Heard Island and McDonald Islands (HIMI) are a sub-Antarctic island group located in the Southern Ocean, about 4,000 km south-west of mainland Australia and approximately 1,700 km north of Antarctica.

Coastal landscape of island shoreline with ice chunks on sand
Atlas Cove on Heard Island Photo: Fred Belton

The islands are an Australian External Territory and enjoy World Heritage protection and marine reserve status.

They are managed by the Australian Antarctic Division (AAD). 

Heard Island and McDonald Islands are unoccupied by humans and remain largely undisturbed by human activity. 

The AAD is planning to visit the islands in September, 2025. 

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