Great Barrier Reef

I'm feeling very small at the moment. It's 1:30 p.m. and the white-hot blister of the sun burns directly overhead. The sky is neither cloudy nor clear, nor does it lie flat against the heavens. Instead, a vast, milky dome touches the sea in a silver, shimmering line on the horizon. Our boat, a tiny speck on a pewter ocean, floats alone 130 miles off of Australia's northeastern coast. Beneath us stretches the largest structure of living organisms on the planet. No quest of Australia is complete without an exploration of the Great Barrier Reef.

The captain and chief officer of a Chinese-registered ship that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef will appear in an Australian court Thursday, charged with damaging the reef. The Shen Neng 1 veered more than 27 kilometers (17 miles) off course and ended up on a shoal in the Reef on April 3, prompting concerns of an oil spill near the world's largest coral reef system. On Wednesday, the Australian Federal Police announced that they have arrested the 47-year-old Chinese master of the vessel and the 44-year-old chief officer.

A Chinese-registered ship that ran aground Saturday off the coast of Australia was more than 17 miles off course when it ended up on a shoal in the Great Barrier Reef, prompting concerns of an oil spill near the world's largest coral reef system, a maritime safety spokesman said Monday. A tug boat with a tow rope was helping Monday to stabilize the ship, called Shen Neng 1, and a second was on its way to the area to assist, Adam Nicholson, a spokesman for Maritime Safety Queensland, told CNN. A small oil slick generated from the ship's grounding did not appear to be threatening the Great Barrier Reef after crews sprayed dispersants on it and surface netting helped to contain it, Nicholson said.

Malaysian cargo ship Bunga Teratai Satu has been successfully pulled off Australia's Great Barrier Reef where it ran aground nearly two weeks ago. The salvage came after a decision Sunday to use dynamite to blow away coral outcrops which had hampered two earlier rescue attempts. The 21,000-ton ship had lodged itself on a section of the Reef on November 2 about 22 nautical miles south of the town of Cairns in Queensland, Australia. It is now being moved to a safe anchorage nearby, where maritime safety experts will inspect it before being allowed to resume its journey.

It sounds far too good to be true: a salary of more than $100,000, a free home on a palm-fringed island and all the snorkeling you can be bothered with. However, it is true and a very clever marketing ploy to boot. Australia's Tourism Queensland has garnered worldwide media coverage by advertising the "best job in the world" -- the post of caretaker on Hamilton island in the Great Barrier Reef. The six-month contract, according to Tourism Queensland, comes with flexible working hours and the successful applicant's "key responsibilities" include exploring the area to discover what is on offer and to report back weekly via blogs, photo diaries, video updates and media interviews.

Attempts to salvage a cargo ship stuck on a sandbar near Australia's Great Barrier Reef will not begin until late Wednesday at the earliest, with rescue experts tipping a difficult task ahead. The Greek-owned bulk carrier, Doric Chariot, ran aground early on Monday morning and attempts to refloat the ship overnight using its own engines failed. The ship was carrying 53,000 tonnes of Australian coking coal bound for India when it struck the sandbar about 600 kilometers north of Cairns near the far northeastern tip of Australia.

Attempts to salvage a cargo ship stuck on a sandbar near Australia's Great Barrier Reef will not begin until Tuesday when tides will be most favorable for a successful effort. At least two, and probably four, salvage tugs will be used in the rescue bid. The Greek-owned bulk carrier, Doric Chariot, ran aground on a sandbar on Piper's Reef -- part of the Great Barrier Reef complex -- early last Monday morning. Captain Chris Green, from salvage firm Adsteam Marine, told CNN Thursday there were no unforeseen problems associated with the rescue but that there were always unknowns in any such operation.

Australia has unveiled plans to declare one third of the Great Barrier Reef a no-fishing zone in a bid to protect the area's fragile eco-system and a lucrative tourist industry. The move has been praised by tourism and environmental authorities but criticized by the fishing industry, which says hundreds of jobs will be lost along Australia's east coast as a result. Under the plans put to lawmakers on Wednesday, a network of fishing and shipping-free zones will cover some 33 percent of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park -- up from just 4.5 percent at present.

Wanted: Luxury-loving couples available to globetrot for six months and get paid to test out the most romantic wedding and honeymoon destinations around the world. It's a hard offer to resist, but what's being described as "The Ultimate Job" is just the latest in a series of recent dream positions to capture the public's imagination and serve as a brilliant marketing tool for people and places. "It's been sort of crazy," said Rosemarie Meleady, managing director of RunawayBrideAndGroom.

Did Tina Watson drown while diving during her 2003 honeymoon because of a "perfect storm" of unfortunate circumstances, or did her husband kill her for the insurance money? Those were the scenarios painted by attorneys Tuesday in Birmingham, Alabama, in opening arguments at the murder trial of David Gabriel "Gabe" Watson. Australian media dubbed Watson "The Honeymoon Killer" after his 26-year-old wife, Tina, died October 22, 2003, while the two were diving at a historic shipwreck off the Great Barrier Reef.

Floods have devastated the landscape of the state of Queensland, Australia, but they also present a high risk to the Great Barrier Reef. Stretching over 2,300 kilometers (1,430 miles) along the northeast coast of Australia, large parts of the southern Great Barrier Reef are "flooded" with fresh water. Currently the biggest plumes of fresh water reach about 200 kilometers (124 miles) north from the mouths of the Fitzroy and Burnett Rivers, and stretch around 70 kilometers (43 miles)

The captain and chief officer of a Chinese-registered ship that ran aground on the Great Barrier Reef will appear in an Australian court Thursday, charged with damaging the reef. The Shen Neng 1 veered more than 27 kilometers (17 miles) off course and ended up on a shoal in the Reef on April 3, prompting concerns of an oil spill near the world's largest coral reef system. On Wednesday, the Australian Federal Police announced that they have arrested the 47-year-old Chinese master of the vessel and the 44-year-old chief officer.

A Chinese-registered ship that ran aground Saturday off the coast of Australia was more than 17 miles off course when it ended up on a shoal in the Great Barrier Reef, prompting concerns of an oil spill near the world's largest coral reef system, a maritime safety spokesman said Monday. A tug boat with a tow rope was helping Monday to stabilize the ship, called Shen Neng 1, and a second was on its way to the area to assist, Adam Nicholson, a spokesman for Maritime Safety Queensland, told CNN. A small oil slick generated from the ship's grounding did not appear to be threatening the Great Barrier Reef after crews sprayed dispersants on it and surface netting helped to contain it, Nicholson said.

Wanted: Luxury-loving couples available to globetrot for six months and get paid to test out the most romantic wedding and honeymoon destinations around the world. It's a hard offer to resist, but what's being described as "The Ultimate Job" is just the latest in a series of recent dream positions to capture the public's imagination and serve as a brilliant marketing tool for people and places. "It's been sort of crazy," said Rosemarie Meleady, managing director of RunawayBrideAndGroom.

Conan O'Brien, the now former host of "The Tonight Show," needs to recharge his batteries and forget his battle with NBC. Here are some destinations the redheaded funnyman might like best. Australia If Conan is sick of being the palest man alive, maybe a trip south is the answer. Way south, that is. There's perhaps no better place to reintroduce himself to the sun than Down Under -- from Bondi Beach to the Great Barrier Reef. Conan could use some of the $45 million he received from his separation agreement to fly his whole staff down with him. Fares to Australia haven't been this cheap in 5 years, so now's a great time to go. Canada Conan seems to do well when he travels north.

May 8, 2009 Name that noun - Use the following clues to identify people, places or things that were mentioned on CNN Student News this week. Fill in your answers in the space provided. Click here for a PDF version of this Newsquiz. 1. Federal officials announced the results of a "stress test" that was given to 19 of these companies. 2. President Obama met with this Israeli leader to discuss the possibilities of a Middle East peace plan. 3. Doreen Marino was allegedly fired for comments she made on this social networking site.

The "best job in the world" contest has generated huge interest around the globe, but the jury is out on whether that will translate into more tourism dollars for Queensland, Australia. "That's the million dollar question," said Anthony Hayes, CEO of Tourism Quensland, which sponsored the contest. "Quite frankly you can have $150 million worth of publicity, but if it doesn't generate sales you've really wasted your time on a pretty story." A British man beat 34,000 other applicants Wednesday to win the right to stroll the white sands of a tropical island in Queensland, Australia, file weekly reports online to a global audience and earn a cool $100,000.

Sixteen people vying for what is being dubbed the "best job in the world" will on Wednesday learn who has won the post of caretaker for the tropical paradise of Hamilton island in Queensland, Australia. A television presenter from New Zealand and a charity fundraiser from England were among the finalists for the position, dubbed the "best job in the world." They were picked from a pool of more than 34,000 applicants from across the world. The six-month caretaker will be paid $100,000 and is required to feed the fish, clean the pool and send weekly blog and video reports on what is happening on the island.

The long list for the job that has been described as "the best in the world" has been announced. A chef, a dance instructor and a scientist are among the final 50 applicants for the six-month post of "caretaker" on Hamilton Island, part of the Great Barrier Reef off Australia The successful candidate will enjoy a salary of $100,000, free home and generous perks on the island. "Key responsibilities" will include sending weekly reports via blogs and video on what is happening on the island, as well as cleaning the pool -- which comes with the free home -- and feeding the fish.