Today started dark and early for Jenny & Mark. We got up around 4am for a 6:50 flight to Brisbane, then connecting to Gladstone for a 2pm departure to Heron Island and the Great Barrier Reef!
The flight from Brisbane to Gladstone was on a small prop plane that was boarded from the rear. It was an interesting situation. The flight was uneventful and within an hour we had landed in Gladstone and were greeted by the cutest airport we have seen in a while. After a short wait for our "chariot" (a full size tour bus) to take us and approximately 30 other guests plus a group of overly eager marine science students to board our catamaran (affectionately nicknamed the vomit comet) for a quick 2.5 hour cruise to Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef. The catamaran was built specifically to handle the seas around Australia - measuring over 30 meters long to ensure a smooth journey. It wasn't long before our catamaran was hit with waves higher than the hull splashing and tossing the boat around like a ragdoll. Needless to say this was the roughest boat ride either of us have experienced. Mark did a great job staying focused on the horizon for the 2.5 hours. Jen on the other hand did her best - but as we all know - sometimes your best just isn't good enough. Upon arrival at Heron Island we were greeted with a nice blend of fruit juices and a brief introduction to the island by one of the island naturalists. After the introduction to the island was over we recovered from our journey in our reef suite.
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| Heron Island, Australia |
While stomachs are settling let me give you a little background on Heron Island...
Heron Island is a small coral island on the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern portion of the Great Barrier Reef. It is approximately 40 acres in size measuring 2600 feet long by 980 feet at its widest point. Being this small it take a leisurely 20 minutes to walk around the entire island. The Heron Island Resort consists of 109 rooms, restaurant and bar featuring live entertainment. Also on the island is the Heron Island Research Station owned by the University of Queensland is the largest research station on the Great Barrier Reef.
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| Heron Island, Australia |