THE HEART OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT BARRIER REEF
As the gateway to the Southern Great Barrier Reef, the Gladstone Region is home to what’s considered one of the top dive and snorkelling sites in the world. Dotted with impressive coral cays and reefs that are only a stone’s throw away from the coast, you’ll be swimming, snorkelling, diving or fishing on the reef in no time.
HERON ISLAND
WILSON ISLAND
LADY MUSGRAVE ISLAND
Heron Island offers a unique experience where you can truly immerse yourself in the beauty of nature. Among the music of seabirds, tracks of turtles and clouds of multi-coloured fish, the feeling that you’re a guest of nature itself is inescapable. Surrounded by 24 square kilometres of reef, the island is home to a resident population of over 5,000 green and loggerhead turtles – with many more returning each year during breeding season. There is one resort on the island, Heron Island Resort, which offers several standards of accommodation designed to suit all tastes and budgets.
This natural coral cay is both part of the Great Barrier Reef and surrounded by it. Its pristine waters host an unimaginable variety of marine life – in fact some of the best snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef is right off the beach at Wilson Island. Covering just 5.24 acres, Wilson Island is the ultimate island castaway experience, offering seclusion in a setting of unrivalled natural beauty and playing host to just 18 guests at any one time. Enjoy a one-of-a-kind getaway in tents. With just nine sites available you will wake up in the morning to the sounds of the ocean from the comfort of your king size bed.
Lady Musgrave Island is the only coral island on the Great Barrier Reef with a navigable lagoon. Over eight nautical miles in circumference, this unique cay truly has it all – reef, island, beautifully coloured corals, marine life, flora, fauna, and of course, turtles. Day trips to the island provide visitors the chance to experience the warm tropical waters of Lady Musgrave Island – perfect any time of year for diving, swimming and snorkelling. For those who wish to stay a little longer, camping is also permitted on the island, however a permit is required and National Park restrictions do apply.
Access: Guests of Heron Island Resort can access the island via boat transfer, which regularly departs from the Gladstone Marina. Alternatively begin your holiday with a scenic helicopter flight between Gladstone Airport and Heron Island.
4
Access: Access to Wilson Island is via Heron Island which is a 40-minute boat ride away. Transfer times between Heron and Wilson Islands are subject to tide and weather conditions and may vary accordingly.
gladstoneregion.info
Access: Day trips depart regularly from the Town of 1770, the closest access point to Lady Musgrave Island. Access is also available via Bundaberg for a day tour. Camping is also available through National Parks website.
