As winter moves in across southern Australia, this month's GSR update highlights the people, projects and partnerships helping build a better understanding of our temperate reefs.

May's update highlights growing momentum around ocean literacy, kelp restoration and long-term reef monitoring, alongside new resources helping Australians connect with and care for marine ecosystems. We also explore Victoria's latest marine environment report and new educational tools.

Some major developments this month, with the Australian Government releasing responses to both the longspined urchin Senate inquiry and the South Australian harmful algal bloom inquiry. Alongside this, we share new bloom education resources, unpack the National Marine Science Strategy, and highlight new research, restoration efforts and community projects from across the reef.

Across the Great Southern Reef, researchers, divers, artists and community groups continue to document, celebrate and care for our vast temperate reef system. This month’s newsletter brings together stories from the field, new research insights and a range of upcoming events across the reef.

This month’s update brings together hands-on action, new learning tools and the latest reef science from across the Great Southern Reef. It’s a packed issue, offering new ways to get involved, fresh resources for classrooms, and timely insights from researchers working across the reef.

As 2026 gets underway, the Great Southern Reef Foundation enters the year with a strengthened Board guiding our work. This group brings experience across science, Indigenous leadership, governance, strategy, and storytelling as we focus on long-term protection of the Great Southern Reef.

This year was also a milestone for the Great Southern Reef Foundation as we secured Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status. Your engagement, advocacy and financial contributions help us grow our programs in education, communications and impact, and strengthen the partnerships that make this work possible. DGR status also makes it easier for new supporters to back the reef in a practical way.

Welcome to the November issue of the Great Southern Reef newsletter. This issue is packed with new stories of action and collaboration, from Sea Country leaders uniting in NSW Parliament, to restoration and research projects across southern Australia, plus exciting announcements for educators and partners. 

Welcome to the October edition of the Great Southern Reef newsletter. This month features new research from across the GSR, an update on South Australia’s ongoing algal bloom, fresh citizen science opportunities, and two new ocean-themed card games designed to spark curiosity and learning, plus a whole heap more. 

The Senate inquiry into South Australia’s harmful algal bloom has begun. This week scientists, health experts, and community representatives, including GSRF, presented evidence on the scale of the disaster including the impacts on fisheries, health, tourism, and biodiversity. 

The harmful algal bloom along South Australia’s coast has now attracted widespread national and international attention. This momentum has been driven in no small part by the extraordinary efforts of citizen scientists, fishers, divers, and community members who have documented impacts and shared them widely. Your photos, observations, and stories have helped build a groundswell that decision-makers cannot ignore. 

Over the past three weeks, White Rock has hit the road with sold-out screenings, passionate conversations and fresh urchin feasts.  The Em-Urchin-cy Tour kicked off with a packed premiere at Hobart’s State Cinema. From there, the tour hit the east coast with events in Bendalong, Bawley Point, Melbourne, Torquay, Warrnambool, Narooma, Merimbula, Byron Bay and Manly. 

White Rock hits the road! With a sold-out Hobart launch, our Em-urchin-cy Tour is officially underway. Dive into updates on school resources, lobster recovery, sea lion science, climate-fuelled fish kills, and citizen-powered species tracking. Plus, new research reveals not all reef species are heading south. Let’s get into it.

Welcome to the February 2025 Newsletter. Packed with exciting updates, inspiring stories, and opportunities to get involved, this edition has something for everyone passionate about the Great Southern Reef.

Packed with exciting updates, inspiring stories, and opportunities to get involved, this edition has something for everyone passionate about the Great Southern Reef.

This issue includes an exclusive look at our collaboration with artist Amok Island, spotlighting a spectacular limited edition print featuring iconic GSR species.

In this issue, we celebrate the long-awaited launch of WA’s South Coast Marine Park, share important updates on the South-east Marine Park Draft Management Plan, and dive into research exploring cancer-fighting compounds in temperate sponges.

In this issue, we celebrate the launch of our new Teacher’s Guide for Ocean Literacy, share major milestones from Project Restore, and highlight recent developments in kelp restoration across Australia.

This month, we're offering a sneak peek into one of the Great Southern Reef’s most unique environments - Bathurst Channel. Plus and an exciting opportunity for teachers to trial some new school resources.

Exciting updates from from the final days of filming our urchin documentary White Rock, to the latest research, sealion mounted camera footage and insights from our GSR Research Partnership meeting in Hobart.

This month we are thrilled to share with you Sea Country stories, spider crab science, monitoring updates plus a sneak peek of our new documentary White Rock. 

In this month's issue and to celebrate the arrival of the Southern Right whales, we're thrilled to announce the release of our new film, Eye to Eye.