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Lizard Island
Lizard Island, Australia · Independent · Grand Luxury
Lizard Island Resort sits on a 1,013-hectare national park 270 km north of Cairns: the only luxury resort physically on the Great Barrier Reef, and the most northerly of its kind. Captain James Cook named the island on 12 August 1770 after climbing its summit, now Cook's Look, to chart a passage through the reef. The resort earned three MICHELIN Keys in 2025, the highest honour in Michelin's inaugural Oceania selection and the only Three-Key award given in Australia.
- 40 rooms
- Opened 1975
- Neighborhood: Lizard Island National Park
- Rooms from 474 sq ft (44 m²)
- Interiors: Hecker Guthrie
About Lizard Island
- Its 15 surrounding reefs include some of the most remote coral outcrops on the planet.
- The only Michelin Three-Key rating in Australia, from the inaugural 2025 Oceania selection; also #1 Resort in Australia and the South Pacific in the 2025 Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards.
- Cook named the island after his crew spotted only monitor lizards during their visit.
- In 1881 Mary Watson fled Lizard Island in a repurposed iron boiling tank after an attack; she, her infant son, and a surviving servant drifted nine days and died of thirst. Her diary and the tank are held in Queensland institutions.
- The Australian Museum's Lizard Island Research Station, founded 1973, sits on the same island and pioneered techniques against Crown-of-Thorns starfish, a reef-destroying predator.
History
Lizard Island Resort opened in 1975 as Australia's northernmost island resort on the Great Barrier Reef, some 250 kilometres north of Cairns. Known as Dyiigurra (Jiigurru) and revered as a sacred place by the Dingaal Aboriginal people, the island was given its European name by Captain James Cook in 1770 for the monitor lizards he encountered. It was declared a National Park in 1937, and its surrounding waters became a Marine Park in 1974; the island's research station, established in 1973 by the Australian Museum, ranks among the world's most productive marine science stations.
The resort passed from P&O to Voyages Hotels & Resorts and then to Delaware North, which has operated it since 2009; in 2021 Andrew and Nicola Forrest's Tattarang acquired the island itself for A$42 million. After Cyclone Nathan struck in 2015, a A$45 million rebuild reopened the 40-room resort with interiors by Melbourne's Hecker Guthrie. Marking its 50th anniversary in 2025, the resort offers 24 white-sand beaches within a 1,013-hectare national park.
Experiences
- Great Reef Census citizen science — Hands-on citizen science surveys with Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef, open to competent snorkellers with a GoPro.
- Guided reef tours (inner and outer reefs) — Guided tours to the inner and outer reefs.
- Reef access by boat and beach — Inner and outer reef exploration straight off the beach or by short boat trip.
- Outer reef diving — Outer reef diving offered as an activity option for exclusive-use guests.
- Cook's Look hike — Nature walks and challenging hikes to the top of Cook's Look, the island's highest point.
- Guided cultural walks with the onsite naturalist — Walks observing historical sites, including the hike to Cook's Look in the footsteps of Captain Cook.
Amenities
- Spa
- Pool
- Private pool
- Fitness center
- Water sports
- Private beach
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Recommended (2026)
- MICHELIN Three Keys (2026)
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