour driving passed ss maheno on k'gari island — The world of K’gari awaits. (Image: Jessica Miocevich)

Getting to K’gari is shockingly easy. Find daily flights into Hervey Bay from Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Kingfisher Bay Resort offers a shuttle bus between the airport, their headquarters in Hervey Bay and the ferry to take you to K’gari.

8 ways a trip to Lady Elliot Island can help save The Reef