Stretching from south-east Queensland to the tip of Cape York, the Great Barrier Reef is by far the largest reef system in the world. It’s made up of 3,000 individual reefs, crosses the sea country of more than 70 traditional owner groups and, according to the Reef Authority, covers the same area as 70 million football fields. In recent years, these figures have been joined by a host of less welcome statistics, including the hottest ocean temperatures in 400 years and increasingly frequent mass coral bleaching.
Seeing the reef in person brings all of these numbers to life. While rising sea temperatures are an existential threat to many corals, the sheer size of the reef means there are considerable variations in the scale of the bleaching, as well as underwater topography, water temperature and marine life. And yet, most tourists base themselves in a single port and see only a tiny fraction of this diversity.
But a surprisingly comfortable sleeper train that travels between Brisbane and Cairns provides an easy way for travellers concerned about their carbon footprint – and divers observing the recommended 24-hour break before flying – to take in the full majesty of the reef without leaving the ground.
The Spirit of Queensland takes 25 hours to cover the 1,681km journey and has three carriages of standard seats and 35 convertible railbeds, each featuring a seatback screen, powerpoint and amenity kit, with meals also included in the ticket price. Their popularity means it’s advisable to reserve a bed as far in advance as possible, and passengers are able to book tickets from every major town along the route. The train runs four times a week in each direction, and this northbound route avoids any inconvenient stops in the middle of the night.
You won’t confuse this journey with luxury train rides like The Ghan or the Indian Pacific – it’s a means to get from A to B. However, it’s a comfortable experience with a few thoughtful touches. The railbeds fully recline – it comfortably accommodates my 178cm frame – and are made up by staff each evening, and the seatback screens are considerably larger than any you’d find on a plane. Before lights go out at 9.30pm, an attendant takes breakfast orders for the following morning, and shortly after waking to watch the sun rise over cane fields, I start my day with something precious few flyers get to experience – a hot shower with excellent water pressure.
Stop at: Heron Island/Gladstone to see the southern reef
The southern Great Barrier Reef is dotted with sandy cays like Heron Island, where pisonia trees sway in the breeze above fine sandy beaches, and the reef begins just metres from the shore. It’s an important habitat for migratory birds and nesting green turtles, which can be spotted in the water year-round.
“The snorkelling in the harbour is nuts,” says dive instructor and master reef guide Elliot Peters with a laugh. “At high tide, it’s rare not to see a couple dozen turtles, a dozen sharks, and maybe 50 rays. And the abundance and consistency of marine life means we have some of the best diving on the reef.”
I get a taste of this the next day when he leads me past large bommies where enormous humpheaded Māori wrasse, lavishly spotted barramundi cod and evil-looking moray eels lurk. We spend the second half of the dive stop enjoying a private audience with an enormous manta ray that looks like a flying carpet as it glides serenely around a cleaning station where tiny wrasses fulfil their part of a symbiotic relationship by feasting on skin-dwelling parasites.
While it’s impossible to ignore the impact of bleaching at some sites, I see fields of rich caramel, bruised purple and delicate blue coral at others. Peters estimates 75% of Heron Island’s coral was bleached last summer, “but areas that were completely white at the start of the year have seen significant colour return in six months,” he says.
“It’s not a graveyard, but it’s in trouble, and we don’t know how the reef will cope if these events keep happening, so we need to help it.”
Where to stay: Sharing the island with Capricornia Cays national park and the reef’s oldest marine research station, Heron Island Resort is a two-hour ferry ride from Gladstone and has a relaxed, old-school vibe that’s enhanced by the absence of drones and phone reception.
Stop at: Townsville for the central reef
When I board the Spirit of Queensland in Gladstone a little after 8.30pm, I find my railbed has already been made up. The convertible seat looks like a capsule hotel cut in half and I’m soon being rocked to sleep, waking with enough time for breakfast and a shower before arriving in Townsville.
“The reef is further from the coast here,” says Paul Crocombe, a master reef guide and owner of Adrenalin Snorkel & Dive. “That means higher operating costs and longer transit times, but it also means the reef is in better condition because there’s less impact from coastal runoff, and we’re regularly the only boat out there.”
The waters off Townsville are also notable for several human-made attractions, including the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) series of underwater sculptures that opened a month into the pandemic. It’s a two-and-a-half hour boat ride to get there, and I’m impressed by how many corals, sponges and anemones have attached to the skeletal coral greenhouse in just four years. MOUA’s location in the middle of John Brewer reef makes it an excellent introductory dive, while more experienced divers can explore a site that’s regularly named one of the world’s top wreck dives.
Situated in an otherwise bare patch of sand, the SS Yongala has become a sanctuary for marine life great and small, and on our dive, we spot big schools of barracuda and trevally, plenty of rays, sea snakes and pelagic and coastal sharks, along with masses of dark purple, lime green, blue and orange corals. “Most people barely see the wreck on the first dive because they’re so busy looking at all the marine life around them,” Crocombe tells me with a smile when we surface. “That’s why we go back down a second time.”
Where to stay: Backing on to a boulder-strewn slope, the eight roomy tents at Magnetic Glamping are close enough to the Nelly Bay terminal to hear the ferry’s horn – making it easy to meet dive boats on their way from Townsville to the reef. If you’re looking for a budget option on the mainland, most campsites require a car, but Civic Guesthouse is conveniently located in the centre of Townsville.
Stop at: Cairns to explore the northern reef
While the reef stretches all the way to the Torres Strait, most divers won’t see anything north of Port Douglas unless they splurge on a liveaboard. I stop with the train after the six-and-a-half-hour final leg to Cairns, where dozens of competing operators try to find an edge by exploring the reef in different ways.
“Most people who come want to know more about reef; what they’re looking at, what’s going on with it and how they can help,” says master reef guide and marine biologist Le’a Dawes. That means seeing it not just as an aesthetically pleasing tourist attraction, but as a complex and dynamic ecosystem.
Before hopping in the water, Dawes explains how we’ll fill out two survey forms to record the presence of species that play an essential role in the reef's health and seabed's composition. Both activities take the focus off charismatic megafauna and encourage me to examine the role that less immediately lovable species play in the incredibly complex reef ecosystems. Though I’ve seen hundreds of drab grey unicorn fish in a week of diving, this is the first time I’ve thought about the role these herbivores play by limiting the growth of algae and seaweed that compete with coral for light.
“That’s the goal, to go beyond seeing pretty fish and coral and to see how all the different pieces work together,” says Dawes. “Tourism was a key reason this became a marine park in the 70s, and we want to foster the next generation of reef stewards who will protect the reef moving forward.”
Where to stay: Looking out over Trinity Inlet from a quiet portion of the Esplanade, Cairns Harbourside Hotel opens its breakfast buffet at 6am so there is no need to rush before a day tour, while sundowners include natural wines drawn from a generous cellar. Closer to the centre of town, Travellers Oasis is a friendly backpacker’s guesthouse located directly across from the railway station.
The writer was a guest of Tourism & Events Queensland.
