Barrier Reef, Australia

The Great Barrier Reef is on most people’s must-see list when they think of Australia. At 1,600 miles long it is right up there in CNN’s list of the seven natural wonders of the world (the others are the Grand Canyon, Rio harbour, Victoria Falls, Mount Everest, Polar Aurora and the Paricutin volcano).



Some 2 million visitors head out to the reefs each year, mostly flying to Cairns or Townsville on internal flights from other Australian cities. You can fly direct to some of the islands on the reefs, but it won’t be cheap. The minute you arrive you will be overwhelmed by offers and advertising for glass-bottomed boat trips, helicopter rides and other guided trips. Scuba schools abound and snorkelling tours are everywhere. But before you head out make sure your tour firm are on the ball – if you ever saw the film Open Water you’ll know what can happen if you get left in the water when the boat heads back to land.

The Gold Coast at the edge of the reef is one starting point for a visit. But don’t be fooled by its name and expect anything fancy. It’s dubbed ‘surfers paradise’ it’s derided as ‘holiday hell’ by some recent visitors. They say you need to get into the right frame of mind and just enjoy it for what it is – a flash, brash, easy-going and anything goes area where no-one takes life too seriously. You won’t find much Michelin-starred food. But you’ll find some rocking restaurants, cool cafes and great bars. There are also some world-beating water parks like Sea World, Wet’n’Wild and White Water World. So dive in and have fun at the party.