Approximately how long is the Great Barrier Reef along Australia’s northeastern coast?

The Great Barrier Reef stretches for approximately 2,300 kilometres along Australia’s northeastern coast.

Its long north–south arrangement follows the Queensland continental shelf, from near the Torres Strait in the north toward the waters off Bundaberg in the south. The reef is separated from the mainland by varying widths of sea and lagoon.

The 2,300-kilometre figure describes the system’s approximate length, not the total length of every reef edge. Individual reefs, channels, islands, and coral formations create far more coastline and habitat within the broader system.

This measurement is often confused with the area of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, which covers a much larger two-dimensional region around the reefs. Length and protected-area size therefore describe different features.