Nearest town or city Cairns Phone +61 1800 673 366 | Area 12 ha Established 1937 | |
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Managing authorities Website [ See also Protected areas of Queensland Address Green Island QLD 4871, Australia Management Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service Similar Grey Peaks National Park, Three Islands National, Mount Webb National, Blackwood National Park, Mount Cook National | ||
Green island green island national park cairns queensland australia oceania
Green Island National Park is a protected area declared over a small (12 ha) coral cay known to the local Gungganyji Aboriginal peoples as Dabuukji. The Gungganyji people used the island as an initiation ground.
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It is 27 km offshore from Cairns (1394 km northwest of Brisbane), Queensland, can be accessed by a choice of boats leaving daily from Cairns, and is reputed to be the most visited (popular) island National Park within the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.
Park features
Green Island is a true coral cay formed over thousands of years by the build-up of sand and coral rubble deposited on the calm side of a platform reef. The island is covered in tropical vine forest which supports a diversity of birds and insects. The surrounding coral reef is home to many kinds of corals, clams, fish, stingrays and other reef life. Green and hawksbill turtles are seen offshore. More than 60 species of bird are found on the island.
Green Island has been a popular tourist resort for more than a century. The island became a national park in 1937, a marine park in 1974 and part of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area in 1981. Today the island, reef and beaches are managed together as a recreation area.
Camping on the island is not permitted. A small luxury resort is built on the island with daily ferry services providing access.