About the Southern Great Barrier Reef

The Southern Great Barrier Reef (SGBR) is a cooperative destination marketing and development partnership between Bundaberg Tourism and the Regional Tourism organisations in the Gladstone (GAPDL) and Capricorn (CE) regions, encapsulating the southern gateway of the world heritage listed Great Barrier Reef.

The Southern Great Barrier Reef partnership aims to grow the Bundaberg region’s international market visitation, length of stay and expenditure, and our region’s reputation as the start of the Great Barrier Reef.

In 2019, the United Kingdom, Germany, New Zealand and the USA made up our region’s top four international source markets, with these being our priority for targeted marketing and in-market representation.

WHY "SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF"?

The brand firmly establishes these regions as the official start of one of the world’s greatest wonders and most well-known destinations…and it’s a partnership that enables us to pool our resources to stretch them further than ever before!

WHAT IS THE SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF ABOUT?

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s most iconic destinations for travelers. Yet there are still parts of The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world’s most iconic destinations for travelers. Yet there are still parts of thereof where visitors can feel like intrepid explorers, as if they were discovering places no one else has ever seen.

The Southern Great Barrier Reef offers visitors the chance to see large hard coral reefs firsthand and join colourful fish and big marine life like turtles and manta rays for a swim. At just over 4 hours drive from Brisbane, this unique region can easily be included as part of a larger itinerary and the snorkeling is within easy reach, right off the beach.

WHY SHOULD OUR GUESTS CHOOSE THE SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF?

Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is 2,300 kilometres long and approximately 344,400 square kilometres in size – which is about 70 million football fields, or the size of Japan. So how do visitors choose their reef experience?

Proximity
The Southern Great Barrier Reef starts only a short 4 hour drive or a 45 minute flight from Brisbane. You can reach the reef on a short day trip, or alternatively you can stay on or around an island of the Southern Great Barrier Reef, where the reef can be accessed straight from the beach or the boat.

Giant Marine Life
Due to cooler waters in the Southern Great Barrier Reef there are slightly different types of coral to other parts of Great Barrier Reef, and an abundance of plankton which support GIANT marine life, like turtles and manta ray. Have you ever witnessed a manta ray with a wing span of 20 feet in length, or a loggerhead sea turtle that weighs 135 kilograms? You can when visiting the Southern Great Barrier Reef!

Intimate Experiences
Tours and attractions in the Southern Great Barrier Reef are quality, generally small scale businesses, which means visitors will enjoy intimate group experiences, and feel like ‘intrepid’ explorers, receiving a very personal experience rather than being surrounded by mass amounts of other travelers.

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