Capricornia Cays National Park
Capricornia Cays is both a national park and a scientific national park in Queensland (Australia), located 486 km and 472 km north of the state capital Brisbane respectively. Collectively they comprise 241 ha of coral cays.
The Capricornia Cays support a breeding population of over half a million breeding pairs of wedge-tailed shearwaters
Heron Island (Queensland)
Heron Island is a coral cay located near the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern Great Barrier Reef, 80 kilometres north-east of Gladstone, Queensland, Australia, and 460 km (290 mi) north-north-west of the state capital Brisbane. The island is situated on the leeward (western) side of Heron Reef, a fringing platform reef of significant biodiversity, supporting around 900 of the 1,500 fish species and 72% of the coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef. During the summer months Heron Island is also home to over 200,000 birds including Noddy Terns and Mutton Birds.
Heron Island from helicopter, looking north-northeast.
Harbour and Research Station from helicopter
Heron Island Research Station in 2005
Harbour and jetty, loading passengers onto launch