Heron Island

June 7, 2010

Location: Gladestone/ Heron island

We got to sleep in!!! So naturally I woke up at 6. We didn’t have to check out of the motel until 10 but I caught some cartoons on TV then headed out. We rode on a catamaran (a huge boat) to the island. It was about 2 hours of the most bumpy boat ride ever. I normally do not have problems with boat rides and sea sickness but an hour on this boat had me squirming to get off. When we got to the dock we were whisked away to our research station accommodation. The only other settlement on the island is a very exclusive resort, currently only 20 people are staying at the resort. It truly is beautiful and more of what I thought an Australian island would look like. The water is that beautiful turquoise color you see in all the pictures. It is peaceful and quiet and a tad bit warmer than Straddie. It is so beautiful here. The island is a coral cay island. It was formed out by the coral larvae that settled in the sandy substrate and continued to grow and regrow ontop of each other. The island sits right on top of Heron reef, the southernmost point of the Great Barrier Reef system. We had a brief introduction like the last research center then we got to explore the island as a class. We saw new vegetation and new wildlife. It is quite the remarkable little island. You are able to walk around the entire perimeter in a half hour. And there is a nice little nature walk through the center of the island. After our walk we had dinner and then a late night lecture on how the island was formed. I can’t wait for our first snorkel tomorrow morning.