Heard Island is wild and cold yet incredibly beautiful in the South Indian Ocean. A trip to the island will appeal to those who like to discover new new lands and resist the natural elements.
Heard Island is part of a small island group in the southern Indian Ocean. It is located between Madagascar and Antarctica, 4 thousand kilometers southwest of the Australian city of Perth. Among the entire group of islands, Heard is the largest, and in its very heart lies the vast (25 kilometers in diameter) volcanic massif Big Ben, which has an almost perfect circular shape. It is a huge seamount with a cone covered with glaciers. It is almost entirely composed of basaltic lavas.
The highest point of Heard Island is Mawson's Peak, located 2,745 meters above sea level. The peak is volcanically active, although at the moment the volcano is dormant. All this pristine beauty is clearly visible from anywhere in Heard.
The island is flanked by small companion cones, most of which are located on the north coast. The Mount Dickson volcano (706 meters in height) is clearly visible here, the slopes of which form the unique teardrop-shaped Lawrence Peninsula, connected to the island through a narrow strip of isthmus.
In fact, the entire island of Heard arose as a result of one of the most recent manifestations of volcanic activity on the planet in historical terms, which formed a land area with a long peninsula and several dozen basalt flows along the sides.
This area is a real treasure for researchers. Only here you can see frozen lava tongues with a unique chemical composition. When the ice melts on the island, it becomes fantastically picturesque around: the plains and rocks covered with multi-colored stripes create a mesmerizing picture of a wild and at the same time incredibly beautiful corner of our planet.
Those who find themselves on the northern and western slopes of the Lawrence Peninsula will have a unique opportunity to admire a unique geological phenomenon - an amazing "sandwich" of rocks, where basaltic lavas are located above "acidic" lavas. It is thanks to the unique surface pattern that Heard Island attracts tourists from all over the world.
In the northeast of Heard, the Azorella Peninsula is located - the first thing that visitors see to the island. It is here that Atlas Bay is located - in fact, the only place where you can disembark. On the coast there are centers of scientific research expeditions and meteorological stations of various countries that conduct observations on the island. Here you can also see the unique and oldest (built 50 years old) structure - the Anare Station research station, which was used from 1947 to 1954 by the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE). Now the station has already moved to Antarctica, but its old building on Heard Island still exists. This place can tell a lot about the activities of people on the island, as well as become an observation point from which it is convenient to observe the surrounding beauty.
Heard Island is home to a variety of seabirds and marine mammals. Only in these harsh places can you find unique species of sea pigeons, penguins, albatrosses, frigates and other eternal inhabitants of the Subantarctic. Local waters are one of the best in the world in terms of the density of populations of sea animals and birds, so the fauna of Heard is as interesting to explore as fantastic landscapes.
Visiting ice-free areas of Heard Island in the summer - the Elephant Spit Peninsula, the shores of the Manning Lagoon, Winston Lagoon, the Franklin Rock and Exile Rock off the southern coast, and the coast of the Lawrence Peninsula, you will see a fantastic sight - colonies of thousands birds, as if glacial tongues repainted white.
Heard Island is a harsh weather all year round with stormy seas and temperatures rarely exceeding + 1 ° C. The climate is Antarctic maritime, with a strong prevalence of westerly winds. Nevertheless, in the summer, the sun still warms up certain parts of the island, making your stay on it quite comfortable. Heard's territory is a kingdom of wild and pristine nature, which truly rivets to itself and for a long time does not let go of any traveler who will surely remember this journey for a lifetime.
