Our Northern Turn-Around: Lizard Island

Lizard Island is the place where Cook discovered a gap in the reef to allow the Endeavour out to the Coral Sea, only to end up buffeted against the reef again. The climb to Cook’s Look is not for the faint-hearted, scrambling over steep granite to reach the saddle, where wedge-tailed shearwaters have dug their nest holes in the gravel, the only slightly soft soil, then a further climb to the top with views all around the reef.  

Part of the climb to Cook's Look

Here you can see why it’s called the Great Barrier Reef.  With such clear water you can see the reef stretch out to the horizon.

View over Watson's Bay

As we arrived a couple of reef sharks came to greet us, then remoras which were bigger than the sharks!  The fish certainly know it’s a Green Zone because they don’t hide at all, big schools cruising all around Watson’s Bay.

A tour of the Australian Museum Research Station involved a climb up Chinaman’s Ridge, then a 3 km walk (each way) through a soft sandy track, but was definitely worth the trek.  Scientists and students from all over the world come to do a wide variety of studies on marine, coral, animals and plants.  The laboratories, aquaria and library are first class, in an amazing location.  Our photos will not show the real beauty here, it is hard to capture.