After lunch, guests can snorkel, dive, swim or take a scenic helicopter flight to see famous Heart Reef (additional cost). Show Prices. Hotel & Luxury, Travel Industry News. AUSTRALIA'S first underwater hotel allows its guests to sleep next to fish in the Great Barrier Reef. Mr Walker said the aim with the new pontoon is to 'enhance the attraction to the betterment of the reef' and to take the longstanding tourist hotspot to 'another level' with something Australia has never seen before. An all-inclusive two-day, one-night stay will set you back around $550, which in all honesty seems like a steal. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast and an exclusive morning on the reef before heading home in the afternoon with memories that will stay with you forever. The company behind the innovative $10million pontoon rebuild said it had environmental concerns at the top of its priority list. Australia’s first underwater hotel to open on the Great Barrier Reef. We love where we live and work, so it’s our aim to ensure the Great Barrier Reef can be explored and enjoyed for generations to come. The pontoon is planned to be 36 metres by 12 metres and offer accommodation for up to 24 people, expected to cost visitors up to $550 a night. In 1987 Hayman Island, Australia was invited to join The Leading Hotels … A new $10 million floating hotel with underwater suites is set to open this weekend on the Great Barrier Reef and has been hailed a “game changer”. While controversy continues to rage over the protection of the Great Barrier Reef, a European company has taken a futuristic approach to enjoying the natural wonder by expressing interest in creating an underwater hotel on the Great Barrier Reef at a Sydney marine conference in early February. 'It's a balance of allowing people to immerse themselves in this World Heritage-listed natural wonder without doing any damage,' Luke Walker, chief operating officer with experiential travel company Journey Beyond, told AAP. Free Wifi. The full experience, which starts at AU$749 (US$511) per person, will include a scenic cruise through the Whitsundays to reach the pontoon and a return cruise out to the reef, as well as meals under the stars and activities like a private guided snorkelling tour and a semi-submarine tour. The floating pontoon (pictured), 39 nautical miles from Airlie Beach, is around 1000 square metres in size and weighs in at 260 tonnes, The 14-month project itself was part-funded - to the tune of $2.75 million - by the Queensland government (underwater room in the hotel). Underwater hotel on Great Barrier Reef idea draws mixed response. You’ll find these premium suites below the newly reconstructed and revamped Reefworld pontoon – which was seriously damaged during 2017’s Cyclone Debbie – on GBR’s Hardy Reef. Cruise Whitsundays is proud to support the region’s unique natural environment in delivering this Australian-first tourism experience. This naturalistic beauty that surrounds this incredible reef system is what makes scuba diving here so amazing. Cruise Whitsundays. Sleeping with the fishes: Australia opens its first underwater hotel at the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's first underwater accommodation on the Great Barrier Reef From $799 PP Home / Experiences / Reefsuites Spend a magical night in Australia’s first underwater accommodation and have a front row seat to the dazzling underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef. The 14-month project itself was part-funded - to the tune of $2.75 million - by the Queensland government. The Pullman Reef Hotel and Casino and the Hilton Cairns are both located at the south end of the Esplanade and are just a few minutes’ walk from Trinity Inlet Port, the departure point for Great Barrier Reef sightseeing and diving trips. The new pontoon will be a hub for public education, providing accurate reef knowledge and conservation guidance to our many visitors. Save. Now, it’s Australia’s turn to join this new accommodation craze with the announcement of the country’s only underwater hotel coming to the Great Barrier Reef this summer. Australia's first underwater hotel has opened on the Great Barrier Reef. Representational Image - AFP Show Prices. Hotel & Luxury, Travel Industry News. We take a look at Australia's first underwater accommodation. Reefsuites give a whole new meaning to ‘a room with a view’ and you’ll awake to see the marine life going about another day on the world-heritage listed reef they call home. The refurbishment of the Reefworld pontoon is proudly supported by the Queensland Government’s Growing Tourism Infrastructure Fund. 'In everything we do the sustainability of the reef is part of the conversation, it's a live topic on the table with any decision we make.'. Underwater Hotel the Future of the Reef? The underwater hotel is already helping to protect the Great Barrier Reef — during the redevelopment, almost 4000 pieces of coral were sustainably removed from the old pontoon and replanted onto the reef … COACH TRANSFERS to Port of Airlie are available at an additional cost. Australia's first underwater hotel allows its guests to sleep next to fish in the Great Barrier Reef. 48,621 reviews. Situated on the Great Barrier Reef, the Museum of Underwater Art has unveiled stunning images of unique and captivating installations beneath the waves. A new three-level pontoon on Lady Musgrave Island is to feature a Great Barrier Reef observatory and underwater hotel. 17th February 2014. This is what it’s like to wake up in the world’s largest natural aquarium – Australia’s first underwater hotel on the Great Barrier Reef. Australia's new underwater hotel to revolutionize Great Barrier Reef tourism ... SYDNEY, June 25 (Xinhua) -- An upcoming eco-tourism experience on Australia's Great Barrier Reef will allow visitors to sleep up to three meters beneath the ocean surface in a sustainable floating hotel. Underwater plans for the southern area of the Great Barrier Reef’s new hotel take a smaller and environmental approach. NOTE: Schedule changes may occur. Underwater Hotel Room At Reefsuites Has Views Of The Great Barrier Reef. The reef contains an abundance of marine life and comprises of over 3000 individual reef systems and coral cays and literally hundreds of picturesque tropical islands with some of the worlds most beautiful sun-soaked, golden beaches. The $10 million luxury Reefsuites at Hardy Reef officially open this Sunday, but Sunrise Reporter Bianca Stone was granted exclusive early access.. Watch Bianca's full report in the clip above The Island contributed to Australian popular culture when the classic television series Barrier Reef began filming in 1969. The comments below have not been moderated. Visiting the Great Barrier Reef in Aussie Land tops most of our to-do lists. The Great Barrier Reef boasts the world’s largest coral reef system, offering hundreds of tranquil tropical islands as well as over 3000 individual reef systems. The pontoon is planned to be 36 metres by 12 metres and offer accommodation for up to 24 people, expected to cost visitors up to $550 a night. Special offer. Great Barrier Reef Environmental Management Charge (EMC): Included in your cruise fare is a per head fee which goes to the Government. Once work is completed later this year, the refurbished pontoon featuring two Reefsuites will be returned to its former location on Hardy Reef, thus minimising impact on the surrounding marine environment.