Green Island & the Great Barrier Reef — A Day with Great Adventures
- Justin Merrigan
- Nov 14
- 4 min read
Few travel experiences capture the essence of tropical Queensland quite like a day out on the Great Barrier Reef.
For visitors departing Cairns, Great Adventures’ combined Green Island and Outer Reef tour offers a taste of both island tranquillity and open-ocean adventure — and, from an industry perspective, an impressive display of operational precision.
Aboard Reef King
Our day began aboard Reef King, one of Great Adventures’ long-serving high speed catamarans. She’s not the newest in the fleet, but her presentation is exemplary — clean, comfortable, and clearly maintained to a high standard. Her crew were outstanding throughout, balancing efficiency with genuine hospitality, the hallmark of a well-led operation.
The vessel’s layout — a fully air-conditioned main deck with generous open areas fore and aft — is well suited to the 90-minute outer-reef run. Commentary accompanied the voyage, but was difficult to hear on the open deck, where many guests chose to sit. It’s a small operational detail, yet a reminder that effective interpretation depends as much on sound systems as on storytelling.
The Operator
Great Adventures sits within the Quicksilver Group, the largest marine-tourism operator in Far North Queensland. The group’s lineage traces back to the Hayles family, who pioneered ferry services to Green Island nearly a century ago. Today, the company operates multiple high-speed catamarans linking Cairns, Green Island, and outer-reef pontoons including Moore Reef, where we spent the afternoon.
The operator holds Advanced Ecotourism Certification and “Climate Action Innovator” status — important credentials in a sector that depends on the health of the very environment it showcases. Coordinating the daily movement of hundreds of guests between city, island and reef requires a level of scheduling discipline and contingency planning more akin to airline operations than tourism.
Vessel Snapshot
Reef King is a 30 metres aluminium catamaran with a passenger capacity near 300. She offers 245 indoor seats, roughly 130 outside, a licensed bar, AV facilities, and an accessibility chair-lift between decks — a thoughtful inclusion that supports inclusive tourism standards.
A major refit in 2015 gave her a fresh lease on life, and she continues to operate alongside the newer 33-metre Reef Adventure (introduced in 2016) and the smaller Reef Spirit. For an industry audience, Reef King is a textbook example of smart lifecycle management: refurbish and modernise rather than replace outright, especially when the vessel remains fit for purpose.
Green Island and Moore Reef
Green Island was our first stop — a serene coral cay fringed by palms and surrounded by a luminous turquoise lagoon. One of 300 coral cays on the reef it is the only one to have a dense vine-thicket rain forest! Home to over 120 species of plants and over 55 species of birds, the island boasts a unique mixture of coastal and rainforest plants all within its 1.6km circumference. Whilst there we took some time to walk the colourful Interpretive Boardwalk. The sounds and smells - simply amazing! Without question, Green Island is a model of accessible marine tourism, compact enough to explore on foot yet rich in natural appeal.
From there, Reef King continued east to the Moore Reef pontoon, a substantial floating platform equipped for snorkelling, diving and semi-submersible tours.
Operations were generally smooth, though the semi-sub’s engine initially refused to start — a moment handled calmly and professionally by the crew, who quickly arranged a replacement vessel. It was a neat demonstration of contingency planning in practice.
The buffet lunch on the pontoon was excellent, but space management proved tricky, with guests ‘reserving’ tables early by leaving bags before heading off to snorkel. A clearer table-allocation system could easily improve the flow.
While Great Adventures’ eco-credentials are strong, the environmental messaging during the day was subtle. The commentary provided solid information, but it was hard to hear from the open decks, and there was limited discussion of reef health or conservation once on site. For operators carrying thousands of visitors each year, this is a powerful opportunity — enhancing education as part of the experience strengthens both guest satisfaction and the brand’s sustainability narrative.
Final Thoughts
For a one-day product, Great Adventures delivers a polished and professional experience. Reef King herself remains a credit to the fleet — testament to solid design, careful maintenance, and an excellent crew. Green Island was the standout highlight, tranquil and authentic, while the outer-reef platform offered the energy and spectacle visitors expect.
For those of us within the marine industry, it’s heartening to see that even in high-volume operations, strong seamanship and service remain the foundation. Beneath the postcard beauty lies a complex, disciplined marine enterprise — one that continues to keep the Reef experience both accessible and inspiring.
Vessel Fact File — Reef King
Builder | NQEA, Cairns, Australia, 1987 |
Type | High speed passenger catamaran |
Length overall | 30.3 metres |
Beam | 9.6 metres |
Draft | 1.8 metres |
Capacity | Up to 300 passengers |
Speed | Approx. 25 knots service |
Engines | Twin MTU diesels (2 x ~1,100 kW) driving fixed-pitch propellers |
Certification | AMSA Class 1C / 1E Passenger |
Features | Air-conditioned main saloon, exterior viewing decks, licensed bar, audiovisual system, accessibility lift, dive and snorkel gear storage |
Operator | Great Adventures, part of the Quicksilver Group |
Primary Routes | Cairns–Green Island and Cairns–Moore Reef |
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