The Museum of Underwater Art’s Coral Greenhouse, located on John Brewer Reef off the coast of Townsville, recently celebrated one year since opening to divers around Australia.
Installed in late 2019, and opened to the public on 1 August 2020, the Museum of Underwater Art’s Coral Greenhouse has undergone a significant physical transformation in 12 months, and has played a crucial role in supporting the region’s marine tourism industry throughout the pandemic recovery period.
Townsville Enterprise director visitor economy and marketing Lisa Woolfe said the vision of the Museum of Underwater Art was always to develop a globally significant asset that would build upon the region’s growing reputation of providing unique and enriching experiences for locals and visitors alike.
“Both the Coral Greenhouse and Ocean Siren have been game changers for our tourism industry over the past 12 months, and for many it has been one of the key attractions to pull our marine operators through the pandemic recovery,” Ms Woolfe said.
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“While the Coral Greenhouse was launched amid national border closures and COVID restrictions, Australia’s first underwater museum has acted as a catalyst for significant national and global media coverage, and further cemented our region as the global centre of excellence for marine science, education and research for the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.
“The physical changes in the appearance of the greenhouse, and future developments of the project are a positive sign of things for the future, when border restrictions are a thing of the past, and we can openly welcome visitors from across the nation and the world to share in this one-of-a-kind attraction.”
The positive media coverage, and elevation of the Townsville North Queensland region as a globally significant reef destination has been one of many benefits of the project in the past year, with positive environmental milestones also achieved.
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Museum of Underwater Art deputy chair Dr Adam Smith, a marine scientist, said the installation has shown positive signs of ecological change, with many marine species now calling the greenhouse home.
“The site where we have located the greenhouse is close to a healthy coral reef suitable for SCUBA and snorkellers. The Museum of Underwater Art is encouraging people to visit the reef and observe a beautiful and thought-provoking combination of art, science and nature. This unique experience is also inspiring visitors to take action to research, protect and restore the reef,” Dr Smith said.
“Our research team at Reef Ecologic in collaboration with citizen scientists and traditional owners have initiated new research programs at the Coral Greenhouse – like coral gardening, which not only adds to the site’s aesthetic but also gives corals of opportunities new life, and attracts a diversity of fish.”
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The Coral Greenhouse is under a comprehensive monitoring program where qualified marine scientists conduct regular surveys. This is also something visitors can participate in, with onboard dive survey cards and existing programs such as the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority’s ‘Eye on the Reef’ program, encouraging citizen scientists to be part of the reef’s story.
To learn more about the Museum of Underwater Art and to donate to programs that support the Great Barrier Reef, visit moua.com.au.
Are you a scuba diver? Would you like to dive at the Museum of Underwater Art? Why not share your favourite Australian dives in the comments section below?
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