Bundaberg renowned for its quality rum and sugar cane, marks the beginning of the Great Barrier Reef with flights available to the tropical lady Elliot Island where you can enjoy wreck diving. 

Lady Musgrave Island is also nearby, although really only for the self sufficient traveller as there is no beds, and B.Y.O drinking water is good. But hey, there is not to many places in the world you can behave like Robinson Caruso. 

The town of 1770 discovered by Captain Cook in the same year is only 1 1/2 hours further north and is set on 3,000 acres of living reef, so yes diving is a good idea. 

Gladstone offers year round water activities. The abundance of fresh sea food is amazing with one of the stand out meals being the chilli fried mud crab. From Gladstone you can access Heron Island and dare we mention the fact that the diving is great there as well, for both the beginner and advanced. Researcher spent heaps of time on these Islands trying to find ways to sustain the fragile eco systems - so keep this in mind, respect is the key word (oh... shell collecting is a no no).