Cool fact…

The provisions of the EPBC Act and Regulations apply to all Commonwealth reserves, so many of the rules and regulations at HIMI are similar to those in the Kakadu, Booderee, Norfolk Island and other Commonwealth national parks.

Big Ben. Photo: K Gooley

The Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) Marine Reserve is located in Australia's remote subantarctic waters, approximately 4000 kilometres south-west of the Australian mainland and 1000 kilometres north of Antarctica.

The Reserve covers an area of approximately 65,000 square kilometres, and includes Heard Island and the McDonald Islands, the surrounding 12 nautical mile territorial sea, plus an extended marine area (including the seabed and subsoil to a depth of 1000 metres) which extends in parts to the 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) boundary.

Click on the following link to access a written description of the Reserve boundary, or go to the Maps page in the About Heard Island section for maps showing the location and boundaries of the Reserve.

Descriptions and diagrams of the zones within the Reserve are available from the Zoning page.