Gents,

I'm planning my March/April Oz trip, and cannot decide on the Great Barrier Reef experience.

Option 1: Cairns area;

Option 2: Town of 1770 (between Bundaberg and Gladstone).

We will be snorkelling, not scuba. Anyone had experiences at either/both?

Here is what you can have a look at. Agnes Waters and 1770 are "sister" towns.

Less commercial and less crowded than Cairns and easy access to the Great Barrier Reef for snorklling (trips available from Agnes Waters) to island just off the mainland.

Very good, thx blakey. We're starting to bend towards that area rather than Cairns now...

This will also be a huge help.

i agree blakey ....nice to have somewhere a little less ....erm pushy and more relaxed

Do keep in mind that the bulk of the Great Barrier Reef is much further North, and if you only spend time well South you'll miss a lot, crowds aside. '1770' and Agnes Waters are at the very bottom end of this amazing place, and you won't be finding much to snorkel around just off the beach. You will have to access the reef to experience it from there, but you can access it via a launch to Lady Musgrave or Lady Elliot Islands. If you have a hire car you'll not be far from Bundaberg (famous, or infamous, for rum) Tin Can Bay and Rainbow Beach, with access to Fraser Island on the Coral Sea, and a little further South is shopping Nirvana (or hell) Noosa, on the Sunshine Coast, where you can help save the place before it's too latte!

Bring a jumper (sweater) as it can be a little bit coolish near the water at night in April. Let us know how you go so we can descend on your party and stir things up a bit, OZ style. Don't underestimate the dangers of Drop Bears!