The Heron has quite a history, reaching back nearly 70 years since Yachting World magazine in the UK ran a design competition for a cartop dinghy after WW2.  The competition was won by Jack Holt.  Read about how the class started in the UK and then developed in Australia.

This document gives some assistance in determining the age of older Australian Herons    How Old Is That Heron? 

Head over to the page on Tracing Older Herons to look for information on a particular boat name or sail number

Click here to read a very interesting article about Jack Holt, designer of the Heron and many other dinghy classes.

Grenville Hudson has contributed the following information about the early days of the Heron in Australia:
My father Norman Hudson (1915-1999) originally bought the rights to sell Heron plans in Australia back in the 50’s.  He was the editor and publisher of Seacraft magazine (established in 1946 after the first Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, in which he sailed as mate on the winner, Rani).  Norman later promoted the Heron through his business Build-a-Boat Plans Co before an association for the class was established.

5123 WAP (Paul Hopkins) at speed

Seacraft Editor Paul Hopkins tends to 5123 WAP, the 1966 National Champion