Fairfax Reef, with its two small cays, lies just north-west of Lady Musgrave Island, about a 15-minute boat ride away. It offers shelter on its northern side and some attractive coral pinnacles standing away from the reef edge, one of them about 8 m high, which make the focal point of a dive. Divers describe depths of 15-20 m, brain corals and diverse fish schools, and marine life writers list large pelagic fish, manta rays, giant moray eels, leopard sharks, rays and small sharks.

A cruising yacht crew who visited in 2017 described it as a protected snorkelling zone with prolific coral and fish life, accessible by boat but with restrictions on fishing and landing. The cays are protected seabird nesting islands and landing is restricted, so all visits are from the water. The reef is a Marine National Park or Preservation zone in parts (check the GBRMPA zoning map), reinforcing its role as a refuge.

Fairfax Reef suits Open Water divers comfortable with some current, and it is an easy extra for boats anchored in the Lady Musgrave lagoon. The pinnacles make navigation straightforward, and the sheltered side is diveable in moderate trade winds. For divers visiting Lady Musgrave on a private vessel or overnight stay, Fairfax adds a quite different dive to the lagoon and outer-reef drifts: a pinnacle and brain coral site with giant morays and leopard sharks.

Humpback whales pass close to Fairfax and Lady Musgrave between July and October, and cruising crews have reported close encounters while snorkelling in the area, so keep an eye and ear out during winter visits.

The Bunker Group reefs lie 80-100 km north-east of Bundaberg and 50-90 km east of the Town of 1770. Private boats launch from the 1770 Marina or Round Hill Creek ramp (bar crossing – check tides), or from Burnett Heads (Bundaberg Port Marina); expect 1.5-4 hours depending on vessel and destination. Yachts commonly anchor overnight in the Lady Musgrave or Fitzroy Reef lagoons and dive the surrounding reefs by tender.

Fairfax Reef is about 15 minutes by boat from Lady Musgrave Island, so it is usually dived by boats based in the Lady Musgrave lagoon.

The Bunker reefs are open ocean: south-east trades over about 20 knots make the crossing from 1770 or Bundaberg rough and limit diving to the lee (north-western) sides, while the Fitzroy and Lady Musgrave lagoons provide secure anchorages. The best windows are September-December and March-May calms. Tidal currents run strongly around reef edges and through lagoon entrances on springs.

Cyclone season November-April; summer plankton reduces visibility. The northern side of Fairfax Reef is sheltered from the prevailing south-easterlies and is the side normally dived.

Descend beside the largest pinnacle off the northern reef edge, circle it from 18-20 m upward, then cross to neighbouring pinnacles and return along the reef edge, finishing with a safety stop on the reef top.

No scheduled day trips. Lady Musgrave Experience mentions the northern Bunker reefs (Boult, Llewellyn, Lamont and Fitzroy) as remote sites for special or extended trips, Heron Island Resort has historically run occasional long-range trips to the northern Bunker reefs, and most diving is from private yachts and occasional liveaboards. Fairfax Reef is the most accessible of these, a short run from the Lady Musgrave lagoon.