Beautiful Green Island - part of the Great Barrier Reef, one of the seven natural wonders of the world. This ancient coral island - it more than 6000 years old - is located 45 minutes by catamaran from Cairns. And this is the only coral island of the Great Barrier Reef, covered with rain forest. Local natives of the tribe gungandzhi (Gungandji) called the island "Dabuukdzhi," which in their language means "the place of the hole in the nose." They caught a fish here and used the island green for sacred rites of initiation for young men. Living here has been banned since the island was considered a human spirits.

In 1770, he sailed past the island of the famous British explorer, Captain James Cook, who named the island in honor of Charles Green, the chief astronomer of the ship. Almost a hundred years later - in 1857 - he began the colonization of the island by Europeans, there was established a farm on cultivation of sea cucumber. In 1937 the island was declared a national park, but then began intensive development of tourism in 1948 on the water after the first boat with a glass bottom to better consider the amazing corals, in 1954 opened the first underwater observatory. Later, glass bottom boats have been improved, and now you can enjoy the coral thickets on a unique "semi-submersible" boat, which operates on the principle of the submarine. In 1970, the island was visited by the British Queen Elizabeth II.

This tropical paradise, covering an area of ​​12 hectares - home to 120 species of plants, 60 species of colorful birds and marine animals, such as the green turtle and hawksbill sea turtle. Excellent its virgin rain forest reaches 25 meters in height.

The best way to explore the island green - to explore the 2-hkilometrovoy trail around the island. The entire journey takes about 50 minutes, during which time you can meet numerous representatives of the kingdom of birds - egrets, pigeons, osprey, eagles, white-eye or swallow forest.