Southern Reef Islands

While much hype surrounds the Great Barrier Reef's northern splendour, the Southern Reef Islands are the place of ‘castaway’ dreams: tiny coral atolls fringed with sugary white sand and turquoise-blue seas, and hardly anyone within flipper-flapping reach. From beautiful Lady Elliot Island, 85km northeast of Bundaberg, secluded and uninhabited coral reefs and atolls dot the ocean for about 140km up to Tryon Island. Lady Musgrave is essentially a blue lagoon in the middle of the ocean, while Heron Island is a natural escape for adventurous families and world-class scuba diving.