Cairns Islands - Great Barrier Reef

Just a 15.2km sail away from Port Douglas is the tropical islands called Woody Island and Low Isles. A stunning, tranquil escape within the Great Barrier Reef. This small group of islands offers a remarkable combination of natural beauty, rich history, and vibrant marine life, making it an ideal destination for travelers seeking both relaxation and adventure. In this introduction, we'll explore the myriad activities and experiences that the Low Isles have to offer, whether you're there for a full day, a half day, or a magical sunset cruise.

Things to Do and See on the Low Isles

Snorkeling and Marine Exploration

The Low Isles are encircled by stunning coral reefs, providing an excellent opportunity for snorkeling. The clear, shallow waters are teeming with colorful coral gardens and a diverse array of marine life, including tropical fish, sea turtles, and various species of rays. Whether you're a seasoned snorkeller or trying it for the first time, the underwater world of the Low Isles is welcoming and awe-inspiring.

Relax on Pristine Beaches

The islands are home to unspoiled sandy beaches, perfect for those who want to relax and soak in the sun. The serene beach setting offers a peaceful retreat from the hustle and bustle of daily life, allowing visitors to unwind and enjoy the natural beauty of their surroundings.

Discover the Island's History

Take a step back in time and visit the iconic Low Isles Lighthouse, operational since 1878. The island also has a rich history in scientific research, being one of the earliest sites for coral reef studies.

Wildlife Watching

Apart from the marine life, the Low Isles are also a haven for bird enthusiasts. The islands serve as a nesting site for a variety of seabirds, offering a unique opportunity for bird watching.

Guided Tours

Many tours include guided walks around the island, where you can learn about the island's ecosystem, its flora and fauna, the significance of the island to the local aboriginals, its maritime history, and the conservation efforts to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Tour Options from Port Douglas
Full Day Tours

For those looking to immerse themselves fully in the Low Isles experience, full-day tours are available. These typically include extended time for snorkelling, island exploration, and relaxation, along with meals and educational talks about the reef's ecosystem.

Half Day Tours

Half-day tours are perfect for those who have limited time or prefer a shorter excursion. These tours usually focus on the highlights of the islands, such as snorkelling and beach time, offering a condensed but equally enriching experience.

Sunset Cruises

Experience the magic of the Low Isles as the day winds down with a sunset cruise. These cruises provide a unique perspective of the islands bathed in the golden hues of the setting sun, creating a tranquil and romantic atmosphere.

Charter your own boat for a sunset cruise or join others to cruise just off Port Douglas.

Whether you're an avid snorkeller, a nature lover, or simply looking for a slice of paradise, the Low Isles offer a diverse range of activities to suit all interests. From the vibrant underwater adventures to the peaceful beachside relaxation, every moment spent here promises to be memorable. So, when planning your trip from Port Douglas, consider including the Low Isles in your itinerary - it's an experience you won't want to miss!

Only a 45-minute ride by fast catamaran from Cairns, Green Island and its reef are part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

What makes Green Island unique is that it’s the only coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef with a rainforest. Explore the lush, tropical national park and its diverse plant and birdlife at your own leisure.

Top things to do:

• Book a Green Island Half-Day Tour or a Green Island Full Day Tour where you can:
  • Snorkel straight off the beach to explore the island's surrounding coral gardens and fringing reef.
  • Take a guided eco-walk around the island and discover rare wildlife and birdlife.
  • Laze on the island's beautiful white sandy beaches.
  • Swim in the ocean or the on-island swimming pool
  • Hop aboard the glass bottom boat tour to experience the wonders of the reef while staying dry, or enjoy a coral viewing semi-submersible boat tour.
  • Take a helicopter flight on Green Island or fly from Cairns to Green Island by helicopter. 
  • If you want a little more adventure, there’s kayaking, scuba diving, parasailing or walking underwater with Seawalker Helmet Diving or our popular Seawalker and Green Island Eco Adventure Tour.
• If you’re keen for a top end view of the island, we thoroughly recommend taking a scenic helicopter flight. Enjoy great $$$ savings with our Green Island Outer Reef and Helicopter Combo Package Deal. 

If you find you need more time to enjoy all the island has to offer and would like to extend your stay on Green Island, the luxurious 5-star Green Island Resort is ideal for a romantic getaway, honeymoon or family holiday with a range of inclusive activities for guests.

Adorned with lush rainforest, open woodland and coral beaches, family-friendly Fitzroy Island is a part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

Only 45-minutes from Cairns, you’ll disembark to pristine, natural beauty. 

Enjoy great $$$ savings with a 2-Day Reef and Fitzroy Island Combo Package Deal Tour. Or book our Fitzroy Island half day tour or full day tours offer more great options. 

Alternatively, just book your transport and see where the day takes you, hiring water sports equipment as you go. 

Top things to do:

• Swim, snorkel or dive the island's fringing reef and meet colourful marine life.
• Take a glass bottom boat tour – the ultimate way to see the reef without getting wet. 
• Explore the island on a self guided walk to the top of the hill, a unique way to see the Great Barrier Reef.
• Walk the tracks through the national park, and up to the Fitzroy island summit. 
• Cool off with a swim at Nudey Beach – one of the most Instagrammed beaches of Tropical North Queensland. (NB. not a nude beach) 
• Visit the island’s campus of the Cairns Turtle Rehabilitation Centre. Places on the tours are limited, so book as soon as you arrive on the island. 

Looking for a longer Island getaway?  Fitzroy Island Resort is a tropical island paradise with a range of island accommodation options.  Enjoy the stunning ocean vistas at sunset, rainforest walks, or perhaps a swim in the Resort swimming pool complete with swim up bar.

Fitzroy Island Resort offers a range of resort facilities including a contemporary a la carte restaurant, two bars including pool bar, games room, 50 seat movie theatre, resort mini supermarket plus new 'FISH' Sports Hub for water activities hire.  Choose to stay in a Resort room suitable for couples, a Beach Cabin, or larger holiday apartments - suitable for families.

See all tours and attractions for Fitzroy Island on the Great Barrier Reef.

Named after its two mountainous peaks, Double Island is located only minutes away from Palm Cove, the launch transfer access point for the island.

The privately-owned island is home to a single, exclusive resort that allows a maximum of 36 guests at one time. Day trips to Double Island are not offered - the stunning island retreat is available for the exclusive use of resort guests. 

Your secluded island paradise

If you’re lucky enough to be staying on Double Island, your driver will meet you at the airport, where you’ll be driven in a private limousine to Palm Cove to board the transfer vessel. Or you could opt for the helicopter transfer direct from the airport. 

Once you’ve arrived at your tropical destination, you’ll discover that each villa is ensconced within tropical rainforest, providing complete privacy while giving guests easy access to the beach only minutes away.

As for Double Island itself, expect untouched, natural beauty, which you can enjoy by doing as little, or as much, as you like. There are catamarans, windsurfers, canoes, and kayaks. Or you can explore the island along the walking tracks. There is also an indoor cinema, as well as the outdoor moonlight cinema.

The convenience of Palm Cove only 10 minutes away, means you can easily enjoy its boutiques, award-winning restaurants, and bars. It’s also the pick-up point for tours to the Great Barrier Reef and the Daintree Rainforest – the two World Heritage-listed areas of Tropical North Queensland on nearly everyone’s bucket list.

Located 10km off the coast of Mission Beach, Bedarra is another one of the 12 islands that form the Family Group of Islands; the mother, to be more specific. It’s 100 hectares is home to tropical rainforest and exclusive resorts, that promise complete privacy and the ultimate in relaxation. 

The lack of roads or cars, and limited visitor numbers on Bedarra Island, make this a truly idyllic experience – one that has been a favourite among the rich and famous, eager to escape the limelight.

While the island enjoys regular repeat visitors, Bedarra Island isn’t for everyone. The resorts don’t cater for families. And if you’re after nightclubs and rowdy bars, then it’s probably best to stick with the mainland.  

Top things to do: 

• Enjoy a candlelit dinner for two on your own private beach.
• Feel the tension slip away with a relaxing therapeutic massage. 
• Explore the island on foot and take a self-guided walk through the rainforest.
• Take a trip out to snorkel or dive the outer Great Barrier Reef.
• Go kayaking or stand up paddle boarding – you’re bound to see some of the local wildlife, whether it’s a turtle coming up for air or one of the seabirds gliding overhead.

The largest of the Family Islands Group and known as the father, Dunk Island is a stone’s throw from the mainland. So close, in fact, that you could kayak to it from Mission Beach, spotting turtles and rays along the way.

Or you could zip over to Dunk Island on the Mission Beach Dunk Island Water Taxi if you’d prefer to save your energy for island time.

Its original name of ‘Coonanglebah’ means ‘island of peace and plenty’ and you’ll see why. With its lush, tropical rainforest, many choose to explore the national park on foot.

Top things to do: 

• Climb up to Mt Kootaloo, a 7km return walk sheltered by overhanging vegetation that keeps the track cool. At the lookout, you’ll see the other islands that complete the ‘family’.
• Jump off the jetty, go fishing or snorkel in the fringing reefs off Muggy Muggy or Coconut Beach.
• If a little bit of solitude is what you’re after, you’ll always find a beach on Dunk Island that you can enjoy on your own.
• The Sunset Cafe is the perfect place to enjoy a refreshing drink. Sip on a coconut water as you ponder what to nibble on while sinking your toes into the sand.

If you’d like to extend your stay by camping, the island has eight standard camping sites with toilets and showers only a short walk away. You’ll need to book with the Dunk Island office and National Park camping fees apply.

The ‘twins’ of the Family Group of Islands off Mission Beach offer a truly remote camping experience, accessible only by boat. Each island has only one camping spot, both of which are located on the southern side of the island.

Wheeler Island’s camping site will accommodate a maximum of 10 people and Coombe’s maximum is eight.

Each has a picnic table and that’s about it for facilities. Visitors will need to be completely self-sufficient, bringing their own drinking water, food, fuel stoves, and rubbish bags.  

Stand at any of the lookout points along the Great Barrier Reef Drive and you’ll spot an island north of Port Douglas that looks remarkably like a crocodile.

Aptly named, Snapper Island is one of the most distinctive off the coast of Tropical North Queensland. Rising 99m above sea level and located 2km from the mouth of the Daintree River, this uninhabited island is part of the Hope Islands National Park.

It’s also part of the traditional sea country of the Kuku Yalanji Aboriginal Indigenous people, who continue to fish around the island to this day.

Top things to do:

• Set off on a kayak tour from Cow Bay in the Daintree Rainforest on the mainland to the island, and you’re likely to spot dugongs, turtles and even dolphins along the way.
• Popular for camping, which requires a permit, Snapper Island’s lush forests, mangroves, and coastal vegetation support a range of land and sea bird species and is known as a haven for birdwatchers.
• Boating and fishing are popular activities around the island. Access by boat is limited though, due to the shallow fringing reefs.

Located halfway between the Daintree River crossing and Cape Tribulation, Cow Bay is home to a small community. It is the first populated area you’ll come across after rolling off the Daintree River Ferry.

Surrounded by World Heritage-listed rainforest, Cow Bay is made up of three, unspoilt palm-tree fringed bays. Lauded as one of the most isolated and beautiful beaches of the area, the name is thought to come from the farming of cattle in the early days, as passing sailors would see cows on the beach. Others theorise the area is named after the dugongs, also known as sea cows.

Accommodation options include bed and breakfasts, holiday homes, backpacker resorts, and camping. Visitors may find it more convenient to stay at Cow Bay if they have a car, as it’s a decent trek between the main points of interest, such as wildlife river cruises, rainforest tours, or the Daintree Discovery Centre.   

Top things to do: 

• Walk north along the beach at low tide around the headland to discover more isolated beaches.
• Explore Cow Bay on a guided sea kayak tour where you’ll set off at sunrise, cruising along the national park coastline searching for turtles, dolphins, dugongs and more. If weather permits, you’ll snorkel at the fringing coral reefs.
• Fishing is another popular activity. Throw a line from the beach or the rocks.