The Great Barrier Reef, at 2300 kms (1400 miles) is almost twice the length of Italy. Its pristine southern end, just four hours drive, or a short flight from Brisbane however, remains a bit of a secret, yet is no less spectacular than the tourist hot-spots further north.
For this episode of ExtraVirgin, we travel to one of the southern islands, where we hear from Amy Gash, whose family caretake a spectactular coral cay where you can step into the coral gardens from the beach and swim with turtles, manta rays the size of small cars, reef sharks and a rainbow of fish.
Amy chats with Natascha (who has just come back from a trip to Lady Elliot) about the health of the reef, what it's like to grow up with an island as your playground and the measures her family are taking to ensure the island continues to be a leader in sustainable tourism.