Celebrating 100 years of cruising to Green Island

9th of September 2024

Great Adventures Reef and Green Island Cruises, along with Green Island Resort, are celebrating 100 years since regular tourist cruises commenced from Cairns to Green Island by embracing the nostalgia of yesteryear.

It was in 1924 when the pioneering Hayles family started a fortnightly ferry service to Green Island. By 1988, the company was sold and renamed Great Adventures, continuing an iconic legacy of Green Island and Great Barrier Reef tourism. 

To celebrate the incredible 100 year milestone, a collection of commemorative postcards and a specially built Green Island Post Box are the centrepiece, bringing together the nostalgic novelty of physically writing and mailing a postcard in the instantaneous digital age.

“Visitors are now able to share their island holiday with family and friends through handwritten postcards mailed right here from Green Island on the Great Barrier Reef,” said Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director.

“Adding to the novelty of posting a card, a special AR feature via a QR code on the post box enables a unique photo opportunity with an underwater scene - bridging the old with new technology. And from the recipient’s end, it will also be a wonderful surprise to receive a letter in the mail that isn’t a bill!”

Green Island has played an important role in Tropical North Queensland’s tourism industry and has a remarkable history - including the world’s first glass bottom boat and stationary underwater observatory.

Today, the love affair with Green Island continues globally as one of the most popular day visitor islands on the Great Barrier Reef. 

The Green Island Post Box, built with traditional craftsmanship by the Green Island Resort workshop team is located at the island Information Counter. Special commemorative postcards and stamps are available for purchase from the island Dive Shop.

Fun Facts: 

• The world’s first glass bottom boat was launched at Green Island in 1937 by Hayles. It was a simple small wooden dinghy with glass floats overhanging the sides. By 1948 a more modern version of the glass bottom boat was introduced with glass panels inserted into the floorboards.
• Green Island was home to the world’s first stationary underwater observatory which was installed in 1954. It was famously visited by Queen Elizabeth II in 1970.
• Tourism on the Great Barrier Reef started on Green Island. In 1889 there were several Fijian style grass huts on the island that were hired out for fishing expeditions. In 1937, the Cairns Town Council granted Hayles the first tourism facilities lease to build small scale accommodation on the island – this would later be redeveloped into the Green Island Resort of today.

Pictured: Tony Baker, Quicksilver Group Managing Director, posts a card at the new Green Island Post Box.