Can anyone (Euloroo?) confirm whether the Great Barrier Reef site includes the inhabited islands near the Queensland Coast? I think it does.

The slight doubt arises because of the difference between the
GBRMP - Great Barrier Reef Marine Park - which only seems to include sea, reefs, cays and uninhabited islands
GBRWHA - Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area - which seems to be different?

I ask particularly because of potential connections
a. Natural Sites with indigenous Human Population. A number of the northern islands are still inhabited by Aboriginal communities -e.g Palm Island (and others)
b. Prisons. Palm Island was used as a penal colony for aboriginals from the 1920s to the 60s
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palm_Island,_Queensland

I hadn't picked up the difference. The Department's Map clearly identifies World Heritage Area (Land) in the legend which includes the Palm Islands. The Location/Boundary Plan is harder to read but you can still make out that the Palm islands are within the inscribed area.

Its seems clear from the GBRMPA zoning plans that most islands are not zoned (coloured), suggesting they are not within the park boundary. This makes sense since its a Marine Park and its worth noting that a number of islands within the inscribed area have their own National Park designation (e.g. Whitsunday Islands National Park, Magnetic Island National Park and Orpheus Island National Park which is part of the Palm Islands). Looks like Orpheus Island has a handful of inhabitants URL. Its interesting to see in the Palm Island wiki link that "There is no freehold land title on Palm Island, with property owned by either the Local or State Government", however Greater Palm Island is not a designated National Park, probably more down to politics than anything else.

So looks like the two connections are goers. Makes up for my proposed Mossman Gorge community which isn't technically within the Wet Tropics boundary although clearly surrounded on three sides by rainforest!

From looking at the IUCN overlays on Google Earth it seems that everything off the coast of the mainland is included, so Palm Island is part of the WHS. I must admit I didn't realise that the Wet Tropics and Great Barrier reef abutted each other like that.It also almost borders Fraser Island as well. I didn't realise either of those things.

So that means there is another Connection - "Contiguous National Sites". Barrier Reef and Wet Tropics