Futureproof the Great Barrier Reef for future generations. Photo / Supplied
Futureproof the Great Barrier Reef for future generations. Photo / Supplied
Private guided tours reveal how a luxury lodge is on a mission to preserve Australia’s Great Barrier Reef for future generations, writes Jacqui Gibson
Motoring through the teal waters that surround Orpheus Island, about 65km northwest of Townsville, in North Queensland, I look back at the tidy lawns and wavingcoconut palms of Orpheus Island Lodge.
Orpheus Island Lodge is a luxury accommodation on a mission to preserve the Great Barrier Reef for future generations. Photo / Jacqui Gibson
The luxury resort — set within Orpheus Island National Park — is the perfect base for unwinding and exploring Australia’s world-famous Great Barrier Reef.
Here, guests can also join guides to experience the initiatives that have earned the resort advanced ecotourism and climate action certification from Eco Tourism Australia.
I’m on the water headed to Cattle Bay with resort skipper Maddie and tour guides Charlie and Jen.
Visiting the island’s fringing reefs with guides makes it a cinch to find sheltered snorkelling spots and learn about this stunning 12km-long island.
The swimming pool at luxury resort on the Great Barrier Reef, Orpheus Island Lodge. Photo / Supplied
Home to iridescent corals, tropical fish and rare green turtles, the island’s fringing reefs, I’m told, are part of Australia’s Unesco-protected Great Barrier Reef.
Called Sea Country by indigenous people, the 2300km coastal body is the world’s largest living organism and one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.
Snorkelling behind Charlie for nearly an hour, I see purple corals, giant clams and tiny striped clownfish.
Later, on our way back to Hazard Bay, I chat to Jen, the lodge horticulturalist for more than 23 years, to get insight into the resort’s sustainability efforts.
“In the early days, we had 31 rooms and twice the number of guests. Nowadays, we believe less is more,” she says.
Jen’s chemical-free gardening practices — to eliminate nutrient runoff and protect water and coral quality — are a case in point.
After the Morris family bought and refurbished the holiday complex in 2011, room and visitor numbers were halved. Tennis courts were replaced with vegetable gardens. A solar farm, sewage treatment plant and recycling programmes were introduced.
Set within Orpheus Island National Park, Orpheus Island Lodge is the perfect base for unwinding and exploring Australia’s world-famous Great Barrier Reef. Photo / Jacqui Gibson
Today, the resort’s glass waste is crushed on-site and made into sand.
“In my first year we removed 60 cubic metres of rubbish from the island every fortnight, now we remove almost nothing,” says Jen as we disembark and I head back to my ocean-front villa.
That night, I join lodge guests on the beach as the sun fades.
Gathered around a flickering brazier fire, we drink Aperol spritzes looking out to sea, while the outdoor dining room is set for chef Josh’s nightly degustation dinner.
A beachside bonfire at Orpheus Island Lodge. Photo / Supplied
Joining the group briefly, Jen says: “We’ve got our traditional custodians to thank for the pristine environment out there. This chunk of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is far less touristy than others — in part because the Manbarrapeople want to preserve it for future generations.”
Orpheus Island Lodge guests like me aren’t the only ones to benefit from the less-is-more approach to development.
The next morning, I tour the James Cook University research station at nearby Pioneer Bay.
On arrival, Sasha, a tiger shark researcher, talks me through the programmes on site, all of which aim to help conserve the Great Barrier Reef.
A coral bleaching experiment explores the effect of different water temperatures on local coral. Another grows seaweed as cattle feed to reduce methane and help combat climate change.
“We couldn’t do this work without such a high quality marine environment and the station’s proximity to the reef,” Sasha explains as she waves me goodbye.
That afternoon, Jen takes me on a two-hour walk to Picnic Bay on the island’s east coast.
The hike is another guided tour, only this one requires a bit of extra effort on my part.
The track is forested in wiry eucalyptus. From its high point we see guests paddleboarding across Hazard Bay.
Jen the tour guide at Orpheus Island Lodge in North Queensland. Photo / Jacqui Gibson
Arriving on the sand, Jen and I set to work picking up plastic waste that’s been washed ashore, adding it to a big sack tucked under trees.
We’re taking part in a national ocean and beach clean up effort co-ordinated by environmental groups such as Tangaroa Blue.
“Foraging for discarded jandals and detergent bottles isn’t everyone’s idea of a luxury holiday,” says Jen. “I get that. But things are changing. Travellers are more aware of the human impact on the world’s special places and want to help minimise the effect.
“You don’t have to pick up litter to make a difference. Snorkellers can wear sunscreen without oxybenzone. Guests can help us conserve water by using a bit less themselves. The point is: every little bit helps.”
Details
Orpheus Island Lodge takes guests on private guided snorkelling and dive tours to the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA) on John Brewer Reef. A 90-minute boat ride from the resort, MOUA is an underwater sculpture park designed to showcase the Great Barrier Reef’s abundant marine life and recognise the people committed to looking after Australia’s fragile ocean environment.
How to get to Orpheus Island Lodge
Qantas flies direct to Townsville from Auckland. Air NZ flies direct to Cairns, with connecting flights to Townsville. A private helicopter flies to Orpheus Island Lodge from Townsville daily.
