Great Barrier ReefHeron Island is a jewel within an extensive complex of reefs. While on your Heron Island holiday, you can experience world-renowned diving, as well as snorkelling, fishing, reef walking and nature walks. The sun setting behind Australia is a sight not to be missed. Heron Island lies 72 kilometres north east off the coast of Gladstone, and covers a total area of 18 hectares. Here you can enjoy some of the world's best reef diving. From a range of quality accommodation, you step straight to the reef where the waters are teeming with colourful life. Between October and March, green turtles laying their eggs and hatching baby turtles are joined by up to 100,000 terns and mutton birds nesting and raising their young. Island access is by the fast Reef Adventurer II, or Heron Spirit catamaran from the Marina, or by a scenic helicopter flight with Marine Helicopters. For holiday bookings, inquire with Voyages Lodges or your preferred travel agent. For more information: www.heronisland.com Wilson Island Wilson Island is a tiny coral cay and is both part of the Great Barrier Reef and surrounded by pristine reef and beach environments including rare turtle and bird breeding grounds. Wilson Island is essentially natural. The experience allows a maximum of 12 guests to access the pristine reef and beach environments. Guests to the island are able to enjoy snorkelling, bird watching, island and reef walks or just relaxing within the peaceful, natural setting of this stunning island. Wilson Island offers designer inspired tented accommodation on six permanent tent sites with modern interiors. Meals on the island are dinner party or gourmet picnic style with freshness, simplicity and variety guiding the menu. For more information: www.wilsonisland.com Lady Musgrave Island, the southern most island of the Capricorn Bunker Group is a 14 hectare coral cay with 1192 hectares of surrounding reef. The island is a major seabird and turtle nesting area. The island has a central pisonia forest surrounded by fringing vegetation including coastal sheoaks, octopus bushes, pandanus and bird's beak grass. You can walk, swim or dive to see the reef's coral and marine life to full advantage. Marine Park zoning conditions must be observed if you wish to fish on or around the island. Camping is permitted on Lady Musgrave Island most of the year, except for closed periods for regeneration. Bookings are permits are required from Queensland Parks and Wildlife for permission to camp on the island. For further information contact: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Gladstone on 07 4971 6500. Fitzroy Reef Lagoon Fitzroy Reef is the largest reef in the Bunker Group and is a 3650 ha drying, closed ring reef with a large, deep (6-10m) lagoon that can be entered through two narrow, natural channels.
Although no cay is present at the reef, an intermittent sand body often appears at low tide on the south-western end of the reef. The presence of a lagoon attracts many travelling vessels, as the lagoon is a good anchorage.
Day trips exist to the Lagoon where you are free to snorkle, dive, and explore the colours and animals of the reef.
For further information contact: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Gladstone on 07 4971 6500.
Lady Elliot Island
At Lady Elliot Island, you can step off the beach and snorkel, swim or dive in an underwater holiday world of brilliantly coloured species of marine life. The lagoon protects nurtures the curiosity of the beginners while a little further out experienced snorklers and divers descend to see the coral sea. The island is located within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in the highest possible classification of Marine National Park Zones. For more information: www.ladyelliot.com.au North West Island North West Island is a 100 hectare coral cay at the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef. Situated 75 kilometres north east of Gladstone, it is the largest of nine islands in the Capricorn Bunker Group. North West Island's pisonia forest is the largest occurence of the species in Australia. North West Island is also a major seabird nesting area and is also the largest green turtle nesting site on the southern Great Barrier Reef. You can reef walk, snorkel or dive amongst the coloured coral and vibrant marine life on this island. Snorkelling has great rewards for those prepared to swim around and over the reef edge. Camping is permitted on the island most times of the year, except regeneration periods. There are environmental toilets on the island, however no other facilities. Visitors to the island are required to be totally self sufficient. Bookings and permits are required from Queensland Parks and Wildlife for permission to camp on the island. For further information contact: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Gladstone on 07 4971 6500. Masthead Island Masthead Island is the second largest on the nine vegetated coral cays in the Capricorn Group of islands. The 45 hectare coral cay lies between Irving and Polmaise Reefs and Erskine Island, approximately 60 kilometres north east of Gladstone. Masthead's population of nesting loggerhead turtles is the fifth most important in the South Pacific Region. While Masthead is a minor nesting area for green turtles, it forms part of the Capricorn Bunker nesting area, which is of world importance. The coral surrounding the island can be viewed by reef walks, snorkelling or swimming. The best coral can be viewed over the reef edge. Masthead also has of the highest diversities of seabirds and shorebirds of all the islands on the Great Barrier Reef. It is an important seabird nesting area, particularly for black noddies and wedge tailed shearwaters. Camping is permitted on the island most times of the year, except regeneration periods, however there are no facilities. Visitors to the island are required to be totally self sufficient. Bookings and permits are required from Queensland Parks and Wildlife for permission to camp on the island. For further information contact: Queensland Parks and Wildlife Gladstone on 07 4971 6500. Curtis Island Curtis Island has a magnificent eastern coastline of beaches and headlands overlooking the Coral Sea. It is an interesting location for recreation, swimming, bush walking, bird and turtle watching, and exploring wilderness areas.The waters around Curtis Island are popular for a variety of fishing, including reef and rocky areas, estuary fishing including the waterways on the western [sheltered] side, known as The Narrows. There is a regualr vehicular ferry service to the small holiday settlement at South End, offering a camping ground, picnic facilities, a shop and lodge accommodation. The trip out takes about an hour and the timetable provides for a round trip, or a day on the island. For information on lodge accommodation on Curtis Island contact: Capricorn Lodge Phone: 07 4972 0222 For information on transport to the Island contact: Curtis Ferry Services Phone: 07 4972 6990 Facing Island was named by Matthew Flinders in 1802. It is largely a sand island with beaches and rocky outcrops on the eastern side including Sable Chief Rocks which extend out several hundred metres. Mangroves and estuaries form the shoreline along the western side. The northern tip of the island is an attractive area accessible by boat from the western side. The area includes The Oaks barbeque, picnic and camping facilities and beach on the western side. On the eastern side, there are volcanic and exposed reef formation, together with protected aboriginal middens. No camping permit is required for The Oaks, though camping is restricted to designated areas only. Campers must take all their own equipment, food and water. There are environmental toilets available, but no showers. Public access to the island is by Curtis Ferry Services en route to Curtis Island. Curtis Ferry Services Phone: 07 4972 6990
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