Sometimes no matter how much you think you have it all sorted, kids find ways of ruining a perfectly good plan.
I thought that our family day trip to Green Island would go swimmingly. My toddler usually loved beach sessions and splashing in water, so what could possibly go wrong?
Well. Just moments after we stepped off the Green Island ferry, our toddler decided that he no longer liked the beach, did not want to go swimming (in the pool or the ocean), got scared by a bird who tried to eat his cracker, nearly choked on an apricot, fell off the decking into the scrub, and screamed when Mummy went off snorkelling by herself.
It was not the relaxing day exploring the reef as a family that I had hoped for. As a parent, I just wanted to bury my head in the sand (and Green Island, being a literal sand island, made that entirely possible).
My husband and I did manage to sneak in some Green Island snorkelling (I was determined… it’s not every day you get to swim at the Great Barrier Reef near Cairns!), but by the time we got back on the boat for the return trip, we were both wrecked from toddler tantrum management.
Of course, travel with kids isn’t always like this. This family-friendly Great Barrier Reef tour would have been a great day out for us if not for our intolerably moody tot. It’s easy to find things to do on Green Island, and it’s definitely one of the most accessible ways to visit the reef with kids.
Quick summary:
A Green Island day trip is one of the easiest and most family-friendly ways to see the Great Barrier Reef from Cairns. The island offers calm beaches, snorkelling, glass-bottom boat tours, rainforest walks, and handy resort facilities—perfect with kids in tow.
Recommended tours:
🤿 Green Island Snorkelling or Glass Bottom Boat – Cruise from Cairns and choose between snorkelling gear or a glass-bottom boat ride, with plenty of free time to explore.
🌴 Half-Day Afternoon Cruise to Green Island – Take an afternoon ferry from Cairns and enjoy a few hours on the island.
🛥️ Green Island Fly & Cruise Package – Combine a scenic reef flight with a full-day Green Island cruise, including lunch and snorkelling or glass-bottom boat.
Why I chose Green Island for our reef day trip
Planning a reef adventure with young kids can be tough. Most Cairns reef tours with kids are full-day pontoons or boats with limited space for naps, which isn’t exactly toddler-friendly. I really didn’t want to be stuck on the water all day with a toddler, so that’s why I chose Green Island on the Great Barrier Reef – it gave us the opportunity to get the full GBR experience without travelling far offshore.
Green Island is super close to Cairns – just a 50-minute catamaran ride from Reef Fleet Terminal. It’s part of the Inner Reef, with coral reefs surrounding the island. The island has resort facilities, shady areas, and a few dining options, making it one of the best Great Barrier Reef trips for families.
Which tour did we go with?
We booked our Green Island ferry from Cairns with Great Adventures, departing from Reef Fleet Terminal. We drove ourselves into the city and parked in the large ticketed car park next to the terminal.
Great Adventures has two ferry departures daily, which allows for some flexibility with your schedule:
- Departing Cairns: Our boat left at 8:30 AM, arriving at Green Island around 9:20 AM. There’s also a 10:30 AM departure if you fancy a little sleep-in.
- Departing Green Island: We chose the 2:30 PM return to Cairns, which gave us about 4 hours on the island, though you can stay until 4:30 PM if you want more time.
🤿 With the Green Island eco-adventure tour through Great Adventures, you can choose to include either snorkelling gear or a glass bottom boat ride over the coral gardens.
One you arrive on the island, it’s pretty much a self-guided experience. Depending on which boat departure you’ve booked, you should get somewhere between 5-7 hours on the island. We booked the 2:30 PM afternoon departure so had around 5 hours onshore.
There is another tour operator that offers a similar Green Island Cairns day trip. The travel time to Green Island is the same with Big Cat, but they have some different departure times – 9 AM, 11 AM, or 1 PM.
🌴 Big Cat offer a half-day Green Island tour which may be a good option for those of you who are short on time, or who want to work around baby/toddler naps. This includes boat transfers with around 2 hours on the island.
The boat ride
Our ticket said to arrive at the terminal 45 minutes before departure. We hit traffic after leaving our Palm Cove resort and only made it 20 minutes early, but luckily it was fine—they board right up until departure.
The boat was a spacious double-decker catamaran. Boarding happens from the upper deck so that level fills up quickly. We ducked downstairs for a quieter ride.
I didn’t get seasick on this boat ride as it was a fairly calm day, but I have been known to feel motion sickness on rough catamaran rides before, so if you think you might suffer, take along some ginger tablets or other preventatives.
Staff came around during the boat trip with maps and info about things to do on Green Island, plus they took bookings for the glass bottom boat tours, which depart from the jetty. They wrote our tour departure time on our voucher, and we were set to go.
Pro tip: If you’re wondering whether to do the glass bottom boat or snorkel hire, I would recommend doing both – only one is included in your ticket, but you can book the boat tour then get snorkel hire separately from the dive shop on arrival at Green Island. I’ll give you more info on how to do this in a moment.
Things to do on Green Island:
Snorkelling
Because we had chosen to do the glass bottom boat tour, we had to pay extra for snorkel gear. As soon as we arrived, I made a beeline for the dive shop near the jetty (you’ll see it on your left as you walk into the resort). It costs $30 AUD for snorkel + flippers—a bit steep, but worth it. You can keep it all day, just drop it back at the dive shop on your way back to the ferry.
One of the staff on the boat had told me that the best Green Island snorkelling spot is next to the jetty. You can’t swim or dive directly off the jetty, but there’s a small beach on your right as you step on to the island, which works well as a launching pad for snorkelling. This makes it one of the easiest ways to experience Green Island snorkelling with kids, as you can wade in from the beach rather than jumping off a boat in deep water.
You’ll have to swim out to the bend in the jetty to get to the best bits, but once you get there, you’ll find coral gardens, reef fish, and if you’re lucky, turtles. I managed to spot one that swam nearby for about 30 seconds, which is not long, but I was still stoked!
There is another snorkeling spot on a different beach, just along from the main swimming beach, which you access by walking along the island trail to the left of the jetty. I think I remember seeing a sign at the trailhead that said ‘Snorkelling Beach’.
My husband enjoyed snorkelling at this other spot, but when I went out, I couldn’t find any corals – just seagrass. There were a few fish, but not many. I’m still not sure if I just missed the good bit somehow, but my snorkeling experience was much better in the jetty area.
Glass-bottom boat tour
After a snorkel, we went to the jetty for our 11 AM glass bottom boat tour. We hopped on board for a short ride around the island, where we saw the coral formations and fish swimming directly underneath the boat. It was a magical view. We even spotted Nemo at one stage!
I definitely recommend doing this activity at Green Island. Our toddler was not as excited about this experience as I was, but he was happy to much on some snacks while I admired the marine life beneath us.
Resort facilities
Food options: When we got back, we were a little hungry so we went into the resort to find something for lunch and ended up at Lite Bite cafe. They had some casual eats such as healthy sandwiches (with vegetarian options), hot pasties and pies, muffins, and snacks. It was simple but decent value. There are other food options at the resort, including Canopy Grill, Emerald’s Restaurant, and Green’s Buffet.
Resort pool: We did try a dip in the resort pool – but it was kind of lame compared to the nice water at the beaches, and it was less warm, too. You can dip your toes in if you like, but honestly, I think that it’s less good than the swimming opportunities at the beaches on Green Island.
Change rooms: There are mens and womens change rooms next to the resort pool. We utilised these to change into our swimmers and back into dry clothes before getting back on the ferry.
Beach towels: We didn’t bring beach towels with us, but we should have. If you find yourself in need of a towel (as we did), you can grab one from a pile beside the reception desk in the resort lobby. I believe these are meant to be for resort guests only, but I just went for it anyway! At the end of the day, you can drop off the towels back in the same spot.
Baby change facilities: There is an accessible toilet with a baby change table around the corner from Lite Bite cafe. We took advantage of this after lunch before our tot went down for a nap in the pram.
Island Walk
When nap time hit, we popped our toddler in the pram and took a leisurely stroll along the Island Walk, which was thankfully accessible for strollers. This rainforest path through Green Island National Park is shaded and quiet, which made it a popular with parents visiting Green Island with kids – we saw at least two or three other families doing the same thing with their youngsters.
Green Island scenic flights
We actually did a scenic helicopter flight over Green Island on a different day to our cruise, and it was totally amazing to see it from the air! I would highly recommend doing a scenic flight over the reef if you get the chance.
✈️ You can actually combine a scenic 40-minute flight over Cairns, Green Island, and the Great Barrier Reef with a full-day Green Island cruise. A Green Island Fly & Cruise Package includes buffet lunch, snorkelling or glass-bottom boat, plus plenty of free time to explore.
Tips for visiting Green Island with kids
Bring towels: If you forget, you can borrow one from the resort lobby.
Strollers: Make it collapsible. I was glad to have brought our compact fold-up stroller as there isn’t much room to park a pram onboard the ferry for the ride there and back.
Sun protection: If you have swimwear that covers your skin (like a long-sleeved rashie), wear it. You can also hire lycra swim suits from the dive shop. Use sunscreen on any exposed skin. I managed to forget to do my upper back (in my defense I was applying the sunscreen while simultaneously dealing with a toddler tantrum!) and as a result, my first snorkeling session resulted in some burns. Ouch.
Bring the iPad: The ferry to and from Green Island can be a bit boring for little kids. We were glad to have taken the iPad along for the day trip so that our toddler could entertain himself on the ride back to Cairns (we were well and truly tired of dealing with his mood by this stage).
Our Green Island day trip from Cairns wasn’t exactly the peaceful reef escape I imagined (thanks to toddler antics), but the destination itself is ideal for families.
With easy access from Cairns, calm beaches, snorkelling right off the shore, and resort facilities, Green Island is hands down one of the best family-friendly Great Barrier Reef tours.
If your child is in a cooperative mood, you’ll probably have an amazing time. And if not… well, at least you’ll have stories to tell (and sand to bury your head in).
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