Lady Elliot Island is one of the most incredible destinations on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Famous for its snorkeling, turtles, manta rays, and eco-friendly resort, it’s a must-visit for anyone exploring Queensland. In this guide, I’ll share how to get there, what it’s like to stay overnight, and the best things to do on the island.
Background
In my previous post about Brisbane Australia, we took an a side quest during that trip and drove to Hervey Bay then flew to Lady Elliot Island and stayed a night at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort. The island is the southern most island of the great barrier reef and is absolutely stunning.
Planning your visit
You can fly out of several different locations, check out Lady Elliot Islands website for the latest details. We chose to fly out of Hervey Bay, boarding a Cessna Caravan for the short trip. The flight itself was an adventure, offering incredible aerial views of the ocean and reef on the way in and out. Once you arrive , you will notice that there is a reef around the island and it actually protects it from most of the wake.
I am going to start with some photos then talk more about it
I hope I captured your attention with those photos!
Things to do on Lady Elliot Island
We arrived around lunch time and found our way around the small island and stopped at the cafe and got some amazing food. When we arrived they recommended we sign up for the glass bottom boat tour. This boat would travel out so you could see the reef and the different animals, which was about 15 minutes of a tour and boat ride, then they stopped so we could snorkel, which was about 45 minutes. This was my first time snorkeling, so I struggled a little with the equipment. Once I got situated we were able to see green sea turtles, reef shark, and other various fish.
From their we headed back to shore and got settled into our room. We went with a garden unit (vs the eco cabin) which was an upgrade and appreciated having our own bathroom vs a shared bathroom. Check out the the accommodation page to get more details.
As the day progressed, we went to west side of the island which is where the old and new light house is located. Here is a photo of the old light house.
We ordered ahead some drinks charcuterie from the cafe at lunch and picked them up to watch the sunset, which was absolutely beautiful as you can tell from the photos below.
That evening we went to the training class so we could go find and watch sea turtles laying eggs. This was late December when we were on the island, so the turtles have a limited season when they lay eggs. They give you special flashlights, so you don’t disturb them but allows you to see a little. We were able to find 3 different turtles digging nest, but we didn’t stick around enough to see if they actually layed eggs. Many times they will get spooked and go back out to sea. We were nervous that we would spook them ourselves, so we didn’t get too close or stick around long, so unfortunately the only photo I have is of a turtle already heading back out to see.
From here, knowing we 50 miles off shore and 80 miles from the airport we took off from, I figured I could get some good sky photos of the milky way. These photos are from my phone, if I would have used a real camera, I am sure they would have come out even better.
All of that adventure was in about 10 hours from when we landed. The next day we didn’t do nearly as much, as we couldn’t go snorkeling due to weather conditions and we took it a little easier.
From here we departed and here is one last view of the beautiful Lady Elliot Island.
Conclusion
Although we spent just 28 hours on the island, every moment was truly breathtaking. From the stunning ocean reefs to sunset. The views feel like a dream. It wasn’t until we had left that we fully realized how deeply the experience had impacted us, leaving us with memories that would last long after our departure.
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