Heron Island Research Station

The origins of the research station exist within the Great Barrier Reef Committee, which was established in 1922 by UQ's first Professor of Geology, Henry C. Richards and Sir Matthew Nathan, then Governor of Queensland.

[2] Nathan, Richards and a group of like minded academics and politicians[3] from Australia and overseas, wanted to promote the need for original research, debate and exploration of the Great Barrier Reef within politics, the university and scientific community and in newspapers and public addresses.

In 1929, the Australian government was being lobbied to establish a marine institute or a number of research stations on the east coast of Australia.

[2] It was hoped that the structures that had been built for the Yonge expedition on Low Isles reef would be suitable as a longer term solution, but these were destroyed by a cyclone in 1934.

Prof. Richards suffered a heart attack in 1945 and would later die in 1947, resulting in a changeover in the leadership of the Great Barrier Reef Committee.

[5] After Goddard's death, a fund was set up to establish a research station on Heron island in his honour[6] and this objective was eventually fulfilled.

[11] After investigation by the Rockefeller Foundation in 1957, the University of Queensland eventually provided funds for maintenance of the station on a more permanent basis from 1965.

This economic security resulted in huge growth in the number of students visiting the Station from Australia and overseas to study biology, geology and botany.

In 1965, discussions began to transfer the Station to joint ownership with the University, and after five years of debate and negotiation, an agreement was signed in 1970.

The forested area and surrounding dunes, provide a nesting sanctuary for thousands of migrant and resident birds each year.