As well as news clips showing the recent visit of Prince Charles and Camilla, Australia will also be featured prominently in the nation's living rooms with the 2016 screening of Sir David Attenborough's three part BBC 1 series devoted entirely to the Great Barrier Reef, a place the explorer/broadcaster describes as being of 'astounding and unforgettable beauty.'

The Reef is the largest living thing on our planet and the only way to see it in its entirety is from outer space. Sharing the super league of earthly icons with the Himalaya, the Sahara and the Grand Canyon, the 2,300 km long chain of reefs, cays and atolls off the coast of Queensland is visible as a whole only if you become an astronaut. But there are some less taxing alternatives...

The most engaging and memorable way to enjoy this magnificent theatre of kaleidoscopic fish and coral is by getting wet. Its underwater beauty is beyond compare, with 20-metre clarity the norm, sometimes up to three times that distance. And much of it has yet to be explored, let alone developed.

At its best in our summer, from May to late autumn, this natural wonder of the world can be visited by boat, seaplane or helicopter from several points along the mainland coast of Queensland. But the most luxurious way to experience the Reef is to stay at one of the wonderful island resorts. Some stand on the actual reef, other islands were once part of the mainland but were amputated by melting Ice Age waters (they have warmed up to body temperature since, so don't worry).

The largest and most popular of the islands belong to the Whitsundays, discovered by Captain Cook on 3rd June (Whitsunday!) in 1770. There are 74 in all, protected as a National Park and little changed since the explorer first cast eyes upon them. These are popular waters for sailing, on crewed or bareboat charters, but if you don't trust your sea legs, stay at Hayman, a resort with an island all to itself with an amazing array of swimming pools, or at qualia on the northern end of neighbouring Hamilton. Both are stunning, world-class properties, with prices to match, but Hamilton, as the main island and airline gateway to the Whitsundays, also offers a choice of more affordable hotel and villa accommodation. Being to the south of the chain of islands, the Whitsundays can be visited year round.

Three other island resorts are synonymous with tropical luxury. Lizard, remote, rugged and utterly beautiful, has 24 different beaches and never more than 80 guests (and no children under the age of 10) in rooms which sweep in an arc along Anchor Bay. Bedarra is an intimate and romantic rainforest hideaway of just 16 villas a few kilometres off the coast. And ultra chic and exclusive Orpheus is fringed by white sand beaches with space for only 34 pampered guests. Apart from screaming cockatoos, manic lorikeets, exotic butterflies, sea eagles riding high in the thermals and other resident fauna, these islands have no other indigenous life beside the resort.

Bridge & Wickers (TEL; bridgeandwickers.co.uk) offers a number of holidays that combine days on the Reef combined with other destinations in Australia. A 14-day 'Sydney, Rock and Reef' itinerary, including five nights at the Reef View Hotel on Hamilton Island, costs from £2,900 per person including flights and taxes. A more luxurious 14-day 'Golden Triangle' itinerary, combining Sydney, Ayers Rock and Lizard Island, costs from £7,850 per person including flights and taxes.