📍Heron Island: An Honest Review Staying 3 Days On The Gorgeous Southern Great Barrier Reef Coral Cay.

Arrival, Orientation & Check-In.

✔️ Pros.

• Walking along the pier and on the island, it was so delightful to see more marine animals swimming nearby and birds on the ground and overhead.
• The staff gave us a lovely welcome getting off the boat.
• The orientation room had air conditioning! It was the only place besides maybe the reception to have that. I didn’t notice it being hot during my stay thanks to the shady pisonia trees. But it was so nice to have a cool room to come into after spending over two hours enjoying the breeze and scenery from the top deck on the transfer over.
• It was great to learn about the eco-friendliness of the resort, such as how they generate their own electricity and desalinated water. (FYI, I thought it might be a bit salty, but it wasn’t that different tasting.)
• My room was already ready, so I could settle in straight away.
• Between leaving my room and departing the island on the last day, they let me store my luggage at reception.

❌ Cons.

• It was an information overload and several things to do and remember afterwards, which left me a little confused and scrambling.
• There were also lots of rules to remember and some were conflicting. Especially with how close you can get to the sea turtles coming up onto the beach. The brochure they give you when you check in at Gladstone says depending on what stage they are at, it’s different distances, but at orientation, it was a straight 10m. Also, they didn’t give us a visual indicator of what 10m looks like, which I think would have been helpful as it’s not something I typically go by.
• Because I was overwhelmed with all the info they were telling people at the orientation, I wasn’t sure where to see my check-in time, so I just asked at reception who told me to look on the board outside. I think it would have been nice if they looked it up for me then and there as when I looked my check-in time was then but I now had to wait for others.

My Room – Turtle Room 150.

✔️ Pros.

• I loved that my Turtle room was a self-standing duplex, separate from the other buildings, so it felt like I had my own little place.
• Visually speaking, the rooms are nice, if a little basic.
• The room was spacious and there were plenty of areas to put your stuff, including a luggage rack and a big wardrobe.
• It also had big windows and a sliding door opening up to a big balcony with seats, a table and stairs for direct access, perfect for enjoying time outside.
• The tap water is drinkable and made from desalinated water, which wasn’t yucky as I thought it might be.
• I liked there was a water jug so I could fill it up and have cold water on demand, rather than putting a cup in there and having the taste of the fridge infiltrate it.
• I appreciated the broom to sweep up the sand and the clothes rack to dry my swimsuits and laundry.
• The large mirror above the vanity and full-length mirror beside it were great for seeing if I had rubbed my sunscreen in properly and observing the massive sunburn mark I had on my back from other days when I couldn’t reach certain areas. LOL.
• The rooms don’t have locks so you don’t have to worry about losing a key or key card.
• My bag was already at my door when I arrived.
• One of my favourite things about staying overnight on the Great Barrier Reef coral cays is the sound the shearwaters make at night. It has to be one of the best nature sounds because it is just so comically haunting. 
• There was a knock at the door. I thought someone was trying to get in, but I opened it and there was just a shearwater sitting at the top of the steps. So cute! 

❌ Cons.

• None of the rooms have locks, so you just have to trust that no one will go in there unsolicited and steal anything.
• There’s no air-conditioning, so it was a bit warm in mid-November, even with the fan on.
• The decor is pretty basic and the furniture is well-worn, with scuff marks over most of the hard surfaces and breaks on the chair and bathroom cabinet. 
• The shampoo bottle had what it was written on it with permanent marker while the others had proper labels on it which was a bit tacky.
• The worst part of the room was that there wasn’t a direct USB plug or conventional plug adapter, especially since so many devices today are charged via USB. I didn’t have one and needed to charge a few things, and they didn’t sell any on the island either, which I think is something they need to consider stocking as I’m sure I am not the only one who got caught out.
• I didn’t get one of the water bowls outside my establishment to wash the sand off my feet before entering the room that they were talking about during orientation.

Shearwater Restaurant.

The restaurant has pre-made dinner reservations for each guest. However, you can ask them to change yours to a more suitable time.

✔️ Pros.

• The restaurant has a lovely, spacious setting.
• There is netting around the establishment, so diners can also enjoy eating alfresco without having birds coming inside. 
• The service was excellent. The staff was very kind and attentive. One of the ladies gave me a drink on the house as it was my birthday. Another lady said they liked my name, which was so sweet and made me feel so special! They were also great when I asked to change my reservation as I realised it clashed with one of my activities, and then later when that activity finished late and therefore had less time to wait for food before my next one started. 
• Buffet breakfast was included, and along with the regular vegan options continental buffet breakfasts usually have, they also had vegan pancakes and maple syrup!!! This made me very happy.
• The dinnertime meals were large! They were so large that I couldn’t eat them all both of the nights that I was there, so I took the rest back to my room and had the leftovers for lunch the next day.

❌ Cons.

• The meals are expensive! 
• The middle area where the table staff got the water has exposed sides making it look a little messy and out of place from the rest of the elegant space.

Baillie’s Bar.

Light lunches, snacks and ice cream are available ot buy. You can also get free water anytime here.

✔️ Pros.

• Lovely bar with plenty of seating, ambient lighting and large open walkways so you can enjoy views overlooking the ocean and pool from inside.
• There’s also a secluded upstairs area and even more shaded seating outside too.
• Small stage for music and two pool tables for entertainment. 
• Beautiful banner featuring the Great Barrier Reef coral and animals across the top of the venue.

❌ Cons.

• Limited snacking options.

Swimming Pool.

Near Baillie’s Bar is a small swimming pool. This is also where they practice diving techniques for those who want to learn how to dive.

✔️ Pros.

• It has lovely views overlooking the ocean. 
• There are pool noodles for the kids to play with and have buoyancy on.
• Looks cool when it is lit up blue at night.

❌ Cons.

• The swimming pool was by far my least favourite part of my stay at Heron Island.
• It is dated, very small and doesn’t take many people to make it feel crowded as it is essentially a backyard pool, so I didn’t stay in long. It does feel like it’s more for kids though, because there’s a whole big beautiful lagoon right nearby to swim in.
• There is also little space between it and the fence, so it feels very enclosed. 

Marine Centre.

Some of the activities are tide-dependent, so times for those are only released the week of the trip. You can either pre-book, which is recommended or see what spaces are left when you get there. Activity/ tour reviews further down.

I believe the only activity you meet at here is for kayaking/paddling, as they have to give you a seat and paddle.

✔️ Pros.

• Snorkel gear, including mask and flippers, are included in the accommodation price. I only got flippers as I already had a mask and snorkel. I was given the right size the first time, which was great. 
• There’s also snorkel stuff that you can buy if you prefer to own the gear.
• One guy was great about helping me get sorted and figure out when I could do the snorkel tour as I initially wasn’t able to get on the one I picked, and I had many other activities and tours to plan around. 
• For the kayaking tour, the guide was kind enough to let me use his personal dry bag for my camera.
• I loved that they had guest showers here so you could snorkel even after you’ve vacated your room and packed up your bags to go back to the mainland and freshen up before you leave. They were also reasonably spacious and had lots of shelves to put your stuff on, plus a sink and mirror.

❌ Cons.

• If you’re arriving on one of the earlier days of the week, there’s not much time to plan your Marine Centre activities.
• The flippers don’t have holes or handles, which makes them hard to hold onto when you have to take them off in the water before reboarding the snorkel/diving boat. 
• Another guy was really softly spoken and it was very hard to hear what he was talking about. He also walked off but I still wanted to ask him some questions, and didn’t come back even though I was standing there waiting for a while. He just went to talk to other people.
• I feel like there should be more seats inside, especially since they will always be getting groups of people coming in on the days when the boats arrive and depart to hire and return their gear.

Information Centre.

You can learn about the reef at the information centre. This is also where you sign up and meet for informational talks and walks.

✔️ Pros.

• I found it very interesting, especially learning about how the coral cays are formed, and that they were never part of the mainland. 
• If you hadn’t emailed them about what informational talks and walks you wanted to do, you could sign up there and then on the forms on the desk, no people were needed.
• On the outside, you could also see what times high and low tide was, what talks were on that day, and the common sharks and rays you might encounter and more.

❌ Cons.

• When I arrived for one of the free walking tours I booked on the day I arrived, no one turned up to do it.
• As for the Turtle Walk, the guide arrived late. More on the individual tour below.

Gift Shop.

✔️ Pros.

• There’s a good range of souvenirs.
• Plus some beach essentials like hats, sunscreen and thongs in case you forgot something or it broke.
• It was also decently stocked with drinks and hats.
• The ladies were super friendly.

❌ Cons.

• Some stuff is pretty expensive, but it is a remote tourist island, so it’s understandable. 
• They didn’t have any plug-to-USB converters which I really needed as the rooms don’t have built-in USB ports in their outlets! There’s a market here Heron Island!

Laundry.

✔️ Pros.

• I love it when hotels have laundry facilities, especially because I was on a road trip and had a whole heap of it I needed to do, so it saved me from having to go out of my way to find a place. The fact that it was free was just a nice bonus.
• The machines worked well, and the washing machine was on long enough that I could comfortably have breakfast while it was running.
• It was only about 20m away.

❌ Cons.

• They’re a bit dingy and could use a revamp.

Outer Reef Snorkelling Tour.

The snorkelers and divers head out together on the same boat, but explore different areas not too far away from each other. They head out 3 times a day. Snorkelers drift dive, meaning they let the current help move them along, so they aren’t fighting against it. I managed to get onto two sessions on two different days, once to Heron Bommie and another time to one nearby, but I’ve just compiled both trips here.

✔️ Pros.

• The original tour I wanted to go on didn’t have space for me because my email didn’t go through in time. However, they put me on the reserve list, and because someone didn’t show up I could do it, which was great because it was my birthday!
• Plus, the lady doing the roster was super nice and asked about my unusual last name.
• The instructions for snorkelling were short and easy to follow. 
• Panda, who was also the orientation guy and my kayak guide, is a fun dude and was using the anti-fog spray bottle as a gun and long-distance shooting it at people’s googles. 🤣
• The guide carries a life buoy the whole time, so if you need a break or adjust/clear your snorkel, you can do that, which was very helpful when she let me hold onto it the second time I went out as my snorkel mask kept fogging up. 
• I saw a beautiful sea turtle both times I went out and a reef shark the second time.
• One of the sea turtles came right up to several of us! While 2 others came fairly close on other occasions!
• There were tonnes of little colourful fish of various shapes and species, including the toothy parrot fish, and decent numbers of large grey fish, some huddled together in small schools.
• There were lots of super cute squishy jellyfish-adjacent creatures without tentacles, plus lots of fascinating small jellyfish.
• This might be a con for most people, but I actually kind of got a kick out of getting stung by the jellyfish! Sure, it was weird at first, and I thought that there was going to be a problem as some jellyfish stings can be excruciating, or even deadly, especially since this was the time of year when the highly venomous irukandji are more prevalent along the east coast of Australia. But the guide said that they rarely get them here, so knowing that, it was just like a random zap of electrocution every now and then. And the pain wasn’t too intense and didn’t last too long, and now I can say I’ve been stung by them! 🤣 There are no scars from it either.
• My wet suit didn’t arrive in time and I didn’t hire one, but when I jumped in with my one piece, it wasn’t too cold (November) even though I am fairly temperature sensitive. However, towards the end, it was starting to get a little cold, so I recommend bringing or hiring one in the cooler months or if you tend to feel the cold more.
• I can’t say it enough. I love that all the boats arriving at and departing from the island go right past the shipwreck.

❌ Cons.

• Heron experienced a significant bleaching event in early 2024, so the coral wasn’t colourful and vibrant but virtually all white. While they say it is recoverable, it certainly didn’t have that cornucopia of colours and hues like what natural history documentaries depict and like what I saw at nearby North West Island a few weeks later.
• Much of the coral had the same vibe and look throughout. They were mostly hard, with the main structures being the Staghorns (looks like tree branches) and plate corals (flat & circular), with virtually no soft corals. 
• As wonderful as it was seeing the two sea turtles and one reef shark, I was expecting to see more during our 45-minute snorkel. I saw WAY more in the shallows, so you can save money by not going on the tour unless you really want to see the corals, which is, of course, a huge part of visiting the Great Barrier Reef. However, as you very well know, what you see depends on what the animals are doing at that time and day. You may see lots, so I definitely wouldn’t rule it out completely. Plus, there are way more small fish here.
• I missed the tiger shark! Apparently, only the guide and one other person saw it, so it was sad not to see one of the GBR’s most fearsome predators, but I can still say I swam with it!
• We were swimming through so many jellyfish that the guide was asking if anyone wanted to get out, but no one did because, as I mentioned, they weren’t the deadly ones, and the sting wasn’t significant.
• The boat ride out only took 2 minutes, which didn’t feel worth it to head out such a short distance. I wonder what other parts of the reef they visit because the places I went to aren’t far apart. Do they sometimes go to Wisteria Reef, the one you pass on the boat journey to and from Heron Island?
• They didn’t tell us how long to leave the anti-fog on, so I and another person were left wondering whether we were supposed to put it drain it out or put it on our face with that much liquid in it.

Kayaking/ Stand Up Paddleboarding Tour.

Another activity that you can do at Herron Island is paddling. You can op to kayak In a single-person vessel or paddle board. I eventually settled on kayaking because it’s a bit easier to last the one-hour duration. Stand-up paddleboarding is not for the unbalanced! I’m unsure if both tours go together or if there’s a dedicated outing for each. This was the only activity where the meeting area was at the Marine Centre this was so we could pick up the seats and paddles for the kayak. They also had to be brought back, washed and hung. The tour takes you around the island. 

✔️ Pros.

• It was lovely seeing Heron Island and the lagoon from a different perspective.
• I finally got to find out what that wooden structure in the water near Bailey’s Bar was. Because no one else knew the answer. Spoiler: It is a remnant from the pulley system for the turtles they had captured to bring to the turtle soup factory and cannery, which the island was formerly the home of before becoming the eco-resort it is today.
• We got to see so many sharks rays and some turtles. One of the best parts part was seeing the eagle rays leap out of the water because it was so unexpected. There were also about five sharks right next to the beach by the pier! 
• I absolutely loved going near the Protector shipwreck, even though I’d already seen it so many times. Just seeing it from peacefully sitting atop the water just added another layer of awesomeness to the tour. It was also fantastic seeing so many brown-breasted boobies.
• Coming back to shore, the guide spotted some birds that he said had travelled from Siberia!
• Even though the tour wasn’t what it was supposed to be which was a kayak around the whole island it was such an enjoyable outing that I actually enjoyed more than the snorkel tours to see the outer reef, because it was just so relaxing, and seeing the shipwreck like that and spotting so many birds and marine animals everywhere was just a magical experience, whereas the snorkel tour I only saw a couple.
• Even though we were only in the lagoon, the current was quite strong on the top side that we ended up coming back and going to the shipwreck instead well it would have been nice to see the other side of the island from the water and you don’t get to do this with the snorkel tour. Still, I’m not upset because there was so much to see and experience from where we did go.

❌ Cons.

• Because the current was strong, we didn’t get the full tour going around the entire island.

Sunset Cruise.

Heron Island also has a sunset cruise, which sets off twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and goes for 1.5 hours using the same snorkel/dive boat they use for tours. Two drinks are included, and a cheese platter is available for an additional cost.

✔️ Pros.

• I loved this cruise and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would as it was such a lovely way to conclude a magical day of animal encounters on the magnificent Great Barrier Reef.
• I’ve said it many times, but going past the shipwreck is never not awesome, and like every other time, there were plenty of beautiful birds standing on it like cute feathered pirates keeping watch on the horizon. 
• A couple of turtles were spotted during the trip.
• It’s a great way to get people to meet and chat, and I enjoyed a lovely conversation with the stranger I had met while photographing a turtle on the beach that morning. 
• Even though there was a fair bit of cloud in the west, so there wasn’t much of the orange sunset glow streaming through to hit the island, it wasn’t overwhelmingly thick, so there was still some dusk magic happening.
• There were towels on the bench seat. Was this to separate the guests or clean up spilled drinks? Maybe the ocean can be so rough that it’s for waves splashing over?
• I didn’t get around to having my other drink, so they just let me have it to take back to my room.
• I initially didn’t get on the first sunset cruise, but as enough people wanted to do it, so I was able to be on the overflow outing, which was better as there were fewer people aboard.

❌ Cons.

• For some reason, I thought the cruise would be on a different boat with comfortable seats, not the snorkel dive vessel, so I got dressed up, rather than using casual summer wear.

I-Spy Semi-Submersible.

The I-Spy Semi Submersible is a two-level vessel that operates like a regular boat and has an open deck above the water for the crew to operate, while the enclosed deck below has plenty of windows and pull-down metal-plank seating that can fit two people per row.

✔️ Pros.

• It’s a cool vessel, especially underneath! Plus, with all the ambient lighting from the sun reflecting off the water’s surface and bouncing into the interior, it felt relaxing. 
• It wasn’t a fully booked tour, so I got a seat to myself and could look out both windows!
• There was a large school of decently sized fish hanging out around the pier, so that was a great start and finisher to the tour. 
• We saw about 3 or 4 turtles, a couple if rays, and some small fish other than the aforementioned ones around the jetty.
• The guide was doing his best to provide lots of information even though there were times when there wasn’t a lot to see that he could talk about that he hadn’t already covered.
• The semi-submersible is a nice alternative if you want to see the corals of the reef edge but don’t want to snorkel or dive, or if you’d like to learn about the formations and the creatures that live there while seeing them in real time.

❌ Cons.

• Some folks may find it claustrophobic
• Sitting two per row might be uncomfortable if you are a larger person. 
• The glass wasn’t that clear. I feel like these things never are unless you’re one of the first passengers after it was installed or replaced. 
• Between the fish at the start and end and the occasional turtle in between, there were long gaps where we didn’t see a lot, so it was getting a bit stale.
• I feel like seeing the reef and animals like this was disconnecting. Open-air and in-water experiences are much more rewarding.
• I enjoyed this paid tour the least. 

Turtle Walk.

Heron Island eco-resort has a few free talks and walks around the island. As it was turtle nesting season when I visited in November, they also had one to learn about it while waiting for them to come ashore and lay their eggs. The meet-up point was at the Information Centre.

Note: I had also signed up for another free walk, but no one showed up for that one.

✔️ Pros.

• It was really nice being out on the beach and seeing the stars sparkle.
• The lady I was talking with spotted one of the turtles, and we sat on the beach watching her silhouette coming up the beach while asking the guide questions about the lives of turtles and reproduction.
• It was free, which was good because the overall experience wasn’t great. 

❌ Cons.

• The tour guide was late. She didn’t really seem like she wanted to be there and do the tour. I felt like maybe she was taking over for someone else. 
• I’m pretty sure that we walked past a turtle and were going to walk past another, but it was only when the lady I was talking to spotted one later on and told the guide that we stopped.
• The whole thing was rushed. The guide was walking too fast and didn’t check to see if everyone had caught up on the other side.
• We didn’t even get to be anywhere near the turtle to watch her lay eggs or be close enough to take photos. (Only the guide is allowed to use a torch at a certain time during the nesting process.)
• There also weren’t many turtles coming up because it was low tide, and they usually came in at high tide.
• She basically just ended the tour mid-way. Just saying you can go back if you like after the first and only turtle like twice, and that she’s just going to circle around and see if she can see any others. I think the group mostly stuck with her because we wanted to see a turtle laying their eggs, or at least digging, as you’re only supposed to get that close with them with a guide.
• Then she just walked off. I couldn’t keep up and got left behind with some other people who also couldn’t keep up, especially on the southern side of the island. It didn’t help that we couldn’t have lights on the beach.. There were lights from the nearby vessels hanging around in the sea that helped momentarily light the way, which was good because that side has rocks. I think it was them at the pier who I could see when I rounded the bend. But by the time I got there, they were all heading off, so I didn’t get to say goodbye to the lady I had a great time talking to because she probably thought I left halfway. I didn’t get to see her again either.

Lagoon, Shipwreck & Marine Encounters.

A shallow tidal lagoon surrounds Heron Island and has tonnes of wildlife hanging around just offshore, especially around the dock. 

The HMAS Protector was one of Australia’s first naval ships, having served the country and the U.S Navy between 1884 and 1943 before being damaged in a collision with a tug boat, abandoned at a Gladstone beach, then bought later that year by a cheap ten pound and brought her to be sunk and used as a breakwater where it’s been sitting, decaying ever since.

At low tide, you can walk to the shipwreck, and snorkel there at high tide. However, the channel is closed for most of the day to allow for boats coming to and from the island. But, in the late afternoon and early morning, there are no restrictions on going in there, so you can snorkel the northern side of the wreck, which is the far superior side no matter what level the tide is! (They’ll let you know what time you can go swimming in the channel during orientation.)

✔️ Pros.

• The lagoon was absolutely the unequivocal highlight of visiting Heron Island.
• Kicking off its epicness right from the get-go, arriving at the coral cay was spectacular, with the water being so magnificently azure blue that it legitimately didn’t look real. It was insane. And then, for there to already be several marine animals just off the beach, you knew you would see a lot. 
• Snorkelling, I saw many majestic rays of various species swimming around and lying on the sea floor. My favourites were the eagle rays, which looked like they were flying through the water, and the shovelnose rays, which looked like a type of shark, especially their tails. They were also one of the coolest things to see because they are big, and I had never seen or heard about them before!
• There are also heaps of friendly reef sharks close to shore. Coming back from the shipwreck, I saw 5 of them together! 
• Speaking of the shipwreck, snorkelling right up next to it was amazing! There were lots of little fish and a few bigger, spotted ones. 
• I also loved seeing so many parrotfish, especially when they were nibbling the corals and the other small fish that were around at the time.
• Thankfully, no jellyfish stings here.

❌ Cons.

• It’s a fair swim out to the shipwreck.
• I didn’t see any turtles snorkelling in the lagoon or the shipwreck. (But I know they do come close as I saw many at North West Island and a guide mentioned that the turtles like to sleep on the shipwreck. Plus, there are videos of both things happening on their social media accounts.)
• The staff were hyping up the coral spawning event which only happens once a year in November, but unfortunately, certain conditions need to happen for it to occur, so it just didn’t happen. 
• Snorkelling was sometimes murky, especially in the channel and when the tide was higher.

Heron Island. – Turtle Nesting And Birdlife.

✔️ Pros.

• I love it so much that despite having significant infrastructure on the western side of it, Heron Island is still so beautifully pristine and wild with such an abundance of wildlife that it’s just like being in an animal and nature documentary. It’s just incredible.
• The beaches were so clean and white, while the interior with all the Pistoia trees and shearwater burrows was very unusual. I’ve only ever seen this terrain on the coral cays.
• The warm temperatures of November made being outside the daytime and nighttime ambience very inviting and idyllic for all activities.
• Birds were EVERYWHERE! Adorable black noddies, gorgeous bridled terns sweet button quails and their MANY BABIES were the most prolific species during the day, while at night, it was the delightfully clutzy shearwaters’ turn to be out and about. Better yet, the birds are absolutely not afraid of all the people! They’ll happily walk right by you, and sometimes, the black noddies will even fly right towards you! But not in a menacing way, but more in a visually impaired, see you at the last moment and move out of the way kind of manner. 
• The coos that the shearwaters make throughout the night is one of my all-time favourite nature sounds. It’s comically haunting, perfectly matching their clumsy movements, nocturnal nature, and split-second disappearing acts. 
• It’s fantastic that the resort lets the animals take the reigns because it’s their islands, and they were first dibs. I especially adored how instead of filling in the shearwater burrows that were on the pedestrian walkways, they just put a little hut over it with a sign to let us know a bird’s home lies under there, which was just the cutest.
• Seeing all the nesting turtles on the beach in the early morning was lovely. They are so sweet and docile. I saw 7 on my walk around the island!
• All these land encounters were such a great compliment to all the unforgettable marine experiences as they are both on the same par of being just about as top tier as it can get and just another exceptional highlight of visiting this place. 
• Thankfully, there weren’t any problems with biting insects, although I’d still take some repellent just in case.

❌ Cons.

• With so many birds living (or temporarily staying on the cay, there is definitely a poop smell present. But it’s something you get used to pretty quickly, and it’s not an issue when there are magnificent close-up encounters to be had. 
• It was pretty sad seeing some of the turtles stuck behind the rocks, especially the ones taller than them, knowing they’d just have to be there for hours, because they didn’t finish nesting and heading back to the sea in time before the tide went out and would have to wait for it to come back in again You could even see the tracks where some were trying to figure out how to get back to the ocean, but couldn’t get past. But the staff assured us they were fine and sometimes enjoy being there as it means they are safer from predators.
• They advise you to have a torch on the island (but not the beach because of the light-sensitive turtles) as the nocturnal ground-dwelling shearwaters are out and about and they basically just appear and disappear everywhere, so they are easy to walk into as I sadly saw one young girl doing.