Gluten-Free Day Trip to the Great Barrier Reef & Fitzroy Island - What coeliacs need to know

Location: Cairns, Great Barrier Reef, Fitzroy Island

Tour: Sunlover Crusies Reef and Fitzroy Island Full Day Reef Tour

Date: June 2025

Gluten-Free Quick Overview:

Pros:

• The buffet lunch on Fitzroy Island did have a variety of gluten-free options.

• The fruit platter was nice.

• The vista was amazing.

• No reaction to the food.

Cons:

• Buffet carries risk of cross contamination.

• Food was rather average.

A Coeliac Traveller's Tip:

Proceed with caution. It is recommended you bring your own gluten-free snacks as you are out all day and there are limited options to buy on the boat or Fitzroy Island. The included buffet lunch was small, but did offer a variety of gluten-free options. Food was alright, but not terrific and be aware of cross contamination.

Gluten-free Great Barrier Reef Full Review:

Perhaps one of the most popular day trips from Cairns is a visit to the Great Barrier Reef, located about 1 and a half hours by boat from the city. It is a stunning section of ocean and makes for a wonderful day of snorkeling, scuba diving or swimming around. Wanting to experience this for ourselves, we booked a full day tour with Sunlover, which included a morning on the reef before followed by lunch and exploration time on Fitzroy Island before heading back to Cairns.

It was a windy and overcast day as we headed down to the terminal to begin our journey to the Reef - meaning we were in for a choppy ride. 

Once safely onboard it was time to start our journey. The boat had a limited selection of snacks, including ice cream and chips. As I had brought my own gluten-free snacks, the only visit I made to the snack bar was for a seasickness tablet - which, unfortunately, did not quite do the trick.

The weather improved by the time we reached the reef, and it was fantastic to swim and explore all the vibrant marine life.  We spent about an hour and half out there, before it was time to hop back on the boat and head to Fitzroy Island for some lunch at the local resort. 

Gluten-Free Buffet Lunch at Fitzroy Island:

Fitzroy Island is a beautiful destination, almost entirely covered with lush rainforest. There is a small resort located on the island’s edge, and this was where lunch was served. For this tour, lunch is included. Lunch was a small buffet featuring a mix of salads, meats, and a fruit platter. Fortunately, there were several gluten-free options available, although not everything on offer was. Each dish had a name card with dietary information, making it relatively easy to identify what was gluten-free. The only dish that wasn’t clearly labelled was the ham and salami, which had no card placed in front of it. However on further enquiry I was informed it indeed was gluten-free.

Of course, any buffet carries its risks for coeliacs and this was no exception. When you have everyone helping themselves the risk of cross contamination is always high. Thankfully, I had no reaction to the food from this lunch, but do be cautious. I did see on occasion guests using the utensils from one dish for another dish and placing them back in the original dish. 

As for the food itself - it was fine. Not amazing, not terrible- just average. The salad was rather simple but at least provided some greens. The rice and tofu were quite nice and had some flavour. The beef was a bit tough and chewy but with some gravy, it passed. The Barramundi was also gluten-free; however, I did not add any to my plate. The real standout was the fruit platter, which provided a nice array of tropical fruits to finish the meal with. Arguably the real highlight of lunch, though, was the view. The resort is perched just above the beach, allowing you to enjoy your meal while looking out over the turquoise waters and sandy shores.

A selection of gluten-free food from the buffet.

Fitzroy Island doesn’t offer many other food options beyond the buffet. There’s a bar and a small general store, but prices are high and options limited.  So, if you’re not keen on the buffet, your best bet is to bring your own food. 

After lunch there was time to explore the island or go for another snorkel before jumping back on the boat for a short trip back to Cairns.

This lovely vista provided the backdrop to an underwhelming lunch.

Conclusion:

Overall, it was a fantastic day trip and lots of fun. The reef was amazing and Fitzroy Island's rainforests are lovely. For food my recommendation would be to bring your own snacks and approach the buffet with caution. You’ll likely find something to eat, just don’t expect anything fancy. It isn’t exactly a premium lunch as advertised on the Sunlover website. Then again, are you really signing up for this experience because of the lunch?

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