Heron or Lady Elliott Island

[02HOG]

We are looking at making our first trip to Australia this September and have been looking at staying at either Heron or Lady Elliott Islands but I haven't seen a lot about either site in recent months. Does anyone have recent information on either or both sites. We are thinking about going for 7 days so we can get a good 5 days of diving in and then maybe spending a couple of days on the mainland exploring before flying back to California. Are these still good places to go for GBR diving? Thanks.

 

[diver257a]

Hi O2HOG,

I live in Australia and have the following comments.

The websites for both locations (i.e. Great Barrier Reef Resort | Accommodation | Heron Island Resort and Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort Great Barrier Reef) have not changed much since I last looked in the early 2000s. Therefore, I would suggest that the information is current. Also, both locations are mentioned in the following page on the Dive Queensland website - Plan your dive Dive Queensland | Dive Queensland. Please note that most discussion on Scubaboard about diving in Queensland is about north Queensland, i.e. sites off the coast from Cairns and Townsville.

Diving has been offered at Heron and Lady Elliot Islands since at least the 1970s (and possibly earlier) which suggests that the diving must be OK.

Also, I do not think two days out of seven days for ‘exploring the mainland’ is not enough when one consider the time needed for travelling within Australia from cities where international airports are located to either Gladstone and Rockhampton (i.e. the points of departure to Heron and Lady Elliot Islands), and the time required to travel to and from either of the islands. I would also suggest that you carefully read the safety information for both locations; in particular, the Heron Island Resort requires that ”guests travelling from the Island by helicopter and/or by fixed wing aircraft must not dive for a minimum of 24 hours prior to flying.” This requirement will reduce your diving time on Heron Island by a day.

 

[02HOG]

diver257a, thanks for the info. I'm hopeful that someone who has been to these sites in the last year might write as I've heard some concerns about the actual resorts haven't been kept up and concerns about the boats and wondering if this has been improved. The 7 days is just for the island part of the trip we have can spend more time on the mainland but I don't have any idea how long it takes to get from an international airport that we might come into from the states and then getting to one of these islands. Do you have any suggestions on timeframes for travel and if there was one or two must see sights on the mainland what would they be and is it possible to include if we had say 5 or 6 additional days to spend in country? Thanks.

 

[chris kippax]

Try Lady Elliott! I worked on Heron and recent reports from staffers is as you said. The resort is tired and poorly maintained. Heron Bommie is a phenomenal dive though!