DAY 10 to 13: November 22-25 HERON ISLAND GREAT BARRIER REEF

We left Gladstone by ferry to Heron Island.  It is a two-hour ride that we repeated on the morning of Saturday, November 25 to get back to Gladstone (enroute to Sydney!).  In the ferry area there was a warning about crocodiles but we didn't see one.  Crocodiles are only found along the coast and not near Heron Island.


Heron Island is in the Great Barrier Reef and part of the Capricorn Cays National Park.  The island is located on the Tropic of Capricorn.

                  View from our cabin porch.
                    Beach side of our cabin.

We arrived during turtle nesting season.  Each day and night we were on the island, we saw green sea turtles coming and going to lay eggs.

Look carefully and see the egg between flippers.

                                Night views.

It is also the nesting season for noddy and shearwater terns.  These birds were all around us in plain sight and active both day and night.  Some create quite a racket.

On our walks around the island we could see manta rays and small sharks swimming along the shore. Resident naturalist guides also gave walking tours.  We took their organized Island, Bird, Reef and Turtle walks.  

We also went on two snorkeling outings by boat along the outer reef of the island.  

On Thanksgiving Day we celebrated without a turkey...

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