The Great Barrier Reef lies off the coast of which Australian state?

The Great Barrier Reef lies off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

It follows much of Australia’s northeastern coastline in the Coral Sea, running for more than 2,300 kilometres from the northern tip of Queensland toward the waters near Bundaberg. The reef is separated from the mainland by lagoons and channels, rather than sitting directly against the shore.

Queensland is Australia’s second-largest state by area and includes major coastal cities such as Cairns, Townsville, and Mackay. These places are important gateways for tourism, research, fishing, and marine conservation connected with the reef.

A frequent mistake is Western Australia, which also has famous coral ecosystems, including Ningaloo Reef. Victoria and Tasmania are much farther south and have cooler temperate waters. The Great Barrier Reef’s tropical setting is central to its coral diversity, although its full ecosystem also includes mangroves, seagrass meadows, islands, and open-ocean habitats.