Here in History – Heron Island

Heron Island is a coral cay located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern Great Barrier Reef, 80km north-east of Gladstone.

The thickly wooded island is situated on the leeward (western) side of Heron Reef and is a fringed platform reef of significant biodiversity. It supports around 900 of the 1500 fish species and 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef. The island is about 800 metres (2600 feet) long and 300 metres (980 feet) at its widest, giving an area of approximately 16 hectares (40 acres).