Any trip to Australia requires a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, a natural wonder of the world! Sadly, it’s also a natural wonder that is disappearing quickly.

A little research yields horror stories on TripAdvisor about day trips to the reef, where groups spent most of the time on a boat over choppy waters. Next came the news that in the austral summer (northern hemisphere’s winter) the deadly box jellies cover most of the reef. Some tours promised stinger suits that would protect you. The morbid joke goes that if you are stung by a box jelly, you are told to just go to the nearest bar. Not worth the risk if you ask me.

When I thought all hope was lost, I came across Lady Elliot Island. Located at the southernmost tip of the Great Barrier Reef, so they don’t get box jellies. On top of that, the island is surrounded by coral, so we could maximize our time out on the reef and there would be no uncomfortable boat trip. Once we found out you could spend the night at the eco-resort on-site, I was completely sold and we booked two nights.

The Flight to Lady Elliot Island

When you book your hotel stay at Lady Elliot Island, you will also book tickets on Sea Air. We left from Hervey Bay since it was a cheap and easy connection from Sydney. Remember that it is a small plane ride over the ocean and may induce a bit of motion sickness. But, you will also experience incredible aerial views of the Great Barrier Reef, so enjoy!

Approaching Lady Elliot Island, the outer ring is all coral.

Lady Elliot Island and Eco Resort

The Lady Elliot Island Eco-Resort is a true slice of paradise. The resort is mostly solar-powered and doesn’t have much waste that isn’t brought in by visitors. Arriving by small plane, doesn’t feel like the most eco-friendly entrance, but once there it feels legitimate. They don’t sell single-use plastic water bottles. They use chemical-free, biodegradable cleaning products. A full list of green initiatives are here.

On the island, everyone walks. It feels like a small town with the same cast of characters until the next day’s flight. We stayed in the Eco Cabin, which was the cheapest option. For this option, the roof is more of a tent material and will get a bit loud if there is wind. There is no lock on the door, but with the small town feel there were no problems with theft since we all know each other.

The staff was mostly grad students or recent grads that studied marine biology or environmental science and were very helpful. There is a white board with the day’s activities that are mostly educational, like Fish Feeding, Turtle Talk, or Eco-Resort Tour.

Solar panels power over 80% of the resort.

Waste sorting bins located throughout the island, though they don’t sell many single-use containers.

We stayed in an Eco-Cabin, which is the cheapest accommodation for two.

The island consists entirely of coral. Look for cool patterns in the rocks!

The Birds! They are everywhere on this biodiverse island and provide the glue for the island.

An almost zero-waste lunch with a view!

Visit my post on Corals and Turtles at Lady Elliot Island.

Have you been to the Great Barrier Reef?