Heron Island
Postcode: 4680
Heron Island is a coral cay located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern Great Barrier Reef, 72 km north-east of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, and 539 km north 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 1500 fish species and 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef.
The island is about 800 metres long and 300 metres at its widest, giving an area of approximately 16 hectares.
Heron Island Resort, operated by Voyages Hotels and Resorts, 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.
The University of Queensland Heron Island Research Station is situated in the island’s south-west quarter. Established in the 1950’s, the facility is one of the world’s principal coral reef research stations, with a wide variety of research undertaken on coral reef ecology. Heron Island Research Station had a large fire on Friday March 30, 2007 at 4AM. “A number of buildings, including the station’s research laboratories and part of the staff accommodation, were destroyed in the blaze, which fire investigators said was caused when an oxygen tank exploded.” (UQ News Australia)
However, recent reports coming from the island reveal that the cause of the accident is as yet unknown and the Arson Squad are still on the island investigating what has been labeled a crime scene.
The eastern half of the island is protected and forms part of the Capricornia Cays National Park, with a permanent ranger’s station onsite.