One of the things I wanted to do the first time I would go to the Great Barrier Reef for the first time was to see it with my son because we both have a very special connection with the depth of the ocean!
We got really excited when we received an invitation to visit Heron Island, a coral cay located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern Great Barrier Reef! Heron Island is a World Heritage-Listed Marine National Park, all flora and fauna is protected, so the island is a nature lover’s paradise!
Heron Island is located 72 km northeast of Gladstone so we decided to jump on a 1 hr flight from Brisbane and then take the ferry to the island which was a cruzy 2 hours navigation that welcomed us with the most beautiful turquoise waters we have ever seen!
Heron Island Resort PR Manager gave us a warm welcome and showed us the Resort and the way to our room for the next few days. We quickly unpacked and to the beach to watch an awesome golden sunset... what a welcome...!!
That night on our way to have dinner, we heard a park ranger warning guests to walk slowly and watch their steps as there were a few baby turtles leaving their nests around the resort area; we spotted 2! OMG!! It was so exciting especially because the park ranger grabbed one and my son had the chance to save the second one, holding it gently and taking it close to the rocks, from where the baby turtles needed to make her way to the ocean and warm up before her swim! First hours at Heron Island and were buzzing!!!
Our food was delicious and when we were back in our room organising my cameras for the next day someone knocked the door vigorously; my son opened the door and there it was this fluffy baby Shearwater Mutton bird rushing inside our room! (LOL)... It too, needed to find its own way to fly and take off as her parents were already gone for the season. We gently grabbed her and put her back to safety, in the wild! :) We went to sleep with the biggest smiles!!
The next 2 days were spent snorkelling, walking and adventuring between the forest and the reef! It was amazing to be completely disconnected from technology and be present in nature. I personally struggle leaving the island life; there's something in the air that tells me I belong to remote islands, small/happy villages and a very simple life. Maybe I was an islander in a past life or maybe it's my destiny to live in one at some stage! :) For now, I'm grateful to live in the biggest island in the world and discover all her little pieces of paradise like Heron Island!
