General News
22 October, 2026
Reef is city’s greatest asset
WHILE nowhere near as common nowadays, tourists from far and wide, one of which included the late Queen Elizabeth II, would traverse the treacherous Coral Sea, travelling to the then-quaint Green Island.
Here guests had the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness life on the Reef without getting themselves soaked.
This was done through the construction and use of the Underwater Coral Gardens Observatory.
Guides, from the Cairns Aquatic Club, who advertised through a newspaper that they would be hosting another outing to the Island on 6 November 1931, stating that anyone in attendance was advised to bring shoes, as they would be able to walk across and see firsthand the wonders of the coral reef.
It is hard to imagine that just over 50 years ago, proposals were put forward to mine limestone from Ellison Reef for fertiliser production, while large areas of the Great Barrier Reef were considered for oil and gas exploration.
At the time, some even claimed parts of the reef were “dead” and of little environmental value.
Today, we know the Great Barrier Reef, added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on 30 October 1981, is one of the world’s most remarkable ecosystems, supporting incredible biodiversity and underpinning the region’s tourism industry and way of life.
