Alongside mates from her Brisbane Bushwalking Club, Explorer Roz visited the renowned wildlife haven, Lady Elliot Island. Between the skies and under the surface, they witnessed nature doing its thing, in abundance.

 

We Are Explorers acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the Country on which this adventure takes place who have occupied and cared for the lands, waters, and their inhabitants, for thousands of years. We pay our respects to them and recognise that sovereignty was never ceded.

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Quick Overview

Lady Elliot is only a small island – you can walk around it in about 45 minutes! – but there’s a lot to do. It has a very interesting history and is fantastic for bird watching and snorkelling on the reef.

Read more: An Eco Adventure on Lady Elliot Island (QLD)

 

Paradise Found: Magic Awaits on Queensland's Lady Elliot Island, Shot by Sharon Cribb, boat,

We took a glass-bottom boat to a snorkelling spot | Photo by Sharon Cribb

About Lady Elliot Island

Lady Elliot Island is a small coral cay situated at the end of the southern tip of the World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef, 85km north east of the Australian mainland from Bundaberg, Queensland. It covers an area of 45 hectares.

The island is in a highly protected ‘Green Zone’ which is a sanctuary for over 1,200 species of colourful marine life, in particular its large populations of giant manta rays and turtles.

Read more: Snorkelling the Great Barrier Reef Off of Townsville Blew All My Expectations

I was very lucky to spend four days on the island recently with five friends from my Brisbane Bushwalking Club.

 

And we had an absolute blast

Lady Elliot Island History

Lady Elliot Island was officially discovered and named by Captain Thomas Stuart, and he named it after his boat, the ‘Lady Elliot’.

There’s no record of Indigenous connections to Lady Elliot Island, however, the locality and the surrounding area are culturally significant to the Taribelang Bunda, Bailai, Gooreng Gooreng, and Gurang Aboriginal Traditional Owner groups.

Europeans occupied the island from 1863 to 1873 and guano mining eventually began on the island with 30 Chinese and Malay workers. Guano is an accumulation of seabird poo from the thousands of birds that had been nesting on the island. It was used as fertiliser and as an ingredient in gunpowder. This practice decimated the island. Most of the vegetation was removed along with three feet of surface soil. Goats ate all the vegetation, leaving the island a barren coral cay.

In 1969 Mr Don Adams began a revegetation program, which has been very successful and is the reason it’s a beautiful natural wildlife area today.

 

Natural beauty is everywhere you look

How to Get to Lady Elliot Island

You can fly to the island from Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Brisbane or the Gold Coast. We drove up from Brisbane to Hervey Bay and caught the small plane across to the island.

The flight only took about 30 minutes and we were very lucky to see whales on the way. There was a limit of 15kg per person.

Where to Stay on Lady Elliot Island

Accommodation on Lady Elliot Island ranges from absolute beachfront luxury cabins, with their own bathroom and toilet, to basic eco-cabins with bunk beds and shared toilet and shower facilities close by.

My bushwalking group and I stayed in the eco-cabins which had two double bunks in each. They were pretty small but we only stayed there to sleep. They feature a nice, large deck with comfortable chairs.

 

It’s all you need when you spend most of your time out and about

Where to Eat on Lady Elliot Island

There’s a large restaurant on the island, which provides all meals. You can also bring some food with you but be careful of the luggage weight limits. Our tour package included breakfast and dinner every day, so we only needed to buy our own lunch.

You can also buy drinks from a van near the lighthouse.

 

The birds of Lady Elliott Island are very keen to be photographed, appearing in almost every one!

Things to Do on Lady Elliot Island

There are lots of activities and things to do on Lady Elliot Island. Some of the tours the island provides include:

  • Dive trips on the reef
  • Snorkelling tours
  • Glass-bottomed boat tours
  • Island history tours
  • Behind-the-scenes tours
  • Snorkel lessons
  • Reef health updates
  • Island discovery tours
  • Fish feeding tours
  • Sunset drinks on the beach
  • Quiz nights
  • Bird tours
  • Sustainability tours

If you’ve got any time left over, a walk on the beach is another excellent activity

Essential Gear for Lady Elliot Island

  • Casual clothes – Take some warm clothes and rain gear in case it’s cold or raining
  • A rain coat in case of bad weather
  • Swimming gear for swimming and snorkeling. You can hire a wetsuit, flippers, and snorkelling and diving gear from the dive shop on the island
  • Camera and underwater camera
  • Comfortable walking shoes
  • Sunscreen/mosquito repellant
  • Hat
  • Reef shoes for walking on the coral on the beach. The resort also has lots of reef shoes for people to borrow
  • Binoculars

 

You won’t want for much with views like this to enjoy

What’s it’s Like to Visit Lady Elliot Island

Most people who visit Lady Elliot Island describe it as paradise, which I wholeheartedly agree with!

Read more: 12 of The Best Islands in Queensland

 

There’s a big focus on sustainability here too – check out those solar panels!

Nesting Turtles

The turtle nesting period is from November to March. If you go during this time you can see Green and Loggerhead turtles laying their eggs on the beach.

 

Even without seeing any animals, the beaches are simply stunning

Island Tours

There are lots of free-guided tours you can take, and some of us went on the history tour and bird tours.

The bird tour was very interesting. We saw Red-tailed Tropicbirds with chicks, White-capped noddies, a Black Morph Eastern-Reef egret, Buff-banded rails, Common Brown noddy, White Eastern-Reef egrets and lots more. They were very close to our cabins and we had to be careful not to tread on them.

We even saw a Buff-banded rail with a tiny chick one morning heading towards a cabin.

 

There’s a new bird to spot around every other tree

 

The history tour includes a walk to the historic lighthouse and a visit to the graves on the islands. You’re able to go inside the historic lighthouse, but not to climb to the top.

The only two two graves in the graveyard belong to the wife and daughter of former lighthouse keepers.

 

Hearing the stories of the people buried here brought so much more colour to our visit

 

There were other tours to learn about the sustainability of the island regarding its water desalination plant and solar plants. Some of our friends went on the fish feeding tour where the guide fed fish and identified them.

Swim/Snorkel/Dive

There are maps of where to swim, dive, and snorkel depending on your snorkelling skills, from beginner to experienced. You can choose to swim and snorkel right off the beach, or go out in a glass bottomed or ordinary boat to deeper waters of the reef.

Before heading off to snorkel, check the tides and weather conditions which are listed at the dive shop each day.  

 

Beautiful wonders are waiting to be admired just beneath the surface | Shot by Sharon Cribb

 

One day, we booked onto a snorkelling trip out to the reef which I loved. We went out in a glass-bottomed boat and then anchored off the reef where we snorkelled for about an hour.

We saw sea turtles, rays, lots of colourful fish, an octopus, beautiful clams, and gorgeous coral.  Unfortunately we didn’t see any of the Giant manta rays on this trip, which are often seen on the island.

Read more: SNUBA Adventure in the Great Barrier Reef

 

It was nothing short of magical | Shot by Sharon Cribb

 

Guests can swim at any time in the warm waters surrounding Lady Elliot Island or relax in the Manta pool in the centre of the resort accommodation.

Sunrise & Sunset

We got up early every morning to watch the sunrise. We found most people left after the initial sunset, but we stayed on and it got even more spectacular.

Every night we walked around the island and had drinks while watching the sunset.

One of these nights we met a couple on their honeymoon. The man was sad because he’d lost his wedding ring that day while snorkeling on the reef. One of our friends tried to cheer him up by taking some very romantic photos of the couple with the sun setting over the water behind them.

Hopefully they’ll be able to look back on them and remember how gorgeous it was.

 

Every night was as spectacular as the one before

Relax! (If you’ve got time)

I took a book but didn’t find any time to read it as there was so much to explore around the island and underwater. There’s a library where you can borrow books about the reef and island, and an interesting gift shop to buy a gift to take home for someone, or something for yourself to remember your visit.

We were all sad to leave, but very grateful to have spent some time on this interesting island. Lady Elliot Island has been a very successful story of habitat restoration.

 

We’ve all left with memories to cherish for a lifetime | Shot by Sharon Cribb

Tips for Visiting Lady Elliot Island

  • Take casual, comfortable clothing and a warm jumper
  • Take your rings off before snorkelling!

FAQs Lady Elliott Island

Can I visit Lady Elliot Island for a day trip?

Yes, you can! Lady Elliot Island offers day trips with flights departing from Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, Brisbane, or the Gold Coast. These trips typically include a scenic flight, snorkelling, and lunch, but once you arrive you might regret not choosing to stay overnight!

When’s the best time to visit Lady Elliot Island?

From November to March, you might see turtles nesting and hatching. If you’re more interested in manta rays, aim to visit between May and August when the gentle giants are most likely to be around.

Is Lady Elliot Island suitable for beginner snorkellers?

Absolutely! The island has snorkelling spots for all skill levels, from shallow reef areas perfect for beginners to guided tours for more experienced snorkelers.

Can I bring my own food and drinks to Lady Elliot Island?

While the island has a restaurant serving all meals, you can bring your own snacks. Just remember the luggage weight limit and make sure to leave no trace!

More Islands Near Brisbane

This piece was brought to you by a real living human who felt the wind in their hair and described their adventure in their own words. This is because we rate authenticity and the sharing of great experiences in the natural world – it’s all part of our ethos here at We Are Explorers. You can read more about it in our Editorial Standards.