Cessna Caravans that chauffer Gold Coast day-trippers to Lady Elliot Island on Great Barrier Reef

The Gold Coast’s most breathtaking day trip whisks guests from Coolangatta to swim with turtles on the Great Barrier Reef.

These days Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort managing director Peter Gash OAM describes himself as “the spare pilot”.

“I’ll do the flights once or twice a week when they need me,” he explains, sliding behind the wheel of one of the whiz-bang new Cessna Caravans that chauffer Gold Coast day-trippers direct to the Great Barrier Reef wonderland.

He’s done the run up the coastline countless times since first clapping eyes on the coral cay in 1980, but is so enamoured by the landscape it could be his first.

Our pilot on a scenic flight from Coolangatta - Lady Elliot Island custodian Peter Gash. Picture Adam Head

“It’s just incredible isn’t it? What a day.”

We sweep low along the Glitter Strip, skyscrapers soon succumbing to Moreton Bay’s shifting sands and seagrass beds.

Sharp-eyed passengers spot silhouettes of sharks and turtles and the boss drops a wing so we can watch dozens of dugongs track through the turquoise tapestry.

We glide over the Noosa Everglades, where a lacework of waterways mirrors the sky, past Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island.

Peter points out a picnic spot where sheltered waters lap sugar sands – “it’s better than Whitehaven Beach”.

Prawn picnics on the beach are among the perks at Lady Elliot Island.

About an hour and a half after takeoff he’s lining up the grass runway on a reef-ringed speck in the ocean.

Most Great Barrier Reef destinations are only accessible from the Gold Coast via an arduous combo of mainline flights (often through Brisbane Airport) and lengthy boat trips, but these bucket-list adventures make Lady Elliot Island doable in a day.

Instead of spending time stuck in security or sweating on flight delays, the handful of guests who check in at Seair’s Coolangatta hangar are airborne within a half-hour and winging their way to the island, 80km northeast of Bundaberg.

Here she is - Lady Elliot Island, a coral cay on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef. Picture: Ben Andryc

Lady Elliot will never be trampled by boatloads of tourists – these carefully controlled flights are the only way on and off.

Accommodation is intentionally limited to preserve both the environment and the experience for guests. It’s remote and it feels like it.

In a scenic sandwich of return flights, Gold Coast day-trippers get five hours to spend on the island however they choose.

Pack little more than your bikini or boardies – snorkel equipment, wetsuits, towels, sunscreen and reef-walking shoes are provided.

I make a beeline for the lagoon, a sheltered snorkel spot in front of the restaurant where Nemo doesn’t take much finding and you’re almost guaranteed to bump into a turtle.

Lady Elliot Island’s lagoon is teeming with friendly turtles. Picture: Jeremy Sommerville

The clarity is unreal.

A glass-bottom boat and guided snorkel tour are also part of the package.

“You’re not allowed to be disappointed by brown coral,” our guide insists as a window opens on an underwater world.

“You can be excited by the blue, but the browns, the greens – they’re healthy. This is what we want to see.”

Float over coral gardens in Lady Elliot Island’s glass-bottom boat - included in day trips.

A rainbow of fish provide clouds of colour through the viewing window, which also frames a whopping green turtle – deemed a mating male by the size of his tail.

Snorkelling on the western side of the island introduces a whole new cast of characters, including Lady Elliot’s big-ticket item, manta rays, a resident dolphin called Bubbles and whales in winter.

Visit Lady Elliot Island in winter for your best shot at swimming with manta rays. Picture: Jeremy Somerville

A hot shower and quick change before lunch – a generous hot and cold spread including fresh prawns, wine, beer and soft drink – leaves time to explore the island itself.

For most day guests, it only whets an appetite to return.

All-inclusive Great Barrier Reef day tours departing the Gold Coast or Brisbane (Redcliffe) are priced from $904 per adult and $644 per child.

In a special offer for Gold Coast Bulletin readers, Gold Coast departures will be $699 per adult (for travel from February 1 to March 31 subject to availability).

For details go to ladyelliotisland.com.au