Heron Island

We spent two days here and it was beyond gorgeous! Great experience from start to finish. The wonderful Heron Island staff kindly agreed to store 2 of our heavy bags at the terminal free of charge. They were carefully stored in an employee office. Thanks Robyn! We absolutely LOVED our beachfront room!!! It was super close to the beautiful crystal clear water. The room was a bit rustic in appearance and there was no A/C, but overall it was quite comfortable. Our 2 ceiling fans helped a lot. The free 24 hour laundry was awesome. Did lots of snorkeling and saw many stingrays and colorful fish. Got up one morning at 5:00am and saw 4 female green turtles on the beach. WOW! Definitely worth the early wake up call. Breakfast buffet was included with our room and it was excellent. Island staff are mostly backpackers and everyone was incredibly friendly! Be warned: there are lots of noisy birds everywhere. Some are nocturnal so they make all kinds of racket at night. Bring some earplugs.

To be able to get up close with nature every second of every day was amazing. We witnessed the circle of life with the Turtles, swam with them too plus Sharks, Rays and so many fish. The birds on the island keep singing day & night. Restaurant breakfast was awesome, evening menu could be better.

5 Stars for the Island, 2 Stars for the Resort, and 1 Star for the Restaurant We spent two nights on Heron Island, the experience was incredibly unique and memorable The island itself is a true gem. The opportunity to spot sharks, rays, turtles, and a variety of fish right off the shore was a highlight of our trip. It’s a rare experience that you simply can’t find anywhere else in the world. We made some of the most amazing memories here.

Heron island is a beautiful island in the Great Barrier Reef. We visited the island in May and had great weather and temperatures. There is a lot of wildlife around the island both on land and in the ocean. The island has a lot of birds, which also means that there is a lot of bird noises during the day and night. However, you quickly get used to the sounds. In the ocean we saw multiple different rays, fish, sharks and turtles. The best place to see the larger animals is under the jetty at 6-8 am. The marine center offers a few different activities but the snorkeling and sunset cruise was our favorite. It is also very easy to rent snorkeling gear and wetsuits. I would recommend having a wetsuit as there are some jellyfish that have a painful sting. The hotel room was nice, but there is no lock on the doors. So valuables should either be delivered in the reception or brought along. On the island it’s possible to sign up for a bird and turtle walk, which are very informative. It is a beautiful island with a lot of wildlife to see.

One of the most beautiful and well conserved places where I've been. Small island with only 2 infrastructure: the UQ research station and a resort. The nature is amazing because the respect rules. The clearles of the water, the reef, birds, the sunset and the tranquility of the place make this unique.

I’ve been coming here since I was three years old - and each time I leave feeling so nourished and refreshed after spending time in one of the most beautiful places on earth. The recent bleaching and cyclone damage, and the slow recovery underway is absolutely heartbreaking and there is no doubt about the fact that Climate Change is impacting the Heron Reef and the animals it holds. Thank you to Master Reef Panda (Elliott) for providing realistic and passionate spiels on each of our dives - thanks for telling it like it is and helping Heron stay in people’s minds long after they’ve left 🪸🐠

One of the most amazing dive experiences I've ever had in Heron Island. But you'll see enough coral, sharks, rays, turtles etc. while snorkeling too. On the island itself were a lot of birds nesting, beautiful to see.

Anchored off Heron Island for 24 hours in late August. Arranged approval from the Resort to come ashore for a swim and a snorkel in the lagoon. Incredible variety of fish life.