Paradise lives up to promise

Heron Island is informal, including being cashless and keyless.

Twenty-five years ago, newly married and starting a new job, I sat in a dreary Auckland training room contemplating a lifetime of work. While the tutor droned on, I saw a stunning travel poster on the grey wall.

A tiny coral cay, with pristine white sand, was surrounded by translucent turquoise waters. Captivated by its beauty, I vowed that one day I would reward myself with a visit to that gorgeous cay called Heron Island.

When our 25th wedding anniversary approached, I decided it was the perfect place for a four-night romantic getaway, sans kids.

It's in the Capricorn Group of islands, 72km off the central Queensland coast northeast of Gladstone, and is part of the Great Barrier Reef. At only 18ha, with a circumference of 1.8km, it is small - but big on natural attractions.

The island is a national park,surrounded by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, and offers the chance to get up close and personal with nature within the comfort of a resort.

Several features sold me: the ability to snorkel the reef from the beach, the chance to see nesting turtles, and the fact there are no in-room TVs (something I decided not to tell hubby).

Flying out of Gladstone, our friendly helicopter pilot-cum-tourist guide pointed out the sights and gave a brief history on the area. As we flew over the reefs we could see turtles and rays in the waters below.

As we approached Heron, rich sapphire hues of deep water melded into shades of aquamarine and turquoise; white sands encircled the vibrant green vegetation that hid the resort. The poster hadn't lied - reality was every bit as vivid and inviting.

The hotel in this bit of paradise, Voyages Heron Island, is appropriately informal, including being cashless and keyless. New Zealand-born Andrew Leith, assistant resort manager, says, "It makes guests drop away their worries about the real world and concentrate on relaxing. No worries, no wallet, no cash - it's liberating."

The resort shares the island with a Queensland Parks and Wildlife Ranger Station and a University of Queensland Research station. Nature-based activities include guided reef walks, island walks, turtle viewing, bird watching and stargazing.

Information sessions and nature documentaries are put on in the evening. Visitors are free to explore on their own, but we found guided activities helped us appreciate our own explorations more.

We chose an initial walk around the island, said to take half an hour, but we took it slower, drinking in the gorgeous colours of the water, stopping to observe rays and reef sharks in the shallows, and absorbing the myriad bird sounds from the bush.

The island is home to large colonies of muttonbirds and black noddy terns, about 150,000 of them during breeding season between September and March.

When we first arrived the smell of their guano was a bit overpowering (though not as much as Rotorua's sulphur fumes), but we soon got used to it. Watching the antics of the nesting turns and their fluffy black chicks became a favourite pastime.

Then it was back to the beach for a snorkel. As soon as you are in water deep enough to float, literally two steps from the edge, the underwater show begins. On the sandy bottom of Shark Bay we floated above giant shovel-nosed rays, cowtail stingrays and pink whip rays. Their size was frightening at first, but they weren't interested in us.

The next day we snorkelled the reef off North Beach where kaleidoscopic fish darted between the coral, and black-tipped reef sharks cruised swiftly in pursuit. We also took a 10-minute trip in the snorkel boat to the reef edge. Here we saw parrotfish, butterfly fish, damsels and wrasse.

But you don't have to snorkel to appreciate the diversity of the reef. During daily reef walks at low tide, experienced guides will point out sea cucumbers, clams and sea stars while explaining the ecosystem's intricacies.

But the highlight was turtle watching, despite the 3am start. (Nesting turtles can often be seen at dusk and dawn, but because of the tide times during our short stay most action was at night.)

Guided by a Queensland Turtle Research Programme ranger we learnt to identify green and loggerhead turtles, heard about their extraordinary life cycles and witnessed the struggles of their nesting process.

We watched as these magnificent creatures lumbered up the beach, having travelled from as far as Indonesia or New Caledonia. They would not eat again until they returned to those feeding grounds.

It took the green turtles, the most common species on Heron, up to three hours to dig a body pit and egg chamber, lay their eggs and then cover them up.

Twenty or more turtles were on the beach at different stages of nesting.

As a resort Heron strikes the right balance of casual sophistication. The timber floor and expansive glass doors of the lounge and bar make it an unpretentious location for a pre-lunch mock-tail in your swimwear or an early evening cocktail in your dinner-wear, which is smart-casual.

The low-line resort buildings are around the harbour, leaving the rest of the island to the Pisonia forest. While the island is relatively small, its beaches provide ample private space for the 260 guests. We kept wondering where everybody was. Even around the small pool we could always score a deck chair.

All meals are included in the tariff. Buffet breakfast and lunch are followed by a choice of three-course dinner in the evening. We found the modern Australian cuisine innovative and delicious.

While we had a beachside suite with balcony overlooking the reef, we spent little time in our room. However, we appreciated cooling ocean breezes that flowed through the sliding doors, something the rooms further from the beach missed out on.

Heron is a nature lovers' resort. You don't go for the nightlife or the motorised water sports, because there aren't any. You go to unwind, to marvel at nature, to be spoilt in the spa or relax at the bar. It was a perfect for our romantic sojourn.

Checklist

HERON ISLAND

* Getting there

Regular flights are available from Brisbane to Gladstone. A launch service operates between Gladstone Marina and Voyages Heron Island once a day. A courtesy coach operates between the airport and marina.

Alternatively Australian Helicopters operates between Gladstone Airport and Voyages Heron Island during daylight hours. Contact Australian Helicopters on 61 7 4978 1177.

* Staying there

Pay three, stay four-night packages which include all meals start at A$748 ($925) per person twin share.

* Further information

For reservations at Voyages Heron Island phone 61 2 8296 8010, email travel@voyages.com.au or see website link below.

* Briar Jensen was a guest of Voyages Heron Island and travelled courtesy of Tourism Queensland and Australian Helicopters.