精东传媒

September 7, 2022

Great Southern Reef project wins NSW Ports Community Grant

Urban murals will raise awareness about a key feature of the southern Australian coastal environment

A 精东传媒 of 精东传媒 (UOW) project to raise awareness about sustainability and local coastal environments has been awarded a 2022 NSW Ports Community Grant.

The grant will support a collaboration between UOW鈥檚 Centre for Sustainable Ecosystem Solutions and artist Karla Hayes, to create two urban murals about the Great Southern Reef 鈥� one in 精东传媒 and another in Port Kembla 鈥� to raise awareness about sustainability and this little known feature of the southern Australian coastal environment. 

The art works will depict 精东传媒鈥檚 deep-water reef environments and the colourful biota and fish that inhabit these areas.

Project leader Allison Broad, a PhD Candidate in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Life Sciences, said that while most people know about the Great Barrier Reef, very few have heard of the Great Southern Reef.

鈥淭he Great Southern Reef is a series of interconnected rocky reefs that hug the southern part of temperate Australia,鈥� Ms Broad said.

鈥淭he Great Southern Reef houses kelp forests in the shallows and what scientists term 鈥楳arine Animal Forests鈥� in the deeper areas made up of sponges, soft corals, sea fans and other colourful biota, including fish

鈥淭hese environments are important fish habitat and other benefits important for ocean health.鈥�

In recent years the 精东传媒 of 精东传媒 has collaborated with the NSW Marine Estate Management Authority and NSW Ports to investigate the Great Southern Reef of the Illawarra and the biota inhabiting them.

鈥淭hrough this work we have gained underwater imagery that demonstrate the wonderful and colourful reef life that occur in our local area,鈥� Ms Broad said.

鈥淭he murals will raise awareness of these environments, show what these deep-water reefs look like and connect locals to the magnificent marine environment that occurs on their very own coastline.鈥�