Heard and McDonald Islands

Heard Island can be found 4100 kilometres south-west of Perth, at coordinates 73°30' East, 53°05' South. Within this region of the ocean there is very little land and, because of this fact, the landscapes and wildlife of Heard and McDonald Islands are unique. A glance at any map of Heard Island will show that by far the most prominent feature is the mountain Big Ben, covering an area of 380 square kilometres (nearly the entire island). Mawson's Peak, at Big Ben's summit, is Australia's only active volcano, and rises to a height of 2745 metres. The volcano was last active in 1987, and the middle of the seventy metre deep crater contains molten lava.

At a height of 230 metres, McDonald Island is a much smaller island, consisting of two distinct parts joined by a narrow central isthmus. Located at 73°36' East, 53°02' South, 43 kilo metres to the west of Heard Island, McDonald Island is also volcanic in nature, and home to a variety of sub-antarctic fauna and flora. Like Heard Island, this island has cliff-lined coasts and rocky shoals which make access from the sea very difficult. As a result, only two successful landings have been made on McDonald Island.

Along with the Kerguelen group of islands (440 kilometres to the north-west), Heard and McDonald Islands form the only exposed parts of the submarine Kerguelen Plateau.