<P> It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland , thereby including the Great Barrier Reef , in the east by Vanuatu ( formerly the New Hebrides ) and by New Caledonia , and in the northeast approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands . In the northwest , it reaches to the south coast of eastern New Guinea , thereby including the Gulf of Papua . It merges with the Tasman Sea in the south , with the Solomon Sea in the north and with the Pacific Ocean in the east . On the west , it is bounded by the mainland coast of Queensland , and in the northwest , it connects with the Arafura Sea through the Torres Strait . </P>
where does the coral sea meet the pacific ocean
in the east