Great Barrier Reef Historical Timeline

Formation and first stewards

The reef system visible today took shape over roughly the past 8,000 years, following the last ice age, though the broader geological processes that built up the Great Barrier Reef's foundations span more than 20 million years. Long before any European encountered it, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had known and used the reef for tens of thousands of years, developing detailed knowledge of its ecology, seasonal patterns, and navigation that predates written history entirely.

European encounter and protection

The reef entered European records in June 1770, when Captain James Cook's ship HMS Endeavour ran aground on it during his voyage along Australia's east coast; the ship was freed on a high tide after the crew jettisoned ballast and cannon to lighten the load. Cook's journal entries were the first written descriptions of the reef to reach Europe.

Large-scale protection came two centuries later: the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act was passed in 1975, establishing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to manage the reef in partnership with the Queensland government. In 1981, the reef became the first coral reef ecosystem in the world to be inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognized for meeting all four of UNESCO's natural heritage criteria.