Heron Island is a coral cay located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern Great Barrier Reef, 80 km north-east of Gladstone, Queensland and 460 km north-north-west of the state capital Brisbane. The island is situated on the leeward (western) side of Heron Reef, a fringing platform reef of significant biodiversity, supporting around 900 of the 1,500 fish species and 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef.
The island is about 800 metres (2,600 feet) long and 300 metres (980 feet) at its widest, giving an area of approximately 16 hectares (40 acres). The highest point, near the western tip, is 3.6 metres (12 feet) ASL. A dune ridge along the southern shore rises some 3 metres (9.8 feet) ASL, lower dunes on the north-eastern side are only about one metre (3 ft) above the sea. The eastern half of the island is protected and forms part of the Capricornia Cays National Park, with a permanent ranger’s station onsite.
Heron Island Resort, operated by Delaware North, is located in the north-west corner of the island. The resort is a popular getaway for scuba diving and snorkelling and accommodates up to 200 guests and 100 staff members. In March 2012 Heron Island Resort was featured in the BBC’s nature TV series, Great Barrier Reef. The University of Queensland Heron Island Research Station is situated in the island’s south-west quarter. Established in the 1950s, the facility is one of the world’s principal coral reef research stations, with a wide variety of research undertaken on coral reef ecology. In June 2008 the new student accommodation, comprising 80 beds, was officially opened and used for the first time by Tropical Marine Network students. The teaching laboratories and new research building with 9 research labs, library, darkroom, computer room and aquaria deck were officially reopened in February 2009. The island has no fresh water supply. A small desalination plant on the island uses reverse osmosis technology to supply water for human consumption. Similarly, two diesel generators (and some solar panels) supply electricity to the island.
There is a small man-made channel and wooden jetty on the western shore of the island, where the daily catamaran launch from Gladstone docks and supplies to the island are delivered. The rusted wreck of the HMCS Protector lies at the entrance to the channel, and was towed to there in 1945 to form a dive and snorkelling site.
