---
source_url: "https://www.antarctica.gov.au/antarctic-operations/stations-and-field-locations/heard-island/?utm_source=openai"
title: Heard Island and McDonald Islands – Australian Antarctic Program
mirrored_at: 2026-08-04T01:31:43.435Z
host: www.antarctica.gov.au
cited_in_42a: true
mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/www.antarctica.gov.au/antarctic-operations/stations-and-field-locations/heard-island/index__q__utm_source_openai"
---

> **Original source:** https://www.antarctica.gov.au/antarctic-operations/stations-and-field-locations/heard-island/?utm_source=openai

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.

The islands are an Australian External Territory and enjoy [World Heritage protection](https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/577/) 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 [visited the islands in October 2025](https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2025/australian-antarctic-program-heads-to-heard-island-for-the-first-time-in-decades/).

This content was last updated 2 months ago on 18 June 2026.