Heron Island is located around 72 km off the Queensland coast, a 2 1/2 hour boat trip on a jet ferry. We leave the harbour of Gladstone in calm conditions. But the skipper already warns us that conditions won’t stay that benign once we leave the chain of protecting islands in front of the harbour behind. And he is right! Though the captain does his best to avoid the biggest waves, there are more than enough that still get us. The ship nosedives, flies through the air or tilts so far to port or starboard that the windows are covered in white wash. No surprise that most passengers soon start to feel unwell. The paper bags that are generously distributed across the vessel find a lot of good use …
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| Gladstone Harbour |
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| Heron Island's equivalent |
