Word on the Reef Tanya Murphy

In 1967, it was discovered that the Queensland government had secretly leased out more than 200,000sqkm of the Great Barrier Reef for oil drilling. A small group of unlikely heroes banded together to save the Reef. Their courageous story of hope against seemingly insurmountable odds holds a lesson for us all.

The Great Barrier Reef wasn't always considered a natural wonder worth protecting. 😮 In 1967, a small group of volunteers had to fight a battle to save it from being dug up for fertiliser and concrete. ⛏️ Today we meet two of those champions, and visit the place where it all started.Episode Image: Eddie Hegerl (left) and John Busst. Source: Friends of Ninney Rise.References:Daley, Ben, and Griggs, Peter (2006) Mining the reefs and cays: coral, guano and rock phosphate extraction in the Great ...

🐢 Sea turtles can grow to the size of a table, navigate using magnets in their brain, and fight off gangs of sharks. 🦈 But after 100 million years in our oceans, their existence is now under threat. This week we visit Raine Island with Marine Biologist and Emmy-winning cinematographer Richard Fitzpatrick to find out why.

This week we visit a coral nursery near Port Douglas, to see how tourism operators are teaming up with scientists to care for their patches of reef. The Coral Nurture Program is showing promising results - but what are its limitations, and what role does it play in protecting our Reef? 🪸

The Marine Park Authority has confirmed the Great Barrier Reef is experiencing its seventh mass coral bleaching event - the fifth in just eight years, driven by global warming 🫠 This week we head to stunning Lizard Island to find out what's causing this disaster and what we can all do to help 🏝️ Note: At the end of the episode I mentioned a petition you can sign to help protect the Reef; I've just been notified that the petition is still under construction and will hopefully be live some...

“The Reef is our nervous system. It’s made up of land, sea , sky, animals, and people… Once we destroy that nervous system, it’s critical damage for our body. Because we are all one." 🙌🏽 🌏 This week, Gooreng Gooreng man Malachi Johnson talks about how Indigenous ways of viewing the world can help us heal our relationship with the Reef, heal our relationship with each other, and ultimately, heal ourselves. 🖤💛❤️