Heron Island, Qld

I have just returned from Heron Island; we were there for one of those BIG birthday celebrations. You know the ones we all celebrate but secretly wish we were still in the age with a figure ending in a 9 and not a zero! I went with great expectations; I had heard so much about it. As we came in slowly on the launch (from Gladstone) I started to get excited: I could see lots of reef sharks and then a turtle! 

As an introduction to this eco-friendly resort, everyone new to the island is gathered for a briefing; I would say half the people listened (sadly); the rest were already looking for their snorkel and flippers, anxious to get in the water. What we were told was important because this is a sanctuary (especially for nesting turtles). More on that later. 

We were shortly after given the number of our accommodation and told the island doesn’t supply keys but there was a safe at reception. I didn’t particularly like that; we were a family of three with 3 mobile phones; 3 laptops etc. etc. 3 of a lot of valuable things. I would have preferred a safe in our room and a key for our door. 

During our stay, there was no housekeeping (apparently because many of the staff were off sick with COVID). Not a big deal; there were clean towels available at reception and every room had a broom and dustpan. We upgraded to a breach front unit; it was fine; basic but comfortable. 

So let starts with the pluses – Marine life. Nothing short of spectacular. As good as (if not better than) anything else you would find anywhere in the world. Everything in abundance – reef sharks, turtles, hatchlings (every night dozens of them scurrying down to the water’s edge), huge schools of fish of all sizes; stingrays, eagle rays, shovel nosed rays (not sharks I was told). We snorkelled and we dived (scuba). You don’t really need to do the latter unless you are searching for something specific - we did see a lot of squid and a very large M?ori wrasse on our 1 dive (two more boxes ticked). 

And the negatives? There is no wifi or phone reception on the island. In saying that you can purchase Wifi at Bailey’s Bar (but I didn’t find it particularly reliable and it only worked on my phone) but there is a public phone available (free of charge). I felt cut-off from the (business) world; my kids told me to relax and enjoy the moment – I was supposed to be on holidays after all.

I strongly believe more surveillance should be done by park rangers especially during turtle nesting season... perhaps this is a Queensland government responsibility but it needs to be looked into. We never saw a park ranger and we were there for 6 days. We did see lots of people annoying the nesting turtles and chasing after the hatchlings in the water with huge underwater cameras, as if the poor little things haven’t got enough to contend with. Only 1 in 1,000 survive! 

Would I recommend it – without hesitation but would I lower expectations. It’s not 5 star; I would say 3.5 – 4 star at best. I wouldn’t pay the extra for beach front (you can walk around the whole island in less than an hour so you are never far from the beach.) I do feel that Aldesta (a Canadian company) needs to have a good hard look at what is going on there. They have one of our greatest treasures (how did that happen?) but they are running it into the ground. They should start with (wire) screen doors so you can enjoy the sea breeze instead of wondering if a mutton bird was going to land in your lounge area at night if you left the door open. 

Either they keep it at just above back-packer level OR they upgrade it completely to an exclusive resort with 5 star service, dining and accommodation. Either way, I’m definitely going back.

By Vicki Williamson

Connect with Vicki Williamson

Your MTA Luxury Travel Expert