Herald Island is in Halifax Bay

Halifax Bay

Halifax Bay is a region located around a bay in the Coral Sea, situated on the Australian coast in Far North Queensland. It is bordered by the town of Ingham to the north, city of Townsville to the south and Great Palm Island off the coast to the east....

, south of the Great Palm Island group, northwest of Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island

Magnetic Island is an island offshore from the city of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. This mountainous island in Cleveland Bay has effectively become a suburb of Townsville, with 2,107 permanent residents. The island is accessible from Townsville Breakwater to Nelly Bay Harbour by ferry...

 and northeast of Rollingstone, Queensland

Rollingstone, Queensland

Rollingstone is a semi-rural/residential suburb approximately 54 kilometres north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia, and 57 kilometres south of Ingham, Queensland...

, in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

. The nearest island is Rattlesnake Island

Rattlesnake Island, Queensland

Rattlesnake Island is one of the islands South of the Great Palm Island group, northwest of Magnetic Island and directly east of Rollingstone in the Halifax Bay....

 (RAAF

Royal Australian Air Force

The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...

 bombing site).

Both Herald Island and Rattlesnake Island are designated live firing ranges and have been used by both the Air Force and Army for live firing practices since 1942. This means that there is a possibility of unexploded ordnance

Unexploded ordnance

Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...

 on both of these islands. There are warning signs placed at all beaches.

There is no fresh water storage on this island, however, at the southern end of the beach is a dry creek bed that may contain water if you dig for it. The vegetation is sparse and consists of mainly Mitchell grass and She-Oaks. The island is used for survival training both by the air force and army. Details of closures of the islands is announced in the Townsville Bulletin

Townsville Bulletin

The Townsville Bulletin is a daily newspaper published in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It is the only daily paper that serves the northern Queensland region. The paper has a print edition, a free World Wide Web edition, and a subscription digital edition.The newspaper is published by The...

newspaper and it details dates and times the island will be closed to the public.

There are no facilities of any type currently on Herald Island. The channel between Herald and Rattlesnake Islands is only suitable as an anchorage in mild conditions. There are no sheltered bays on Herald Island. The only useful landing point is on the northwestern end of the island.