Lady Elliot Island wasn’t in our plans on a recent trip to Agnes Water and 1770 but the wind conspired against us and our boat trip to Lady Musgrave Island was cancelled.

This turned out to be a happy accident a we managed to score a scenic flight over Lady Musgrave on our flight to Lady Elliot Island and ended up with the most perfect day – magical conditions those on the island hadn’t seen in years!

The tiny plane that seats 10 takes off from a dirt strip just basically between Agnes Waters and 1770. I have been on a few small planes like this so let Aiden sit up front and be co-pilot.

Lady Elliot Island is one of the southernmost cays of the Great Barrier Reef and is known for its abundance of sea turtles, manta rays, reef sharks, and spectacular array of other marine species. The scenic flight out took us over Lady Musgrave Island giving us stunning aerial views and a desire to make that boat trip there happen one day!

Coming in to land on Lady Elliot Island.

The landing strip on the island itself is quite literally a strip of grass running the whole length of the island. On one side, is the resort, including rooms, dining areas, the dive shop, locker rooms, the pool and the ‘Lagoon’. On the other side of the landing strip, tucked away in the trees, are the staff accommodations as well as what is known at the ocean side of the island – a coral beach leading out to amazing snorkelling and deeper dive sites.

On the day trip, everything you need is included – a glass bottom boat ride, snorkel gear, reef shoes, a storage locker and lunch! If you want to try a dive it will cost extra but definitely pack the sunscreen because even snorkelling you will spend much of the day in the water. In fact – Aiden and I were rushing from the ocean to get out of our wet swimmers and back on the plane because we were like kids who wouldn’t get out of the ocean.

One benefit of the day trip from Agnes Waters is that it is the closet departure point on the mainland, so it means you have the longest time on the island. We arrived at 9.20 in the morning after a half hour flight and left at 4pm.

We spent most of the time ocean side as you can only swim in the lagoon a couple of hours either side of high tide. The shallow waters there so provide some interesting corals and great water colours for photos.

Not even 10 steps away from the beach and the beautiful coral life had already started. It stretched for as far as I could see.

Our visit was just at the start of turtle mating season and we were told we might see a few turtles hanging out in the shallows. A few is an understatement! There were turtles everywhere!

As unreal as it may sound, the experience of floating with the turtle and even going underwater with it for a few brief seconds was an experience of a lifetime. It did feel a little intrusive whenever the currents took us close to the mating turtles though. It was interesting to see one female being followed by several males – nature up close incredible and mystifying.

As well as the turtles, we saw a couple of reef sharks, large coral trout, a school of trevally spiralling and loads of reef fish. It was one of the best snorkelling experiences I have had!

If you end up visiting the Lady Elliot Island between February through to April, you can even experience turtle hatching.

It is crazy to think that this island was completely bare until 1970 when trees were planted. On our visit in early October, the birds were coming into nest. When I say birds, I mean thousands and thousands, all looking for a tiny branch to build their home for the next generation. No need to worry about swooping those, these Black Noddys and Bridled Terns were just interested in building and nesting.

Given the different migrating and mating habits of all the marine animals in this area, each season is a different experience. I would love to come back in winter when the resident Manta Rays are visiting.

Visiting Lady Elliot is also a conservation inspiration. It is considered to be one of world’s best examples of marine ecotourism. With the implementation of solar and gas technology and water desalination, this multi award-winning ecotourism destination has committed to sustainable operations on a long-term basis. The Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort has also played a lead role in achieving a ‘Green Zone’ designation for the island and surrounding waters from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

We did the day trip here but would 100 per cent stay the night if we didn’t have to get back to the dog! I can only imagine sunset and sunrise over those reefs.