Visit Cairns, North Queensland

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefsThe Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area, which is 348,000 km squared, has 2900 reefs. However, this does not include the reefs found in the Torres Strait, which is estimated at an area of 37,000 km squared and with a possible 750 reefs and shoals. (Hopley et al., 2007, p.1) and 900 islands stretching for over 2,600 kilometres (1,600 mi) over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland in northeast Australia.

The Great Barrier Reef can be seen from outer space and is the world's biggest single structure made by living organisms. This reef structure is composed of and built by billions of tiny organisms, known as coral polyps. The Great Barrier Reef supports a wide diversity of life, and was selected as a World Heritage Site in 1981. CNN has labeled it one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. The Queensland National Trust has named it a state icon of Queensland.

A large part of the reef is protected by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which helps to limit the impact of human use, such as overfishing and tourism. Other environmental pressures to the reef and its ecosystem include water quality from runoff, climate change accompanied by mass coral bleaching, and cyclic outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish.

The Great Barrier Reef has long been known to and utilised by the Aboriginal Australian and Torres Strait Islander people, and is an important part of local groups' cultures and spirituality. The reef is a very popular destination for tourists, especially in the Whitsundays and Cairns regions. Tourism is also an important economic activity for the region. Fishing also occurs in the region, generating AU$ 1 billion per year.

Daintree is a national park in Far North Queensland (Australia), northwest of Brisbane and northwest of Cairns. It was founded in 1981. In 1988 it was granted listing as a World Heritage List. The park consists of two sections, with a settled agricultural area between them which includes the towns of Mossman and Daintree Village. It contains significant habitat for rare species and prolific birdlife.

Category: Image - :MossmanGorge1.JPG|thumb|left|Mossman Gorge

Much of the national park is covered by rainforest. The Greater Daintree Rainforest has existed continuously for more than 110 million years, making it possibly the oldest existing rainforest. The persistence of this rainforest is believed to be a product of a fortuitous continental drift; after the breakup of its parent supercontinent a portion drifted toward the pole to become Antarctica, disturbing ocean currents and so becoming quite cold, while other portions were moved to hotter and drier locations. Of the vast rainforest of the parent continent only this portion was moved in a way that preserved its climate, and so also its original forests. Tree species once thought to be long extinct have only relatively recently been discovered here. The Great Dividing Range is close to the coast in this region. The popular Mossman Gorge is located in the southern part of the park. Cape Tribulation also lies in the park.

Category: Image - :Daintree National Park.jpg|thumb|right|A typical rainforest scene in Daintree NP

The park is the location of the bouncing stones Aboriginal site at Thornton Beach. The rocks here have a high density due to vulcanism. The park contains the Daintree River, Bloomfield River and Mossman River.

The Wompoo Fruit-dove is one of six species of pigeon that live in the park as well as significant populations of the endangered cassowary, a flightless bird of substantial size.