Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort provides one of Queensland’s most amazing and accessible ecotourism experiences on the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Our goal is to provide students from Australia and abroad with life changing moments and world class experiences through natural encounters both above and below the water. Participate in seasonal tours, presentations, reef monitoring and revegetation sessions conducted by our experienced guides. Packages are available which include scenic flights from Hervey Bay.

Our resident degree qualified Marine Biologists and knowledgeable Activities Guides provide tours and information on all aspects of the coral cay ecosystem. With four (4) types of accommodation available, the Resort and our facilities are perfect for larger groups and teachers operating on a budget, packages can be discussed to suit your needs.

Universities such as the University of New South Wales and the University of Georgia regularly use Lady Elliot Island for research trips and educational excursions.

School groups including Heathcote High School, Menai High School, Cleveland High School, Craigslea High School, Matthew Flinders Anglican College, Helensvale State High School, Chancellor State College, Great Lakes College, St Peters Catholic College, Calrossy Anglican High School, Cherrybrook Technology High School and Xavier College have enjoyed school camps and excursions on the Island, catered for with activity sheets and hands on activities to educate and entertain your students on the amazing reef environment.

Please enquire via the Booking Enquiry Form for all-inclusive prices for your school/education group.

LADY ELLIOT ISLAND HAS BEEN SELECTED AS A TOURISM REEF OPERATOR FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF EDUCATION EXPERIENCE PROGRAM!

The Queensland Government is investing $1 million over three years to support Queensland schools to undertake place-based educational experiences in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area.

The Great Barrier Reef offers a unique educational opportunity for students to immerse themselves in an authentic live classroom and to learn more about the rich biodiversity of the reef.

Schools can apply now for subsidies of up to $150 per student for excursions taken to the Great Barrier Reef. Details on the subsidy include;

  • A school excursion to include a reef experience with one of the registered tourism reef operators
  • A flat rate subsidy of $40 per student for eligible day excursions
  • Subsidies from $55 up to a total of $150 per student will be available for overnight itineraries depending on the distance traveled.
  • Applications for the education subsidy are open to schools for excursions undertaken from Term 3, 2021 to June 2024 or until funding is exhausted.

To be eligible for the subsidy the school excursion itinerary must include at least one curriculum-related reef activity, facilitated by a commercial reef tourism operator registered with the program, operating within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and World Heritage boundaries.

 

Testimonials

“I was so pleased and excited to arrive at Lady Elliot Island for our latest visit and find the Education Centre had been redesigned and renovated. It looked amazing! It looked fresh and exciting but most importantly for my students, it was extremely informative. The pictures are accurate and taken by visiting researchers and give a good indication of the surrounding environment.” – Kelly Goodingham – Marine Studies Teacher, St Teresa’s Catholic College

“Lady Elliot Island is the jewel in the crown of our South Queensland study abroad programmes for our North American university faculty and students! LEI offers unique and life-changing educational content in a breath-taking location. Recent feedback includes, “What can I say… the island is amazing …the staff (Barry, Jess and the office staff) was phenomenal.”, “I was very impressed with Jess’s knowledge of marine ecology… she has all the knowledge and passion required to drive the students’ interest in reef ecology and conservation… (she) captivated the students (they loved her!).”, “I needed to change the schedule entirely and Jess worked with me and the LEI staff to accommodate our needs quickly and without issue.”, ”The experience was quite transformational for several of them (the students).” AUIP goes back to LEI year after year for these reasons and more. We have recently incorporated LEI into two new university programmes for 2020 and we can’t wait for them to get there! – Helen Beumelburg, Operations and Programs Manager, American Universities International Programs Limited

We at Discover Abroad (University of Georgia) have made our trips to Lady Elliot Island one of the cornerstones of our sustainability programs. We spend 3 – 4 days immersed in marine education experiences, the end result of which is that our students feel not only a deeper connection to this particular environment but also have a deeper understanding of the consequences of their own activities in the global environment. The resort management and staff support us in many ways, providing learning space, snorkelling activities, behind the scenes tours, and great food! Above all, the resort strives to “walk the talk” of sustainability, and thus provides a real example of what is possible given the opportunity and right frame of mind. – Mikell, Discover Abroad Groups, University of Georgia

“I recently returned from taking a yr 12 marine science excursion to LEI. 39 of us. We were very impressed with the changes to the island and appreciate the effort and challenges involved in making the island even more spectacular. The students were moved by the amazing hard work of the staff, creating a thank you card for them and presenting it to them.

THANK YOU for continuing to accept our beautiful students to your island where they can learn first hand the concepts of reef health and diversity. They are always grateful and forever reflective of their time there saying ‘best trip ever’ even once they’ve been out of the college for years. I know their families continue to return, in fact, while I was there one of my past students was there with her family on a dive trip. Lady Elliot is a very special place for sure and I couldn’t think of a better caretaker than you Peter” Sheree Bell, Matthew Flinders Anglican College