Show Me Where to Go

Heron Island is surrounded by lagoons of pale blue water and exists in the windswept Pacific Ocean off the coast of Eastern Australia. Small enough to walk around

in 20 minutes yet teeming with life, Heron Island is its own little exotic world, one of the few developed islands on the Great Barrier Reef,

70 kilometers off the Queensland coast. Classified as a national park and surrounded by a marine park, Heron has an appropriately

low-key vacation resort. Rooms are set in gardens of native pandanus and extravagant palms. Many overlook the ocean, others are nestled behind low trees that

act as a wind-break along the waterfront. As the sun slips below the horizon, couples and small groups enjoy leisurely walks along the beach.

Sunset, known by the initiated as 'turtle hour', is an important time on Heron. Throughout summer the sea turtles, particularly green turtles,

come to lay their eggs on Heron. Every evening a human vigil begins, watching for nesting females and their offspring. Six to eight weeks

after the eggs are laid, and when the sand cools in the early evening, the hatchlings start to make their way to the surface. They then erupt

onto the beach stacked atop each other and shuffle towards the surf to begin their seaborne life. Some of the human vacationers determinedly ward

off predatory terns and gulls that dive-bomb them, others lift the new-born over logs and flatten out the sand with their feet to help the turtles

travel at breakneck speed. The hatchlings reach the water quickly and are lifted into the sea by the waves. Soon they're using their flippers,

rowing furiously. Onlookers follow their passage across the reef, eyes beaming like proud parents. Researchers come to Heron every nesting season

to gather data to help conserve turtle populations. Protected in Australia, but not in many other parts of the world, all eight species of sea turtles are endangered.

On Heron island, the natural world tends to take precedence over the many 'civilized' pursuits on offer. Sitting by the pool overlooking the reef or

lying in the sun on a white sand beach are deliciously passive ways to soak up the elements. Snorkeling or scuba diving on the reef is also

good for body and soul. In the crystal waters the brilliantly colored, exotic tropical fish twist and turn as one, mesmerizing to watch in their beautiful, silent domain.

For those who prefer not to get wet there is a viewing submarine that goes out most days, weather permitting. There are also day trips to nearby Wilson Island.

In the evenings there are slide shows, films, live music and dramatic sunsets to enjoy from the ocean-front bar.

On the island itself, there are guided walks to Heron's Marine Research Station plus walks around the island and out to the reef at low tide.

The reef-walk guide starts by explaining that the island is a coral cay made up of deposits of sand, coral and rubble 154 meters thick. The coral was broken

down by centuries of wave motion and by animals such as the remarkable sea cucumber. Other reef animals such as the cone shell are not so benign, releasing

a poisonous projectile which paralyses its prey and can even kill humans.



Exploring the island is a little less adventurous but equally rewarding at this tiny vacation destination.

Following a path which Criss-crosses the island, you’ll learn that the tangle of virtual jungle began with seeds which either floated there or were

deposited in the phosphorus-rich bird droppings. Birdlife is indeed the main fauna on the island. They're everywhere: mutton birds, reef herons and

a multitude of exotic migratory birds such as ruddy turnstones, named after their curious habit of patrolling the beach and flipping stones in search of food.

At night the mutton birds, which nest in the ground, return after a day's fishing. They are slow-moving birds and quite bold, so care must be taken not

to trip over them or, more dangerously for human ankles, their burrows. Most unnerving though are the calls of mutton birds, which can sound like a

crying baby, an erotic moaning in the bushes or, as was once believed, ghosts. Early sailors thought they were hearing ghosts and would not land on the

island because they believed it was haunted.


On a Heron Island vacation, whether witnessing a turtle nesting, following tropical fish underwater, or sitting on the beach

watching a storm approach, nature pervades. It is at once profoundly exotic yet relaxing and moving.