Heard Island Archaeological Survey 1986-1987

Historical context of Heard Island (taken from the report) There is some controversy as to when Heard Island was first sighted and when the first landing occurred. Initially, Captain John J. Heard of the American barque Oriental and after whom the island was named, was credited with having first sighted Heard Island in November 1853, during his voyage from Boston to Melbourne using the great circle route.

The explanation offered for such a late discovery of Heard Island when the nearby Kerguelen Islands had already been discovered as long ago as 1772 was based on a combination of two factors. Increased interest in travelling to Australia during the gold rush years of the 1850s and the suggestion by Maury, the Director of the US Naval Observatory, that the use of the great circle route might result in faster passages meant that more vessels were travelling further to the south after they passed the Cape of Good Hope.