Heard Island and McDonald Islands Travel Guide & Community
Heard Island and McDonald Islands is a travel destination in Antarctic. February and January are its two best months to visit, ranked on 1991–2020 climate averages.
Top places to visit in Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Mawson Peak (Big Ben Volcano) (natural) — Australia's highest point at 2,745 m and one of the few active volcanoes in Australian territory — the snow-and-ice-covered summit of Heard Island erupts periodically, melting glaciers and sending lava flows to the sea; dramatic thermal images capture ongoing activity in one of the world's most remote volcanic systems.
Brown Glacier (natural) — One of the largest and fastest-retreating glaciers on Heard Island — the wide ice tongue flows from the Big Ben massif to the north coast; satellite imagery documents dramatic recession since the 1940s, making it a key scientific indicator of sub-Antarctic climate change and Southern Ocean warming.
Atlas Cove (landmark) — Former site of the Australian scientific station established in 1947 on the northwest coast of Heard Island — the only relatively accessible landing area; remnants of the old station buildings and historic huts remain; southern elephant seals by the thousands haul out on the beach during their moulting season.
Elephant Spit (natural) — Long sandy spit on Heard Island's eastern tip — one of the world's great sub-Antarctic wildlife spectacles; tens of thousands of king penguins and southern elephant seals share the narrow beach, the penguins porpoising ashore while massive bull seals roar at one another across harems in the background.
McDonald Islands (natural) — A tiny, active volcanic archipelago 43 km west of Heard Island — the islands grew significantly after volcanic eruptions in the 1990s and 2000s; the near-vertical cliffs of the main McDonald Island are festooned with light-mantled albatrosses nesting in niches, surrounded by macaroni penguins crowding every ledge.
Heard Island UNESCO World Heritage Site (landmark) — Most of the territory is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Natural Site since 1997 — recognised for its extraordinary sub-Antarctic wilderness: pristine glaciers, unique volcanic geology, untouched marine ecosystems, and the dramatic juxtaposition of active volcanism and vast penguin colonies in a single landscape.
Laurens Peninsula (natural) — The remote northwestern peninsula of Heard Island jutting into the Southern Ocean — steep black basalt sea cliffs support a dense colony of Heard Island cormorants; the cold, nutrient-rich waters offshore attract humpback whales and sperm whales and are among the most productive fish habitats in the Southern Ocean.
Compton Lagoon (natural) — Ice-melt lagoon on the southern coast of Heard Island formed by retreating glaciers — the brackish, shallow water attracts wading sheathbills and provides fresh water for penguin colonies on the adjacent beach; scientists monitoring the lagoon's changing extent use it as a proxy for overall glacier retreat on the island.
Jacka Glacier (natural) — A major ice stream draining the eastern flank of Big Ben — the glacier's terminus calves directly into the sea, producing small brash ice in the nearshore waters; the sub-glacial meltwater plume is rich in silicate nutrients that feed massive blooms of phytoplankton and krill in the surrounding Southern Ocean.
Cape Arkona (natural) — The windswept northernmost cape of Heard Island — dramatic cliffs beaten by perpetual sub-Antarctic gales; the offshore waters are frequented by Antarctic petrels, snow petrels, and cape petrels soaring on the updrafts; the cape was first mapped during the 1947 Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition.
Destinations near Heard Island and McDonald Islands