Sleep at the Great Barrier Reef with Reefworld

Camping under the stars on a pontoon at the Great Barrier Reef is a real adventure. Moored at the outer Hardy Reef, the pontoon feels like it's perched on the edge of the world. The Whitsunday Islands are dots in the distance, sometimes disappearing altogether depending on the moody clouds. It's strangely quiet except for the wind, which pokes into every corner.

When the crowds of day trippers head home on the regular boat, the pontoon changes from a giant marine playground to a quiet working outpost. My daughter and I are lucky to be the only guests staying overnight, sleeping in a swag on the top deck – as long as I don't chicken out and ask to be switched to the one bedroom below.

We're on a large two-storey floating platform, Reefworld, moored 40 nautical miles from Airlie Beach. Day trippers visit from 11am to 3pm and helicopter guests pay flying visits, literally, in the morning and evening. It's a great introduction to the reef as all types of swimmers are catered for. There are ropes and rest areas to guide beginners while the experienced can explore further out or pay extra to dive.

Once we have the place to ourselves we change into wetsuits and snorkelling gear. It feels like a real privilege – just two of us exploring the reef. Within minutes I'm totally immersed in the busy, vibrant underwater world of parrot fish, clown fish, coralfish, blenny and the forest of colourful coral.

Regular staffers, like our host Chemene Warden, spend seven days at a time on the pontoon. Warden whips up a simple three-course dinner for us and later chats knowledgeably about the fish swimming past the underwater viewing chamber.

In winter the nights are cool but the swags are surprisingly cosy. We zip ourselves in, leaving the top open to look at the starlit sky, which seems so much bigger out here. Once the full moon comes up, the stars recede, and the wind whips up. It's a noisy night, with everything creaking and clanking. I imagine we'll be blown away, two little swags airborne, disappearing into the vast sea. But the next thing I know it's morning and we're treated to a vast private sunrise. As we eat breakfast a school of tuna jump out of the water, feeding on small fish, while the birds circle overhead, to swoop for the leftover ones.

It's a noisy night, with everything creaking and clanking. I imagine we'll be blown away, two little swags airborne, disappearing into the vast sea.

Mary O'Brien

It's a bit like groundhog day when the big Cruise Whitsundays boat unloads its passengers and the daily activities begin again. By the afternoon, after 28 hours on Hardy Reef, we're ready to return to land. The trip can be rough at times and it's advisable to take seasick tablets if you aren't a strong sailor.