Travelling with Children

Travelling with children to the reef is a rewarding experience...

Pontoon based reef trips are ideal for families with young children. A pontoon is a stable platform and families love them because they're roomy, theres handy facilities onboard, and there are many activities to keep the kids amused for hours.

All pontoons feature an underwater observatory built into the structure, which is a little like being in an aquarium but seeing the fish and coral in their natural habitat.

Younger children will love the kids swim area which is fully enclosed and safe. Other activities to keep you busy include semi submersible tours, glass bottom boat tours, touch tank, introductory diving, sea walker helmet diving, helicopter flights and much more.

Fantasea Cruises in the Whitsundays even offer the first floating child care service available on the Great Barrier Reef. Club Seahorse ensures your kids (from 6 months to 14 yrs) have a great time - while you have a great time!  Face painting; activity books; board games and movies make the kids' visit a fun filled day to remember.

You can also expect all islands and cays to have ample facilities for children, lots of sand to play with and in some cases an abundance of extra activities and attractions. Green Island is an easy day trip from Cairns and offers the flexibility of frequent ferry transfers. Once on the island the day is yours to do as much or as little as you like.

Most Outer Great Barrier Reef tour operators visit two or more reef locations and all water activities take place directly from the boat, either snorkeling or scuba diving. Because Outer Great Barrier Reef trips do not visit dry land during the day, these trips are generally unsuitable for children under 12. There are no child minding facilities onboard, so parents may find it tough keeping younger children entertained.

Families with older children however will love the Outer Reef as the snorkelling is fantastic and the variety of marine life is unsurpassed.

Visiting the reef for the day is an exciting excursion for kids, and in turn very rewarding for parents to watch their children interact and gain knowledge of this truly educational experience.

Pontoon Trips:
Quicksilver
Great Adventures
Reef Magic
Sunlover Cruises
Fantasea Cruises

Islands:
Low Isles
Green Island
Fitzroy Island
Dunk Island
Magnetic Island
Hamilton Island
Long Island
Heron Island

Outer Reef Trips:
Wavelength
Aristocat
Poseidon
ReefQuest
Tusa
Passions of Paradise
Cruise Whitsundays