Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) are a sub-Antarctic island group. They are located in the Southern Ocean, about 4,000 km south west of mainland Australia. Penguins are by far …

Heard Island is spectacularly glacierised as a result of both its height (2,813 metres at the summit of Big Ben) and its location south of the Antarctic Convergence – the meeting point of cold …

Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) supports high numbers of many species of flying birds, penguins, seals and invertebrates. The islands provide animals with shelter and hard ground …

Human activities at Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) have a relatively short but diverse history. Wild and isolated Heard Island currently has no resident population but this has not …

The Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) – which includes the islands and the surrounding ocean to 12 nautical miles from shore – was inscribed on the World Heritage List …

The vascular flora on Heard Island is the smallest of any major subantarctic island group, reflecting the island’s isolation, limited ice-free area and severe climate. Twelve vascular …

Considerable sealing activity had been going on since the 1770s at Îles Kerguelen, but Heard Island, only some 400 kilometres to the south-east, remained undiscovered until more …

Scattered relics of the 19th century sealing era and the first Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition (ANARE) remain on Heard Island today. Relics are mostly found at …

The Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Marine Reserve was established in October 2002. The Reserve is a Commonwealth reserve, declared under section 344 of the Environment …

Heard Island is a major research site along the Antarctic Environmental Gradient (AEG). The AEG spans 30 degrees of latitude and includes a range of macro-climatic zones from cool …