HERON ISLAND NATURE TOUR: 12-17 February 2025, Deposit of $965.00 to secure your place.

Experience the best of nature on Heron Island, world famous for its spectacular coral reef and a sanctuary for an extraordinary variety of marine and bird life! 

Heron Island is a National Marine Park in the Great Barrier Reef Protected Zone, and provides important habitat for unique flora and fauna. Our nature activities include exploring the ancient Pisonia Forest surrounding your beachside cabin during the peak breeding season for the Black Noddy Terns and Wedge-Tailed Shearwaters (Mutton Birds). See female turtles laying eggs and turtle hatchlings emerging, making their way to the sea for their epic ocean voyages. 

Our Heron Island Nature Tour includes: 

• return boat trip from Gladstone
• 5 nights accommodation and food at the Heron Island Resort
• nature journaling with Julia Landford; colour pencil illustration workshops with Zoe Lawrence
• a range of nature walks exploring the reef, island vegetation, birds and turtles
• evening walks around the island
• a visit to the University of Queensland's Research Station
• free time for snorkeling/diving* on the barrier reef surrounds, or relaxing in the pool
• a sunset cruise and much more! 

During this nature tour, create a nature journal and capture some of these wonderful moments through art and photography with our team. Learn about the bird and marine species and the ecology of this beautiful location. Be immersed in nature and create some wonderful memories.  

Dates:  12 - 17 February 2025

- Boat departs from Gladstone on Wednesday 12 February, and returns on Monday 17th February 2025. Details to be confirmed closer to the date. 

Cost: $3,860.00 per person inclusive of return boat fares from Gladstone, all accommodation (twin share), food, tutored art workshops, guided walks and talks. 

A 25% deposit of $965.00 inc GST is required to confirm your place; the balance of $2,895.00 is due by 15 December 2024. 

Our expert nature tour art and science team: Travel with naturalists Julia and Alan Landford who have led expeditions to Heron Island, Montague Island, Cape York and the Atherton Tablelands, and Tasmania. They are also manage international nature tours to Borneo, Costa Rica, The Galapagos Islands and other destinations.

Julia Landford is the team leader and Founding Director of NatureArt Lab and brings substantial experience with natural history, nature journaling and tour management. 

Alan Landford has a scientific background in zoology, specialising in entomology from the Australian National University. He also has substantial wildlife experience from Australia and Papua New Guinea, and other regions. 

Zoe Lawrence - our guest artist and tutor is an established natural history illustrator and artist based in North QLD. She works with a range of medium from pencil, coloured pencil, watercolour, acrylic and digital illustration.

Zoe has a passion for illustrating all aspects of the natural world but with a particular love for bird life. Throughout her years studying Natural History Illustration at the University of Newcastle she has worked on many projects; animations for music videos, private commissions, logo designs and being published in Australian Geographic. After graduating she now works as a freelance commission artist and has substantial experience working with birds. Zoe understands bird behaviour and personalities and believes it is important to properly study and have a thorough understanding of a particular species to accurately portray it’s true beauty and charism within artworks.  She hopes to pass on this knowledge and skillset to students, therefore encouraging a passion and love for our wildlife. 

Nature Tour Cancellation policy: 

We strongly recommend that participants take out comprehensive travel insurance against injury, illness, emergency medical evacuation, loss and damage to personal belongings, not being able to travel on a confirmed date of departure or tour cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances.  

Any cancellations after the deposit is paid will incur loss of the full deposit, which helps to cover our costs for design and management of the tour program and early supplier costs incurred. 

For cancellations 120 to 60 days before departure 50% of the cost of the tour will be forfeited. If cancellation takes place 59 days or less before the start date 100% of the tour cost will be forfeited. 

If NatureArt Lab has to cancel a nature tour due to undersubscription, you will receive a refund of all payments made for that tour.

Please contact us at info@natureartlab.com.au if you have any questions. 

Photos: courtesy of Heron Island Resort