Trade-A-Boat - July 2018

A

ustralia’s Great Barrier

Reef (GBR) is recognised

internationally as one

of the world’s greatest

natural wonders. Stretching

2,300km along Queensland’s coast,

it embraces 350,000 sq.km (about 70

million football fields) of magnificent

tropical marine environment and,

comprising 10 per cent of the world’s

coral, it is the only living structure that

can be seen from outer space.

The GBR is also Australia’s most

valuable tourist icon, attracting almost

4 million visitors each year, mostly

around Cairns. But you don’t have

to travel that far to enjoy the Reef’s

world-class attractions, for its southern

extremity lies just off Bundaberg, only

370km from Brisbane, and can be

reached on a day trip with the ‘Lady

Musgrave Experience’ (LME).

Lady Musgrave Island is the second

most southerly island in the Reef,

part of the Capricornia Cays National

Park, within the GBR Marine Park. It

is named after Lady Jeanne Lucinda

Musgrave (1833-1920), second wife

of Sir Anthony Musgrave, Governor

of Queensland. The local Aboriginal

people aptly call it Wallaginji, ‘beautiful

reef’.

This tiny coral cay (14ha) serves

as a seasonal habitat for thousands

of migratory seabirds and a nesting

ground for endangered turtles. A

1192-ha fringing reef encloses a

turquoise lagoon, accessed via a deep

water channel, that provides safe

anchorage to recreational boats and

an assortment of commercial tourism

vessels that deliver more than 10,000

day-visitors (and 1,200 campers) to the

island annually.

The island is only accessible by boat

and the LME flagship is the Main Event,

a custom-built 27-metre catamaran,

powered by twin 1100hp Detroit

engines that can push the vessel to a

cruising speed of 24 knots, enabling it

CONTACTS

LADY MUSGRAVE EXPERIENCE

Bundaberg Port Marina, 15-17 Marina

Drive, Burnett Heads, Qld, 4670

P: 0427 00 99 22

E: admin@ladymusgraveexperience.

com.au

W: http://www.ladymusgraveexperience.

com.au

GREAT BARRIER REEF MARINE PARK

AUTHORITY

Head Office

2-68 Flinders St, Townsville

P: (07) 4750 0700

E: [email protected]

SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND

130 Victoria Parade, Rockhampton

P: (07) 4921 4055

E: [email protected]

W: http://www.gbrmpa.gov.au

QUEENSLAND PARKS AND WILDLIFE

SERVICE

(Department of National Parks,

Recreation, Sport and Racing)

P: 13 QGOV ( 13 74 68)

E: [email protected]

W: http://www.npsr.qld.gov.au/parks/

capricornia-cays

32 tradeaboat.com.au