Great Barrier Reef viewpoints and lighthouses

This collection spans the Queensland coastline from Cairns to the Whitsundays, highlighting historic maritime structures and elevated vantage points. It features the 19th-century North Reef Light and the decommissioned Fitzroy Island Lighthouse. Coastal lookouts like Rex and Cardwell offer views of the Coral Sea and Hinchinbrook Channel, while peaks such as Hook Peak and Whitsunday Cairn provide high-altitude perspectives over the reef's island archipelagos.

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Fitzroy Island Lighthouse

Fitzroy Island Light is an inactive lighthouse on Fitzroy Island, a continental island 29 kilometres southeast of Cairns, Queensland,…

Rex Lookout

Vantage point on the Captain Cook Highway offering views of the Coral Sea. It is a frequent launch site for hang gliders.

Butterfly Creek

Walking track on Hook Island leading through rainforest to a seasonal creek known for Blue Tiger butterfly colonies.

Casement Lookout

Located on Orpheus Island, this vantage point provides views over the Palm Island archipelago and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

Lamberts Lookout

Coastal observation point in Mackay providing views of Lamberts Beach and Slade Point. It is a designated site for seasonal whale watching.

Carlisle Lookout

Located in Cape Hillsborough National Park, this point overlooks the Whitsunday Passage and the volcanic rock formations of the coastline.

Cape Hillsborough Lookout

Vantage point on the Andrews Point Track offering views of Wedge Island and the rugged coastline of Cape Hillsborough National Park.

Hinchinbrook Channel Lookout

Roadside stop on the Bruce Highway near Cardwell with views across the Hinchinbrook Channel toward the peaks of Hinchinbrook Island.

Hinchinbrook Island Lookout

Elevated site near Cardwell overlooking the Hinchinbrook Channel and the world's largest island national park.

Cardwell Lookout

Part of the Cardwell Forest Drive, this lookout offers 180-degree panoramas of the Hinchinbrook region and the Coral Sea.

North Reef Light

Heritage-listed lighthouse built in 1878 on a coral cay. It features a unique timber-framed, iron-clad tower designed to withstand cyclonic conditions.

Messum Hill

Prominent hill on the Cape York Peninsula near Shelburne Bay, situated within vast white silica sand dunes.

Pinnacle Peak

The highest point on Hook Island, rising 450 metres above the Whitsunday Passage.

Brampton Peak

Highest point on Brampton Island, reachable via a 7-kilometre return walking track through eucalypt forest.

Mount Sydney

Peak located on the northern end of Hook Island in the Whitsunday Group.

Mosstrooper Peak

Elevated peak on Whitsunday Island, the largest island in the Whitsunday archipelago.

Hook Peak

Notable peak on Hook Island providing elevation over the surrounding reef waters.

Whitsunday Cairn

Located on the northern tip of Whitsunday Island, this site is reached via a steep trail and offers views of Border Island.

Shaw Peak

The highest elevation on Shaw Island, situated at the southern end of the Whitsunday Group.

Nares Hill

Elevation on Flinders Island within the Princess Charlotte Bay region of the Great Barrier Reef.

Beabey Hill

Hilly vantage point located on Flinders Island in the northern Great Barrier Reef.

Red Hill

Prominent hill on Lizard Island, part of the island's granitic landscape.

Casuarina Hill

Coastal hill on Lizard Island overlooking the surrounding lagoon and reef systems.

Conical Hill

Distinctive peak on Forbes Island, located in the far northern waters of the Great Barrier Reef.

Orchid Hill

Highest point on Restoration Island, the site where Captain William Bligh landed in 1789.

Direction Hill

Coastal elevation on Restoration Island in the Cape York region.

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