Island DREAMING
ERIN CRAVEN EXPLORES THE BEST OF THE GREAT BARRIER REEF ON HERON ISLAND
Aussies are pretty spoilt to have the Great Barrier Reef just a hop, skip and a jump away – after all, it’s a bucket-list destination for travellers the world over.
Heron Island, on the reef ’s southern end, is one of the best places to explore the reef in all its glory. Having been relatively untouched by coral bleaching, it prides itself as being a World
Heritage listed marine national park, with an abundance of sea life right at your toes. It’s no wonder Sir David Attenborough calls it one of his favourite places.
Flying from Sydney to Gladstone (via Brisbane), I joke to my son Ethan, 6, that our mode of transport seems to be getting smaller with each leg. While you can reach Heron Island with a two-hour ferry ride from Gladstone, we’ve opted for the 40-minute helicopter transfer. While more expensive, it’s well worth the cost.
As we head out towards the island, we’re treated to a bird’s-eye view of the spectacular turquoise water below. It really is exactly how it looks in the pictures.
Located 72 kilometres off the coast of Gladstone, Queensland, Heron Island is only 800 metres long and 300 metres wide. The resort describes itself as an eco-park, so if you’re looking for infinity pools and swim-up bars, this is not for you (the swimming pool does the trick, but with pristine water and the reef right off the beach, it’s mostly used for scuba-diving training).
What Heron Island does have though, is an abundance of animal and marine life in which you can completely immerse yourself. The surrounding waters host about 900 different fish species including black tip reef sharks, lemon sharks, manta rays and turtles as well as more than 200,000 species of birds, including the wedge-tailed shearwater (commonly known as muttonbirds) and black noddy terns.
Accommodation ranges from the basic Turtle Rooms, set back from the beach, to the luxurious Beach House, with its own private patio, boardwalk to North Beach, outdoor shower and separate living area. Breakfast and a two-course dinner each night is included and during our stay our five-star quality meals included a succulent beef tenderloin and a to-die-for chocolate mousse with espresso mascarpone.
There are no TVS in the rooms, and wifi is available only at the resort’s bar, but to be honest we didn’t even notice during our three-day stay. We were too busy immersing ourselves in nature – spotting rays, sharks, turtles, brightly coloured tropical fish, and birds, seemingly in their thousands.
Normally I wouldn’t be thrilled by the idea of getting up before the sun, but we quickly discover that sunrise is the best time to walk around the island – an easy 20-minute stroll – and
spot local marine life, including dozens of rays and a number of baby sharks. As the sun rises (to the most stunning fiery-orange sunrise I’d ever seen), we watch as a large mantra ray glides past us. Further up the beach, Ethan is excited to splash about in the shallows with four baby black-tip reef sharks.
Up at the island’s jetty, we spot more than a dozen manta rays and a few shovel-nosed rays lounging about in the water, while a green turtle swam past.
The vibe of the resort reminds me of a caravan park, as other guests call out as to where the marine life is.
One night before dinner, we spot another four turtles in the water below the bar area. We’ve just missed hatching season during our stay, so it’s nowhere near the number of turtles that visit the island between November and March, when turtles come to lay their eggs – hatching season is between January and early May.
January to April is also peak breeding season for the hundreds of thousands of sea birds (up to 200,000) that also migrate to island.
On our second day we take a tour of the adjacent University of Queensland Research Station where we learn about the local marine life. We also head out for a guided reef walk with the resorts’ resident naturalist guides.
At night, before dinner we listen to presentations about sharks and manta rays. And, of course there’s the snorkelling right off the beach.
It’s an experience neither of us will forget.