Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# South Pacific / Australia: Snorkeling Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
edlin 15:37 UTC 13 Oct 2009 | Hello everyone :-) I stay at Gold Coast, Australia - approx. 90km from Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I love to snorkel and wonder where a nice place for snorkeling would be. Maybe the Great Barrier Reef or the Islands of Vanuatu - I have just 2-3 nights and a budget of ca. €1000;AU$1600;US$1500 which should cover flights and hotel. Maybe one of you were in a similar situation or has some experience in snorkeling in the pacific region. I would be happy to hear from you. Cheers, Philipp |
ozziegiraffe 12:04 UTC 14 Oct 2009 | Edlin, you might find Byron Bay (about an hour by bus south of the Gold Coast) or the Great Barrier Reef, in North Queensland, might suit your tastes and your time frame better than going to Vanuatu. | 1
edlin 14:03 UTC 14 Oct 2009 | Hi Ozziegiraffe (you don't have giraffes here, right? ;-) ) Thanks alot. An hour by bus is not that far and it's probably much cheaper than traveling to a totally different destination. Maybe at the end of next week I will take a look at Byron Bay. (Honestly, Tuvalu (Polynesia) would have been my favorite Island but it is sooo far away and only Fiji Airline offers flights.) | 2
ozziegiraffe 11:52 UTC 15 Oct 2009 | You haven't visited any of our zoos, eg Taronga in Sydney or Western Plains in Dubbo. Both well-known for their resident giraffes. Look here, scroll down to Zoo pass. | 3
cutsnake 09:04 UTC 16 Oct 2009 | I lived in Cairns for 6 years. It is one of the best places in mainland Australia for snorkelling. Snorkelling at the Gold Coast is not very special. Things to do in or near the Gold Coast would include surfing at Burleigh Heads or Kirra Beach 15 -20 mins south of the Gold Coast. | 4