Heron Island

Heron Island is the one place that we specifically planned for before arrival in Australia as we wanted to be sure to be sure to visit the Great Barrier Reef.  Heron Island is off the coast of Queensland towards the southern end of the reef near Gladstone, about 650 km north of Brisbane (~7 hr drive).  The island is reached by a two-hour boat ride.
The Great Barrier Reef, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is a 2300-km long ecosystem of coral reefs and islands.  The past year has witnessed a large die-off or bleaching caused by rising ocean temperatures worsened by El Nino.  The damage is reported much more severe to the north, so we chose to visit the southern end.
I must apologize, but this blog is a bit long because there is so much to write about. If it gets boring, it will be a good time to practice your skimming skills or just look at the pictures!

It was Sunday and finally the day we headed out to the Great Barrier Reef.  It's about a 6.5-hour drive north to Gladstone from Brisbane and boat check-in was at 1:00 pm, so we were on the road at approximately 5:00 am.  We primarily followed the Bruce Highway through pastures, sugar cane fields and a few orchards, and after a couple of rest breaks (one at a park in Gympie with what at the time seemed like an unbelievable concentration of cockatoos, ibis, herons, etc.), and arrived in Gladstone about 12:30.

The park in Gympie with hundreds of birds.  It seemed like a lot until arrival on Heron Island with hundreds of thousands of birds.

The boat to Heron Island Resort was a catamaran (claimed to sail much smoother than a single hull boat in rough seas) which could sail at 30 knots for the two-hour trip to Heron Island.  Heron Island is a cay built up by coral over the  past 6000 years or so which lies about 75 km ENE from Gladstone, QLD.  The Captain announced good weather for the trip and, contrary to the advertised smoothness of the dual hulls, suffice it to say that the trip over had several of our party "losing their cookies."  Susan did fine and I didn't throw up, but was prostrate for about half the trip.

The 34-m Heron Islander.  Everything calm in port, but the seas not so much--not stormy, but simply large swells.

Upon mercifully reaching terra firma, we were greeted by flocks/swarms of birds (mostly noddies) making the park back in Gympie seem almost empty by comparison.  At our orientation, we learned that sea turtles are currently both laying eggs and hatchlings are emerging, so hopefully we'll be able to see both while here.  In addition, there is snorkeling, a glass bottom boat cruise and various nature hikes/talks (which we hope to do as scheduling allows) plus a spa, scuba diving, sunset wine and cheese cruise and fishing trips (which we don't plan to do).  I'm still not sure that I'll be able to see while snorkeling, so I may have to bow out of that.  The facilities are very nice, but not luxurious--they are just what one might expect from a tropical retreat.

Our cottage on the island.  There is no A/C as one might expect in a tropical resort, but power on the island is from diesel generators and used conservatively.  

A nice thing for us about this resort is that it is on a small island (~ 300 x 800 m) that is a national park and is very much nature-oriented--the focus is not on night life, dancing, lying out in the sun, etc., but rather on enjoying and observing nature.  Interestingly, it is also a "key-free" resort--no keys are issued so doors are left unlocked.  Another plus is that Heron Island has no snakes, no poisonous spider, no dangerous sharks (at least no yet) and mercifully no leeches.
We had dinner reservations at 6:30 and had a very nice dinner of duck and snapper.  We have never been to resort of this type before and it's a bit scary to not be using cash or credit cards, but simply adding everything to the room tab for one big payment at the end--the total can grow very quickly!  In spite of the costs, from everything that I've seen so far, this is the type of place for which it is worth the effort to save up a few extra bucks to do this if you are planning a trip to Australia.  I'm hoping that the two full days we'll be here is enough to satisfy us (otherwise, we may have to come back sometime!)  After the early start we went to bed early, serenaded by a veritable cacophony of bird calls, some sounding eerily like a baby crying (the shearwater, aka mutton bird).

Sunset the first night on the island.

Monday Susan and I got up about 5:30 and walked to the "far" end of the island at Shark Bay.  The number of birds, especially the black noddies, that are in the trees, flying and cackling constantly is enough to make one a bit uneasy if you have seen Hitchcock movies.

Typical noddy nesting in the resort area.  They are this tightly packed in trees throughout the island.  The feed on small bait fish just beyond the reef.  On our snorkeling trip beyond the reef, we saw dense flocks of them fishing.

Here's where you get a feeling that you're in Bodega Bay in a Hitchcock movie.  It's a bit unsettling to walk under such a fearless concentration of birds.

Adding a bit to the air of foreboding were the many birds encountered that were trapped by the seeds of the pisonia tree.  The sticky seeds become trapped in the feathers of ground-walking birds, rendering them helpless and flightless.  Eventually they die, helping to fertilize the pisonia trees with their decaying nutrients.  (Nature is not always pretty!)

Dead or dying noddy entangled in the very sticky seeds of the pisonia tree--a very common sight.  As a national park, visitors are not to interfere in the process, but, like birds in an oil spill, your instinct is to clean the feathers.  It seems strange that evolution would have a bird nest in a tree that is going to kill a percentage of the population, but it seems to work.

At 7:00, we checked out our snorkel equipment (and they even had near-sighted goggles with a prescription close enough to mine!) and went to the pier for a test run.  We were able to see a few things like rays buried in the sand, a giant clam and a few fish, but I never made it out to the real reef--stayed mostly in the sand beach area.  I was not very successful with the ocean acting primarily as a big Netti pot (if you don't know, don't ask!).  It was also difficult to stifle the gag reflex of having the snorkel in my mouth, but it got easier with time.  Susan and Wesley felt rather comfortable from the start, but I was very shaky in water over my head while simultaneously trying to clear my mask and snorkel of unintended sea water.  Next was a big buffet "brekky" after which we did an island walk with a naturalist, seeing things like eagle's nests that had escaped us on on our own earlier walk.  Susan and I also attended a short talk about how to safely (safely for the turtles--no worries for us as we're a good deal faster than they are) when observing them.  In the afternoon, we had a brief walk through the University of Queensland's permanent research station on the island.  Scientists there are studying numerous areas related to climate change, ocean acidification, coral bleaching, turtle conservation, etc., as well as providing a laboratory for short-term experiences for high-schoolers and undergrads from Australia and around the world.  Looks like a nice place for a student from Wisconsin or Minnesota to spend a couple of weeks in January.  A highlight of the station was a touching tank with many representative animals from the reef:  sea cucumbers, starfish, coral, hermit crabs, spaghetti worms, etc.  It gave a good overview of what to look for in the real reef.

A couple of stars in the touching tank.  We saw many of these things later on a guided reef walk.

After the walk, Susan took a snorkeling lesson, and after becoming an expert, decided that I needed to improve my (lack of) skills as well.  I must admit that after a bit of practice in the pool, I did feel somewhat better about the endeavor, but for every silver lining, there must be a cloud:  someone stepped/sat on my glasses while I was practicing in the pool (old pair to the rescue) and the right fin started wearing a hole in my big toe (the mole skin we brought will come in handy).  I still had some problem with water getting into my face mask, so that evening I shaved off my mustache to hopefully have a better seal on my lip.
All 12 of us had dinner together and Susan and I took a short walk along the beach hoping to see a few turtles:  either moms coming in to lay eggs or babies on their way to the ocean.  Lighting on the beach is not allowed, so there may well have been a few turtles in our vicinity, but didn''t see any.  What we did see, however, was a beautiful night sky with a sliver of moon setting in the west, a gorgeous milky way and Orion almost directly overhead.  I think it's the first time I've been able to look up at Orion and not freeze!  I'm not sure, but I think I was able to pick out the southern cross as well.  We went to bed early hoping to sleep well and get up very early to have another go at seeing some turtles.
We were up at 5 am and on the beach by 5:15.  The beach wasn't crowded by any means but we were certainly not alone.   We watched a couple of mother turtles heading back to sea on the beach and saw one leaving her nest in up in the forest edge.

Two mother turtles trying to get back to the ocean after laying 100-120 eggs each.  Note that they are trapped by the "beach rock" (solid coral outcropping) and will either have to make a very long, slow trek parallel to the shore to get around the rock or wait until the tide comes in and float over the rock.

Track of an adult turtle who chose an easier spot to return to the ocean.  When the turtles came in the night before at high tide, they had no way of knowing if the beach was clear or not.  Note that the hatchlings will also be stymied by the rocks if the tide is out when they emerge.

A turtle with and easier path approaching her goal of the ocean.  At low tide, just reaching the water is not the entire battle since the water is only knee=deep or less to the edge of the reef, which can be 300-400 m from the water's edge.

We met some researches who said that they have been counting around 70-80 turtles per night coming in to nest.  We did not see any hatchlings, but saw a couple of places with tracks indicating a hatching spot.

A researcher inspecting a nesting turtle.  Most of the turtles are banded and records are kept of each encounter in an attempt to piece together the habits of the turtles.  It has been learned that each female will come ashore to lay eggs about 5-6 times  with a week or so of recovery between nestings.  It will then be 5-6 years before they return to nest again.

After walking the entire circumference of the island, it was only 7 am, so we went back to the jetty to try more snorkeling.  This time (with the shaved lip) went much better and my taped-up toe was at least bearable, so a much more positive experience for me.  Even better, the tide was lower and it was easier to get out over the reef itself so I was able to see stuff: a couple of kinds of rays, a shark, numerous fish and, of course, corals.  Actually seeing interesting things makes the snorkeling  more of a joy and less of a chore.

Some of the varieties of coral.  The camera doesn't capture the color very well as the blues are emphasized and the reds attenuated underwater.  On these photos, you'll often see black, rounded borders.  This is from the water-proof camera bag I was using--I did not get a dedicated water-proof camera but used my point-and-shoot and it wasn't always centered correctly.

More coral with a variety of fish.  The yellow fish in the middle was a vivid yellow to the eye, but gets washed out in the photo.

A spotted eagle ray "flying" through the water.  You can also see a sea cucumber to the right (looks like a large slug).

A school of fish while snorkeling.  Two things stood out:  1)  how amazingly coordinated they were in their movement and 2)  how oblivious they were to me until I was almost touching them.

There was time for breakfast before a trip on a "semi-submersible."  This is a pontoon boat with an under-hull protrusion big enough to seat about 20 with glass windows on each side.  We cruised for about an hour, mostly at the edge of the reef where the rapid drop-off begins.  We saw many more rays and sharks plus a dozen or so of the sea turtles.  In addition there were numerous species of fish, coral and sea cucumbers,  I've always heard about how wonderful reefs  are, but one can't really appreciate the lighting, textures and movements without seeing it personally.  Unfortunately, photos from the semi-submersible were not very successful.

Seating in the semi-submersible.  It's a great way to stay dry and see the reef, but I must admit that being in the water brings is all closer.

Filling in between a 2:30 snorkel boat trip out to the edge of the reef, we went to Sharks Bay on the far side of the island for more snorkeling.  It was also very pretty, but lacking in large animals during the time we were in the water.  It seemed that whenever we left the water for a break, a ray or shark would appear, but as soon as we went back in for a better look, it would disappear.
In the afternoon was the big event for the time on the island:  taking a boat out beyond the reef and snorkeling along the edge.  After my first experience with snorkeling, i was very doubtful that I could make this trip--in fact, I delayed signing up for it until the last minute to make sure I felt competent.  The boat was a small pontoon boat with about 20 of us either snorkeling or SCUBA diving.

Susan and Breanna on the boat out to the reef.

They let us out beyond the reef, which provokes a bit of anxiety in me--far from shore in deep water is not my favorite situation.  (I've discovered on this trip  that I would not have made a good oceanographer nor a seaman.)  We were in the water about 45 minutes, gently kicking but mostly moving with the current.  It was most beautiful near the drop off, but there were breakers at that point, so we had to keep some distance for safety.  Unfortunately, with a bit deeper water, the light also diminished, so things were harder to see.  The  reef was everything it was advertised to be:  beautiful, colorful corals; schools of small fish reflecting the sun like mirrors;  larger fish in many colors; a shark or a turtle or a ray here and there...  It truly was one of those experiences that is unforgettable--I'm so glad that I was able to overcome my anxiety and the technical issues (e.g., mustache) to do this.
After snorkeling, we were all tired, but went almost directly to a guided reef walk, where a naturalist walked a group around the reef at low tide.  The top of the reef is virtually horizontal, so one can walk out maybe 300 m to the edge (where we had just been snorkeling).  As we walked, we saw several varieties of sea cucumbers and star fish, some small sharks, crabs, different coral types, spaghetti worms, ...

Susan holding a large sea cucumber.

A small epaulet shark spotted on the beach walk.  It's well camouflaged, but is horizontal, just above the middle of the picture and in front of the large piece of coral.

We had to cut out a bit early from the walk to make our dinner time and then went out to look for turtle hatchlings again.  It seems that everyone else in our group was able to find them, but my only disappointment of the trip is not seeing a single baby turtle--not even in the beak of a gull, which is apparently quite common.
Having still not seen the babies, we got up early our last morning on the island to  try once more.  We saw several more mothers on their way back to the ocean and lots of baby turtle tracks, but no real babies.  We got in one more snorkel excursion before breakfast and then it was time for the boat.

On the last morning, Susan wanted to document that I had been snorkeling.  At the end, I was actually enjoying it!  Only two major negatives:  1)  my painful toe from the fins and 2)  the sunburned spot on the top of my head (don't know how that could have happened!).

Susan snorkeling.  Note that she is not carrying a pool noodle like I did.  The extra buoyancy helped me feel more comfortable, especially when clearing the mask or snorkel.

One last photo from the pool area of the resort--it's a hard place to leave.

Happily the trip back was quite smooth so motion sickness was not and issue., however I did nap most of the way back to try to catch up from the 5 am mornings--reef life was very tiring!  Upon arrival back in Gladstone, we all had lunch and then the Brisbane Eberts all went straight home and we three  are taking an extra day to see at least a sight or two.

The whole family (except Breanna taking the photo.  This is waiting for the boat back to th mainland.
L-R:  Brittany, Jonathon, Kathy, Paul, Jack, Wesley, Emma, Lynn, Susan, Kyle (Jessica's boyfriend), Jessica

Summarizing this trip to the reef  requires nothing but superlatives!  For a guy who generally dislikes all water if it's colder than a shower, deeper than a hot tub and especially if it's salty and must be entered through sand, I REALLY enjoyed this trip and HIGHLY recommend it to anyone considering a trip to Australia.  Even having to lose the mustache so the snorkel mask would seal was a small price to pay all the experiences we had on the island.  Only two regrets:  1)  we didn't see any hatchling turtles and 2)  the photos using my waterproof camera bag simply didn't capture the vivid colors and textures on the reef.  It will be hard to  top this experience, but Australia has been full of happy surprises, so I'm sure the rest of our time will be filled with new and interesting things.