No images? Click here Humpback Whale season is in full swing on Lady Elliot Island! From June to October these graceful creatures migrate past Lady Elliot Island. Regular sightings occur on the scenic flights, from the glass bottom boat, whilst snorkelling or diving and from the Island’s beaches. Almost daily during the season, whale songs can be heard under the water while swimming, snorkelling and diving around Lady Elliot Island. Hervey Bay was named as the world's first whale heritage site in 2019 so the Fraser Coast region is an exceptional place to look for these gentle giants! Photo Credit: Jeremy Somerville; Ben & Di GO PLASTIC FREE THIS JULY FOR THE CHANCE TO WIN! Over the month of July, we are calling for our audience to ditch plastic and share with us why and how they are doing it! Participants are encouraged to follow @ladyelliotislandecoresort and use the hashtag #leiplasticfree23 on Instagram to be involved. Ensure you have posted your entry between the 1st - 31st of July 2023. The best entry (as picked by our Lady Elliot Team) will receive a Day Trip for two adults to Lady Elliot Island departing from Hervey Bay or Bundaberg valued at $1,040! Check out some inspiration from our 2019 competition below! REEF BLITZ AND WORLD OCEANS DAY 2023 Combining citizen science with tourism is of great importance to us on Lady Elliot Island. This year we ran Reef Blitz from the 1st - 8th of June 2023. The event involved photographing all species found on Lady Elliot Island and submitting them via the iNaturalist portal in an attempt to better understand what lives where on the reef! Overall, 1970 observations of 589 species by 83 observers and 132 identifiers (215 people) took place across the entire Great Barrier Reef, with the most common shark or ray species being the reef manta ray (Mobula alfredi) and fish accounting for around 48% of sightings. SENATOR NITA GREEN - SPECIAL ENVOY FOR THE GREAT BARRIER REEF VISITS LADY ELLIOT ISLAND World Oceans Day was celebrated on the 8th of June 2023. Our team shared the importance of protecting our oceans through presentations, documentaries, pledges, donations, snorkel tours and reef walks. We also welcomed Special Envoy for the Great Barrier Reef, Senator Nita Green to the island for a day trip and she was greeted by turtles and sharks as she took in the sights of our little island gem! Nita finished the visit by adding her own hand pledge to our World Oceans Day board, pledging to protect 30% of the ocean by 2030. Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort was thrilled by the announcement made that same day by the Albanese Labor Government regarding the investment of $1.9 million to assist in restoring and rehabilitating the islands native vegetation. This funding will ensure the continuation of the islands existing revegetation program and support in restoring hundreds of nesting seabirds and turtle habitats. Thank you to Senator Nita Green, Kelvin Rowe Gidarjil Sea Rangers and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) Pictured: Senator Nita Green with Annie Buck in the revegetation nursery, Nita's hand pledge for World Oceans Day and Nita with GBRMPA staff, Ecosystem Manager Jim Buck, Master Reef Guide Jessica Blackmore and Kelvin Rowe Gidarjil Sea Ranger Image Credit: Senator Nita Green SHARING THE LADY ELLIOT STORY ON WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY Recently Amy Gash had the privilege of guest speaking at the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day. Hosted by the Queensland Tourism Industry Council at the Mon Repos Turtle Centre, Bundaberg, Amy sat alongside Paul Davies, NRMA Parks & Resorts and Diana Mulholland, Tourism & Events Queensland with the panel facilitated by Stewart Moore, EarthCheck. It was a fantastic morning, with a wide range of discussions focusing on minimising the use of single use plastic within business. Lady Elliot is taking strides in this initiative having removed the sale of single use plastic water bottles in 2012 and most recently introducing 'Canary Squeeze' a biodegradable and compostable alternative for butter sachets. PROTECTING OUR PATCH Over the last year, Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has been part of the Tourism Reef Protection Initiative through the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority as part of the Australian Governments Reef Protection Package. The initiative has allowed our team to conduct regular Crown-of-thorns starfish and Drupella snail monitoring and removal, continuous surveys of the reef - and more! Statistics from the last year of the program will be released in our next newsletter in August! Pictured: Jessica Blackmore Scuba Diving with Crown-of-Thorns equipment. Image Credit: Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority | Jacinta Shackleton | Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort BEST OF QUEENSLAND We are excited to announce that Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has been recognised as a 'Best of Queensland' Experience. The Best of Queensland Experiences Program supports tourism operators to improve their business and deliver exceptional customer experiences. Businesses who undertake accreditation processes have adequate plans, policies and procedures in place to deliver better experiences and ensure their experiences are reliable, consistent and sustainable. This month we have two very exciting blogs! The first blog is all about the unmissable activities on the Fraser Coast while the second is aptly titled "Diving with Giants: The Manta Rays of Lady Elliot Island" which shares some fascinating new insights into a new manta ray aggregation site! Our basic but comfortable 44 room eco-resort will offer you an opportunity to immerse yourself in nature and explore the pristine Southern Great Barrier Reef. The resort is heavily booked over the next twelve months with very limited availability and high demand. To secure your stay at Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort we highly recommend you check out the online availability calendar on our website first. If your intended travel dates are available on the calendar and you are ready to make a booking, we recommend to contact our reservations team via phone on 1800 072 200 to confirm the dates are still available as availability can change rapidly at this time. Alternatively, once you have checked the availability calendar and you would like to arrange a booking or would like a quote, please email our friendly reservations team on [email protected] The Day Tour departing from the Gold Coast (Coolangatta) and Brisbane (Redcliffe) is on special with a saving of up to $236 per adult! Experience the pristine beauty of the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef. Enjoy low level flying up the east coast of Australia taking in aerial views of the Gold Coast skyline, Moreton Bay, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island (K’gari) and landing on the only coral cay Island with an airstrip! Spending 5 hours exploring the natural environment of Lady Elliot Island, you’ll snorkel with friendly turtles and an array of amazing marine life. Sit back and enjoy a hot and cold buffet lunch with a complimentary sparkling wine or beer whilst overlooking the Great Barrier Reef. Feel free to join in on one of the many educational activities available and learn how the fully self-sufficient resort operates on renewable energy technologies! Explore the vast Australian Outback in a unique way! Travelling in a Seair Touring Cessna Caravan Aircraft, your group will be flown to some of the most iconic places in Queensland and Australia. Guided by your knowledgable pilot, expert commentary and local knowledge will bring Outback Australia and its rich history to life. Click below for more information or contact the Seair Touring reservations team via email [email protected] or call +61 7 5599 4509 to reserve your seat now! To read more about our tours and Seair Pacific, click below: 3-Day Outback Adventure Experience some of the most remote and iconic parts of Australia in 2023 on Seair Touring’s 3-day Outback Adventure! 2023 DEPARTURE DATES 13 Jul 2023 - SOLD OUT 04 Aug 2023 - 1 seat 19 Aug 2023 - SOLD OUT 15 Sep 2023 - 1 seat 3-Day Outback to Reef Experience the World Heritage Listed Great Barrier Reef and the iconic outback on Seair Touring’s 3-day Outback to Reef Adventure! 2023 DEPARTURE DATES 25 Sep 2023 - 10 seats 6 Oct 2023 - 10 seats 4-Day Ultimate Queensland Experience Explore the highlights of Outback Queensland in 2023 on Seair Touring’s 4-day Ultimate QLD Experience! 2023 DEPARTURE DATES 23 Jun 2023 - SOLD OUT 21 Jul 2023 - SOLD OUT |