Is sleeping on Heron Island worth it? — featuring Dane and Stacey (Heron Island Resort)

0:04 In this video, we're taking you along to check  out two completely different ways to experience   the Southern Great Barrier Reef. The first  way already completely shocked us. This is   honestly like swimming in an aquarium. A freaking  shipwreck! I am in awe. And as for the second way,  

0:18 well, we're here right now and we're about to  find out. On this trip, we're island hopping   up Queensland's coast. Four islands and four  completely different ways to experience them.   And if you found K'gari as mind-blowing as us,  this place is wild. What the heck? Or the world's  

0:33 number one snorkeling at Lady Elliot Island as  beautiful as we did. The biggest turtle I've   ever seen. Then you might think we're tapped out  on being impressed. Annnnnd you'd be wrong. An   epaulette shark in the wild. David. David. Oh,  because this time we're practically sleeping on  

0:54 the reef just a few steps away. So, there are  actually two ways to get to Heron Island. The   ferry and a helicopter. But this video is a two  for one because later we'll also be visiting the   most affordable and accessible island of the  whole trip. And at the end, our honest verdict  

1:11 on all four islands we've shared in these three  videos, what we'd actually recommend and why. So, step on up, have a seat under there,  under the bridge, and step on up. Cool. So,   I pop that bit under that life jacket.  Under the life jacket. Got it. Yes. Oh,   sorry. You're right behind the the thing. What is  it? It's your Oh, this is a sick helicopter, too.  

1:39 All black. The old R44 Raven the second. Yeah.  How do you know? Raven 2. Yeah. Raven. We know. Yeah. You know heaps about  helicopters. How do you know,   mate? I'm like an English  historian. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

2:24 Honestly, what an experience that Wistari Reef  was absolutely insane. So blue. I hope it came   out on camera for you guys. Apparently, you don't  Well, obviously you don't get to see as much if   you take the ferry. No. But flying in, seeing all  there is to do around here, the size of the reef,  

2:47 I wish the helicopter was longer to be honest.  I know. Yeah. It's interesting because you fly   over Gladstone and then there's water for a long  time and then you start seeing more and more of   these islands coming into frame, but then arriving  here, the island itself is a small in comparison  

3:03 to the pure size of the reef around here. That's  why there's so much marine life and stuff just   cranking out the side. Really excited to explore  this area. Amazing. Yeah. So beautiful. Yeah,   I loved it. Yeah, it's a perfect weather for that.  Instantly tranquil. It's just pure calm here.  

3:25 That's uh it's a bit of a shock to the system.  Going from that huge adrenaline rush of being up   there, then just coming down here and just having  this almost silence surrounding us. Just trees,   sun. I like it. Slow pace. This is so funny. It's  a keyless resort just cuz it's so laid-back and  

3:43 everything. I expected there to be like a pin  pad or something, but nah, just go on in. There   you go. I mean, it's the only place to stay  on the island, so assuming the trust factor   is pretty high. Oh, there we go. So, we do have  the full double bed as well. Bigger than that,  

3:57 but simple. Simple, comfortable, clean. And I feel  like it's all about what you're doing outside.   You're going to be busy all day. We'll be outside.  We're going to be swimming on the reef. Yeah. This   is what it's about. Oh, we got the sand right  there. We're literally on the beach. Look. Yeah,  

4:13 that is a selling point of this island and this  reef is that it might take a little bit longer   to get out here. Sure. But the advantage is that  once you are, you can just wander straight across   that sand straight out there into the reef  and there is so much to see. Just come in for  

4:29 a quick lunch. Check this out. Yeah, we weren't  sure what to expect, but my goodness, that looks   good. What fish is it? This is barramundi. I did  not expect a fillet of that size. And then check   out this this poke bowl. That looks really nice,  too. That looks incredible. Edamame in there,  

4:47 too. I just noticed. Sorry. Go for it. Then we're  just sitting out here. Got to put a little bit of   netting to stop any uh pesky friends coming in.  And just afterwards, we're going to go check out   the swimming pool. It's just behind the trees here  out there, right overlooking the beach. Nice sand,  

5:01 beautiful. And we just spoke to somebody at the  restaurant who said that you can see or she saw   rays and sharks just hanging out on this part of  the beach. So I guess they get in in the when the   tide's low and then you can see out there where  the actual reef is. And that's what we were saying  

5:19 is how big it is, how big the reef itself is there  as well. So I'm like half paying attention to the   vlog and half trying to find... I wasn't even  framing you right cuz I was looking over the   side. Sorry. There's quite a few things to do on  the island. There's a bunch even right there. So,  

5:36 we're just going to make sure we pop into the  marine center and get everything sorted for the   next few days. Fun flags. That's how you know it's  good. It's definitely tighter. Yeah. Take a rest. Wo! Look at all that gear. Fully qualified. The  gear is mint. Really nice. Almost brand new right  

5:57 off the shelf. Got a bag to go with. And this just  hangs out with us for the next few days with some   really fun plans that I'm not going to tell you  about. So, I guess I will then. Sunset cruise!   To be honest, we're always a little bit hesitant  about staying on private islands. While there's  

6:14 so many positives to the remoteness and slower  pace, if there's nothing to do but flop and drop,   or the food is average, you're completely isolated  and out of options. But Heron delivered before   we'd even step foot in the water, and that is the  part that I was the most excited about. This is  

6:28 honestly like swimming in an aquarium. It feels  like we're almost not supposed to be in here.   It's like we're snuck into an aquarium. We've  seen turtles, several different types of rays,   a shark, a weird fish I've ever seen in my  life. Hundreds, thousands of fish. A flipping  

6:43 shipwreck. Like I am in awe. Disbelief. I  know it's hard cuz we said yesterday that   was the best snorkeling that we've ever done.  I think this is the best individual most fun,   most fun snorkel we've ever done. All right  Lonely Planet! But it doesn't have the coral   and everything that we saw yesterday. So, it's a  different it's a different kind of This is epic.  

7:04 Just drank a lot of water. It's not every day you  get to snorkel around one of Australia's first   naval ships. And this story is fascinating. After  a collision with a tugboat left it abandoned, this   ship was sold for a sneaky £10. Yeah, you heard  that right. Then it was deliberately sunk and used  

7:22 as a breakwater. Now it's essentially part of the  coral reef and it is full of life all over again.

7:51 Can you see it? It's still there. Yeah.  Yeah. Look at that rainbow. Damn. I know.   What were you saying in the water that I was  like lonely planet dishing out like really   specific? Right. Lonely Planet. This is the most  extraordinary eagle turtle combo.... That guys,   that was absolutely freaking ridiculous. Can we  just talk about that crazy shovel-nosed whatever  

8:17 it was when we first got in? That was enormous.  It was bigger than me. It was massive. I've never   seen one of those before. No, it's neither. It was  I did not expect to see it. Yeah. The visibility   wasn't great in places, but collectively that was  Honestly, it doesn't even matter. Unbelievable.  

8:33 Yeah. But I think what I was trying to say in  the water is it might not that that's not the   area that's got the beautiful coral. Babe, pardon.  I'm talking to you. Sorry. I was just like, "Wow,   I saw a shark. Wow, I saw so many eagle rays."  That might not be the most beautiful coral. I  

8:48 get the feeling we might see that later. But  as far as the individual most epic just to   have that much swimming around us, everywhere  and constantly something new popping up. Yeah. Look, a starfish. We are taking ourselves  on a self-guided reef walk. There are tours,   but there's none on today. So, we've checked  when low tide is. We're out at the right time.  

9:16 And I've got a list of things that I want to see,  but the one that I really, really want to see is   so bizarre. It's called the epaulette shark. This  shark walks on land. Stace loves this stuff more   than she probably leads on. I'm I'm kind of trying  to make it my mission here to find one of these  

9:35 sharks just so just so I can see her reaction.  out of here. Oh dear. Yep, that's it. Oh my gosh,   you found it. Good job babe. Look, an epaulette  shark in the wild. David Attenborough. David! Oh,   these things are so weird. They are  bottom dwellers. They live in shallow,  

10:02 warm waters. So, when the tide goes out or the  tide gets low, they sometimes get stuck. So,   they evolved the ability to be able to, people  say walk on land or on like coral and stuff,   but basically they have this like crawling  motion. I've seen a video on YouTube. It's   fascinating. So, I'm like, damn, I wish the water  was lower so we could see him move in a grooving.

10:25 There's unfortunately a whole side of this reef  that we didn't get to see. The outer reef is   known for manta rays, but luck was just not on our  side this time. So, 100% we'll have to come back.   But we had places to be back on the mainland  with a drive up the Capricorn Coast to one  

10:39 of the top rated things to do in the region.  Wow. It really does just come out of nowhere.   Just walking through the bush and then all  of a sudden look up. Wow. All right. Well,   here we are. Welcome to our grand  entrance. It's quite nice inside,   don't you think? With more connection to  the Great Barrier Reef than you'd expect.  

11:02 estimated to be 390 million years old. This  once was actually a big coral reef. It's crazy   to think that even in land, this would have been  underwater. Look at the scale. Yeah, some people   definitely. And because of the way they're formed,  the natural acoustics inside are something else.

11:30 But we had one more island, the final stop  and final pin on the map, Great Keppel. It's   the most accessible of this whole trip and a  completely different way to experience this   part of Queensland. But to do that, we based  ourselves last night in a place called I'll   say I'll say I'll say as a Kiwi first, Yeppoon,  and then I'll say it in the Australian accent.  

11:50 We've been saying it since day one. Yepppppoon.  It's a really cool little coastal town. It's nice   to stay. We've stayed on a lot of islands. We've  experienced a lot of that. We've stayed in land   and then it was really cool to be somewhere that  we could just kind of wander around the esplanade,  

12:04 go and check out the Yeppoon Lagoon. Which is  which is amazing by the way. Yeah. The most   like incredible swimming pool kind of setup  that's got a lifeguard and everything just   right there overlooking the beach. We went for a  little bit of an explore around the town. I feel  

12:17 like we've missed so much guys. We put the camera  down briefly. We've got so much to update you on.   We went for a bevy at the Sailing Club cuz it  was overlooking the beach. Went and checked   out another spot that had some live music going  on and some good food. Sat in a nice apartment  

12:30 that had everything that we need to look out  across over the beach right in the middle of   the heart of it. That's all good. It's all good  vibes. We've got semi-blue skies in a little bit   grey in places. But it's going to come right  and it's going to be fun to explore this set  

12:42 of islands because these are the most accessible  and the most affordable. And there's tours as well   as just you can just take like a boat there. Just  like a quick boat out, but first coffee. Always. This is just at the marina.  Was it called? Waterline. Yeah,   the Waterline Restaurant. It's  nice and easy. Or Waterline Cafe.

13:06 After working on superyachts for years,  I've had a lot of very underwhelming meals   at marinas. I got to be honest. But that was  the nicest eggs benedict I have ever eaten.   And that might be actually the best coffee  we've had on this entire trip as well. So,   let's just assume that the day continues on  this trajectory. These islands are going to  

13:25 blow us all away. Lots of different combo options.  Yeah, this is the one we're doing though. This is   the Adventure Cruise. Runs four times a week.  You get your ferry transfers, afternoon tea,   glass bottom boat tour, barbecue lunch, snorkeling  tour, boom net ride. I'm not sure about that. And  

13:44 then free time on the island. Do you work here?  Yeah. How many would you like to buy? Family pass. We're doing it. Yep. We're on the flyer. My  favorite hockey team. I know it's going to be   good. No, we're not actually. We're on the  adventurer. That's so funny. Probably for  

14:05 the best. Actually, the Flyers aren't great. Oh,  don't be mean to the Flyers. You want to go? Oh,   nice boat. huge. If you any further questions or  queries, don't hesitate to ask any of the crew.   Once again, welcome aboard Freedom Adventure,  enjoy your journey to Great Keppel Island. So,  

14:21 this is the first stop at Great  Keppel Island itself. The main one,   the largest. She's a beautiful  beach. Looks tropical. Yeah. Yeah. It's very well organized. Look at this  tractors and stuff showing up. Everybody that's   booked their holidays cuz you can actually stay on  this island. Everything's all arranged. Shows up,  

14:42 pick up your bags, straight up to  your accommodation. I think it's like   boat-ception. Yeah. We're off one boat to get  onto another boat to do a glass bottom glass   bottom boat tour. Crossing my fingers we get  to see stuff cuz it is a little bit wavy today,   but you just never know. Like sometimes  you round a bend and all of a sudden it's  

15:02 sheltered and beautiful. So, let's see. Oh,  it's a fish. It's a clam. I saw the fish! What are those? That's a clam. That's a clam.  Question. Yes. Do you think this is the most  

15:29 beautiful beach we've been on on this whole  trip? I think so. I think the fact that it is so   vast. You can spread out. The sand is beautiful  and soft. The water is like crystal clear and   it's very peaceful here. I think there's over 17  beaches on just this island. Someone's listening.

15:58 And you can stay right there too. Yeah. What is  this? There's another one down the end apparently   called Hideway. But Eloise, our skipper, was  saying that Great Keppel was like a star. So,   there's often um well, there's always one bay  at least that is a little bit more sheltered  

16:15 and better for snorkeling, which is handy for  us because we booked the one that we did. It's   kind of like a pick your own journey. I'm I'm  picking up, right? Like, we've got the pink bands,   my color. Perfect. Some people have yellow. The  yellow peeps are like hanging out for 3, 4 hours  

16:30 or something just on this beach by themselves.  We've got an hour to explore this and then   we're doing snorkeling with her I think. Yeah.  Lunch and then snorkeling. Even has a wee shop. How are you? Hey guys. Is that your toy?

17:08 So, here's what I was talking about earlier.  This is one of the 17 beaches around Great   Keppel. This is on the north side, and it's  in a bit of a secluded bay. Like I mentioned,   the conditions out here are much, much nicer for  our last snorkel of the whole trip. No. We're  

17:26 back. Oh, look at this. Look at this. I can live  here. We have come. It's like a music video. We   have come back to The Hideway to grab a couple  of cheeky beverages. I think we've earnt it. I   think so. Don't you? Bit unlucky there with the  snorkeling. Just not the conditions for it today,  

17:48 which is a shame cuz I'm sure it could  be significantly better than what we can   capture today, but that's just the way that  it is. That it would be a lot better. But   this place is worth coming to for the beaches  and this and just the accessibility is mad. We've already tried them. They're really good.  This is another reason to come here. Oh, yum.  

18:08 It's really good. I've never had this before. It's  tasting like it's good. Sad to say, but that this   is the end of our Queensland trip. We were just  talking and we were saying this is such a cool   destination all year round. You know, if you  want to see turtles, you can come here to from  

18:30 November to March. You can swim with the whales in  July. It's just like there's the manta's season.   If you want clarity, come in winter. If you want  heat, come in summer. Yeah. Yeah. It's just like   something different. Literally, every single  island that we went to was different. Totally  

18:49 agree. Yeah. Cuz on paper, they could all read  almost quite similar. And so that was part of   the fun for us was coming here to investigate  it, share it with you guys, and then what we   experience will obviously be very similar to  what you do if you were to come here, but then  

19:00 also yours could be different entirely. Like that  might this might have been the best snorkeling you   do on the whole trip. K'gari was just mindblowing.  Yeah. Uh Lady Elliot was the most beautiful coral   and the most turtles that we got to see. And then  Heron Island the most epic snorkel that we got to  

19:20 see rays and sharks and shipwrecks, then a day  like this where we had the most beautiful beach   and then we're having cocktails sitting here  across like a white sand beach. It's like every   single place and that's not even talking about  Yeppoon and Bundaberg and all of these places in  

19:35 the middle. Just what an absolutely mad trip. How  did Queensland get all of this cool stuff? Like   it's so close to New Zealand but spoiled. We just  like shuffle it closer to to us. Yeah, I agree.   If uh if you've got any questions after watching  all of these videos or you've got any comments or  

19:48 thoughts about what you think as well, leave them  in the comments. We're happy to uh share anything   that we've learned along the way or or find out  new places we need to check out next time. Yes.