Heard Island and McDonald Islands Travel Guide

A group of sub Antarctic islands located in the southwest Indian Ocean, Heard Island and McDonald Islands are barren, uninhabited islands managed by Australia and that have been designated as world heritage sites. The nearest neighboring land lies 450km northwest, making them pretty darn isolated geographically. Heard Island and McDonald Island are considered part of the “furious 50’s”, a name given by 18^th century sailors to describe the very strong winds that are characteristically found at 50 degrees latitude in the Indian Ocean. Heard Island, the bigger of the two islands is dominated by the Big Ben Massif, a mountain range that seems to rise from the ocean. Mawson Peak, the summit, rises to a height of 2745 metres, and is Australia’s one of two active volcanoes. Heard Island is dominated by ice, and over 70% of the land is covered by glaciers, but at the same time, is also considered a biological hotspot, hosting high numbers of seabirds and marine animals. Vast colonies of penguins and petrels coexist alongside elephant and fur seals, though these populations were at one point nearly decimated by an active sealing community that briefly inhabited the island between 1855 and 1880.

McDonald Island, which rises to a height of 230m, is much smaller. It is also volcanic in nature, and comprises sharp cliff-lined coasts and rocky shoals. Few successful landings have been made on this island. McDonald Island contains Australia’s second active volcano.