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Reef Check Australia

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Reef Check Australia

An award-winning conservation charity engaging the Australian community in reef monitoring, education and conservation. GET INVOLVED!
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We believe there is hope for reefs if we act now. Our teams of trained volunteer divers are part of a worldwide network of volunteers who regularly monitor and report on reef health in more than 90 countries. Each project uses the same standardised Reef Check scientific survey method and basic indicators, helping to both monitor reefs on a local scale and compare reef health on a global scale. Ree

f Check Australia has been monitoring the Great Barrier Reef since 2001 and extended to monitor rocky reefs in South East Queensland in 2007. In 2013 we will expand our program to the Ningaloo Coast in Western Australia.

16/08/2026

💧🗑️ When the river tells a story, we listen...
Last week, our small team of three volunteers headed back to one of our regular monitoring sites along the Burnett River. Among us was a new volunteer, eager to learn how marine debris data is collected and how it helps identify litter trends, consumer behaviour and even potential manufacturing changes that can lead to positive environmental outcomes.

What we found was a landscape dramatically changed by nature. Just three months ago, the first two monitoring transects offered 14–15 metres of sediment for sampling. This time, after months of consistent rain and flooding across Bundaberg, the same areas had been reduced to just 3–5 metres in width. The severe erosion along the riverbank and access point was impossible to ignore, highlighting the powerful impact recent weather events have had on our local waterways.

With moderate winds throughout the morning and limited accessible shoreline, debris numbers were relatively low. However, transect 3 revealed two large clusters of styrofoam, possibly remnants of pontoons or vessels damaged during the flood events. Nearby, several boats could still be seen stranded amongst the mangroves, a stark reminder of the force of the recent weather.

Transect 4, the most accessible area, told a different story. Here, the debris reflected recreational use of the site, with bottles and aluminium cans making up most items collected. To better understand how human activity may have shifted due to erosion and restricted access, we expanded our general area into the adjacent car park and across the inlet.

The litter found there painted a familiar picture of recreational fishing activity, items included confectionery wrappers and bags, rubber gloves, scissors, rope and aluminium cans. A crab pot, possibly another casualty of the floods was found wedged in rocks and a large metal dog bowl. 🦀

Every item collected contributes to a growing dataset that helps us understand where debris comes from, how it moves through our environment and where education and stewardship efforts can have the greatest impact.

A huge thank you to our volunteers for braving the muddy conditions and helping gather valuable data. Small actions, repeated consistently, create a clearer picture of the challenges facing our waterways and help guide positive change for the future. 💙

ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with a range of organisations. The project focuses on removing marine debris from the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas
ReefClean Reef Trust Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Tangaroa Blue

We acknowledge the Taribelang Bunda, Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang and Bailai Peoples, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

For all news and new adverntures, follow us and sign up to our newsletter www.reefcheckaustralia.org

15/08/2026

Today we took advantage of the good weather and headed out to Lake Kawana for a cleanup with a small but mighty team.

In just under two hours, two people removed over 7kg of rubbish from roughly 120 metres of shoreline.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗹𝘆? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗺𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘁𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴.
We found:
- Hundreds and hundreds of nurdles
- Lightweight plastics floating through the water and tangled in the shoreline
- Small hard plastics everywhere
- Construction waste, including paint fragments, concreting spacers and strapping tape
- Fishing lures and fishing line
- Over 8–10 metres of rope buried in the sand
- Packing tape, wrappers, cigarette butts and disintegrating coffee cups
- Hundreds of pieces of polystyrene, many have been here for a long time by the looks
- Balloons
- And pieces of plastic leaves and flowers, which seems to be an ever increasing commonality everywhere we clean

What stood out most was that people were constantly walking past it all. Dogs, bikes, paddlers, walkers, families. This space is heavily used and loved by the community, yet so much rubbish is still ending up in the water.

Even while we were cleaning, more plastic continued washing in with the tide.

Cormorants were diving through the same water looking for food amongst floating debris. Fish live here. Birds feed here. People exercise, paddle and connect here too. It's all connected.

The largest piece of plastic we removed was around 5.5 metres long, but honestly, it's often the tiny pieces that are hardest to deal with. Hundreds of microplastics and fragments that slowly break down smaller and smaller, becoming almost impossible to remove completely.

We intentionally targeted the low tide so we could access as much of the washed-up debris as possible, but there is still so much floating in the water that we'll likely need to return with pool scoops just to start removing some of the smaller plastics.

And yet, despite all of that, one of the best parts of these cleanups is always the connection afterwards.

We grabbed a coffee, chatted about what we found, but also about life. What's been happening. What people are carrying. What they're excited about. That's the part people don't always see.

These cleanups aren't just about rubbish removal. They're about community. Connection. Shared care for the places we live in and love.

Every single piece matters.

If everyone picked up just a couple of bits of rubbish on their walk, at the beach, near a lake, or after a coffee stop, the impact would be enormous.

Small actions. Big ripples.

We can do better collectively. And honestly, we kind of have to.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea Country on which this event took place and pay our respects to Elders past and present. We also thank our volunteers, supporters and partners for helping make events like this possible.

This project has received funding support from the Sunshine Coast Council's Environment Levy Partnerships Grant.

14/08/2026

𝙎𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙮 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙙𝙤 ☀️. This week's marine debris monitoring took our team of three volunteers to Yandaran Creek at Miara; a beautiful estuary site located alongside the grounds of Miara Holiday Park.

With calm waters, light winds and the peaceful atmosphere of a quiet weekday morning, it was the perfect setting to connect with nature while collecting valuable data💙.

The area is well known for recreational boating and fishing, and while activity was low during our survey, signs of regular use were evident throughout the site.

Like our previous monitoring round, one pattern stood out. Transect 3 once again contained a significant number of small polystyrene (styrofoam) balls. These lightweight fragments appear to be consistently deposited in the same area, likely influenced by prevailing tides and wind patterns before becoming trapped in vegetation along the edge of the sand. Over time, observations like these help us better understand how debris moves through our coastal environments and where it is most likely to accumulate.

Overall, the debris load remained relatively low, which is always encouraging to see. Among the items recorded were soft plastic wrappers, rope fragments, discarded fishing line and hooks, cigarette butts, glass bottles and bricks, possibly associated with embankment protection efforts.

Some of the bottles were particularly interesting. Their heavily weathered appearance, combined with barnacles attached to their surfaces, suggested they may have spent a considerable amount of time at sea before eventually washing ashore. It's a reminder that not all marine debris originates where it is found and that ocean currents can carry litter vast distances before depositing it on our coastlines. 🌏

A huge thank you to our wonderful volunteers. Together, small actions create meaningful change.

ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with a range of organisations. The project focuses on removing marine debris from the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas
ReefClean Reef Trust Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Tangaroa Blue Reef Check Australia

We acknowledge the Taribelang Bunda, Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang and Bailai Peoples, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

🌐 www.reefcheckaustralia.org

12/08/2026

𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮 𝗙𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝗹 - 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟲 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🐳
What an incredible morning celebrating Plastic Free July at the Plastic Free Sea Festival!

Reef Check Australia joined an amazing community of ocean lovers at this fantastic event hosted by Visionary Ocean Warriors and facilitated by Sunshine Coast Council.

Together, 87 volunteers rolled up their sleeves and made a real difference:
44.31 kg of marine debris removed
713 pieces of litter collected
Plastic packaging – 342 items (33%)
Plastic remnants – 291 items (28%)
Consumer plastic items – 191 items (18%)

These results are a powerful reminder that the choices we make every day have a real impact on our marine environment. This Plastic Free July, challenge yourself to reduce your reliance on single-use plastics by choosing reusable alternatives, refusing unnecessary plastic items, and making small swaps that help protect our oceans for future generations.

We were proud to host the reusable coffee cup station, helping the coffee cart serve delicious brews without the need for single-use cups. A huge thank you to everyone who brought along a reusable cup or borrowed one on the day!

We also want to give a huge shout-out to the four volunteers that joined us on the day: Amy, Cherie, Candice, Jodi and Donald! Many hands make light work and it was wonderful having so many passionate people engage with Reef Check Australia behind the scenes at an event.

It was also fantastic to connect with so many members of the community at the Reef Check Australia stall. We had loads of great conversations about the Sunshine Coast's incredible marine environment, the importance of protecting our local natural resources, and how everyone can play a part in keeping our beaches and oceans healthy.

The morning was made even better with live music from Adam James and the incredible efforts of fellow organisations including Tangaroa Blue, TurtleCare Sunshine Coast, Sea Shepherd, Co-Exist Australia, Sunshine Coast Council, and many other local legends working together for a cleaner coastline.

A massive thank you to Visionary Ocean Warriors for bringing this inspiring event together, and to Sunshine Coast Council for facilitating such a fantastic community event. And, of course, thank you to every volunteer who gave up their Sunday morning to make a positive impact. 💙

𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙗𝙮 𝙋𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙤 𝙁𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖, 𝙍𝘾𝘼 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

07/08/2026

𝗣𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 ☀️
On the crisp morning of the 7th of July, five stalwart members of Reef Check Australia set forth from the shores of Cleveland and cast themselves upon the waters of Moreton Bay in search, not of gold nor glory, but of service to the sea. Their first landfall was upon Teerk Roo Ra - known to many as Peel Island - whose shores have long stood watch over the Bay like a weathered sentinel of old.

There, at the turn of the low tide, our hardy adventurers stepped from their vessel and waded ashore, spending two industrious hours combing the sand. By day's reckoning they had gathered no less than 48 kilograms of flotsam and refuse: an abandoned anchor, a forsaken mattress, countless scraps of plastic and bottle lids, and even a driver's licence that had lain hidden since the year of 1989. Yet amid these curious relics was found a sadder discovery—a marine turtle, noble voyager of the Bay, whose journey had been cruelly ended by a propeller's strike.

As the wind freshened and the sea grew surly, the party hoisted their bulging sacks high above their heads and made their way back through the shallows. Like castaways resisting the tide, they waded toward deeper water where the vessel, expertly commanded by the incomparable Smartie, rose and fell amongst the growing chop before gathering her crew from the tumultuous sea.

The Bay was not made clean in a day, nor shall its stewardship rest upon a single voyage. Rather, it is preserved through many willing hands and many humble deeds. If this tale has stirred the adventurer within you, consider joining a beach clean, lending your eyes to a citizen science survey, or simply collecting a few pieces of litter on your next walk along the shore. For, as every good explorer knows, great discoveries may change the world - but it is often the smallest actions that save it.

The ‘Shore to Seafloor: Tackling Marine Debris Across the Marine Environment’ project’ is proudly funded by the Queensland Government.

Reef Check acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place, and we pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging. ~ 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙢 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙠,
𝙍𝙚𝙚𝙛 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙘𝙠 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙖 𝘼𝙢𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙧, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙮𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜

Want to join in the next clean-up? Follow us on socials for updates and opportunities.

Remember, every little bit counts. If you see rubbish on the beach - pick it up. Together, we can and will make an ocean of difference.

www.reefcheckaustralia.org

06/08/2026

Happy birthday to the one and only Jodi! 🎉🐠🎩

Today we're celebrating the woman who taught us that a blobfish is basically just having a bad day, that seahorses mate for life, and that you can absolutely rock a llama-shaped party hat in a team meeting and make it work.

Jodi, you bring more energy to a Monday briefing than a pod of dolphins riding a bow wave. Your love for our oceans is contagious, your hat game is unmatched, and there is genuinely never a dull moment when you're in the room (or the water).

Here's to another year of terrible-on-purpose ocean puns, wildly random marine trivia, and inspiring all of us to care just a little bit more about the reefs and creatures we're lucky enough to protect. 🌊🦀

Happy birthday, Jodi! The ocean is lucky to have you as its biggest cheerleader. 🎂🐚

04/08/2026

𝗚𝗼𝗮𝘁 𝗜𝘀𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗪𝗲𝘀𝘁 🪸😍
On a warm winters week – 5 Reef Check Australia ambassadors embarked on a boat ride just shy of North Stradbroke Island to Goat Island. They were they to attempt to clean up the western reefs fringing onto the island, a shallow area full of recreational fishers trying to get lucky with some food.

On the slack provided by high tide, our team jumped into the water to scour around the seafloor searching for marine debris. The seascape encompassing the area was hit with intense flood plumes several years ago, and what was once a bustling sub-tropical coral reef is now only just recovering after quite some time. There are intermittent corals staggered between sand patches, silt covered rocks and seagrass meadows. Luckly, this does have a positive effect, less coral means less places for fishing line to get caught when casting in the area.

The next week two ambassadors visited the site again to perform a reef check survey, also collecting rubbish. During our survey, we only recorded one piece of fishing line and six glass bottles totalling to approximately 1.9kg of marine debris. This may be due to currents in the site moving debris around the bay, it may also just be a function of little to no spots for lines to get entangled, and improved behaviours from fishers in the area not littering.

Totalling all hours across reef check survey divers we spent 7 hours underwater at the site searching and cleaning the area.

Every little bit counts, so remember to reduce, reuse and recycle whenever you are using disposable plastics to ensure it doesn’t reach our oceans and impact our local wildlife.

The ‘Shore to Seafloor: Tackling Marine Debris Across the Marine Environment’ project’ is proudly funded through the Queensland Government’s Community Sustainability Action grant program. ~ 𝙒𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙮 𝙋𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙤 𝙁𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙯𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖

18/07/2026

🏖️ Our latest marine debris monitoring survey took a small team of dedicated volunteers to Norval Park Beach at Yandaran, and what a beautiful morning it was to be on the coast. With clear skies, calm conditions and an abundance of shells scattered across the shoreline, the beach was at its absolute best!

For those familiar with this site, the results were particularly encouraging. When we monitored this location just three months ago, large numbers of microplastics were recorded throughout the survey area. This time, however, the story was very different. The shells seemed to have reclaimed the beach, with only minimal microplastics observed across the site. In fact, transect 2 contained no debris at all, a rare and welcome result during any marine debris survey 💙.

While the overall debris load was low, a few interesting items were found within the general area, these included a rubber thong, whipper snipper cord, rope and a lighter.

Unlike some of our other monitoring locations, access to this beach is primarily by 4WD vehicle rather than foot traffic, which may contribute to the pattern of debris seen. This stretch of coastline is also often exposed to strong winds, so it’s possible that these regular wind events transport lightweight debris further into the adjacent vegetation areas, reducing the amount of litter visible along the beach itself.

Every survey helps us build a better understanding of how debris moves through our environment and how conditions can change over time. Sometimes those changes tell a positive story.

A huge thank you to our volunteers who once again made the drive from Bundaberg to support this important work. Your commitment helps ensure valuable long-term data continues to be collected across our region.

ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with a range of organisations. The project focuses on removing marine debris from the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas.

To find out more about Reef Check Australia and how you can get involved check out the website, and sign up for our enews letter to stay up to date!

We acknowledge the Taribelang Bunda, Gooreng Gooreng, Gurang and Bailai Peoples, Traditional Custodians of the land and sea country on which these activities took place and pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

ReefClean Reef Trust Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Tangaroa Blue Reef Check Australia

17/07/2026

𝗪𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗕𝗮𝘆 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗨𝗽 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 🪸
Waites Bay (or White Bay) is located on Haslewood Island, just across the way from the stunning Whitehaven Beach. An extensive fringing reef lies between Haslewood Island and Lupton Island, creating Waites Bay.

We have been trying to get to Waites Bay for months now, but the weather, tides and volunteer availability just hasn’t lined up. So to say we were super excited when the forecast gave us a tiny window is an understatement!

Before even leaving Shute Harbour we found the end of a mooring rope with a float that had been severed from its mooring and was drifting in the channel. We quickly grabbed it and returned it to the jetty for disposal.

It was quite a bumpy ride to and from the bay, but our small but keen team held on and speculated on how much debris we would find once we got there.

Due to the fringing reef within the bay, as usual our team disembarked the boat in Windy Bay (on the western side of Haslewood Island) to walk over the hill to the beach. Before we reached the beach we started to find debris on the track which wasn’t a good sign.

Once we hit the sand it was hard not to be overwhelmed by the amount of debris in such a relatively small location. Previous visitors had made a small pile which gave us a tiny head start, but it was obvious it was going to be a big task.

We started with the bigger items, including a very smelly, barnacle encrusted boogy-board, and then gradually found a spot to get to work collecting the smaller items.

Although we were unable to remove every single item of debris due to time and tide constraints we certainly made a visible difference to the beach, hauling out 45.5 kilograms of mostly hard plastic debris (up from 39 kgs last visit) which included 702 plastic bottle tops, and thousands of pieces of hard plastic remnants. Much of the debris was weathered and included some items that were clearly distinguishable as foreign items, such as 63 ‘AQUA’ brand bottle caps. A couple of curious items, like a tiny toy gun, a tar coated paint roller and an old metal kodak film canister.

We were definitely focused on removing as much as we possibly could from the beach and were really happy to see the visible difference.

Huge thanks to John at Whitsunday Paradise Explorer for flexibility in getting us to site. These surveys were conducted on the traditional lands and sea country of the Ngaro People of the Whitsundays. We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians and their Elders past, present and emerging.

ReefClean is funded by the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and delivered by the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in partnership with a range of organisations. The project focuses on removing marine debris from the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding areas.

ReefClean Reef Trust Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water Tangaroa Blue

16/07/2026

Hi, I’m Joyce! I’m a primary school teacher from Queensland with a passion for conservation and a love of learning. I’m currently volunteering with Reef Check Australia to build my reef monitoring skills, meet like-minded people and contribute in a small way to protecting our amazing marine environment.

Yesterday was such an awesome day out with Reef Check Australia! We headed over to Peel Island for a beach clean-up and although it was windy and pretty chilly, the sun was shining which made it a great day to be out on the water. I couldn’t believe some of the things we found washed up on the beach - a Queensland driver’s licence that expired in 1989, an old Civic Video DVD, an anchor and chain, an airbed and even a little dinosaur figurine!

There was so much polystyrene, soft plastics, food wrappers, bottles and cans, which was a bit disappointing to see. The saddest find though was a deceased turtle that looked like it had been hit by a boat propeller. It was a reminder of why these clean-ups and conservation work are so important.

After the clean-up we headed to Goat Island to complete our first Reef Check substrate survey exam. We were assessed on identifying the different substrate categories and recording them on the data sheet. There was so much to see underwater and Jodi was fantastic, pointing out different substrates for us to identify so we could work through almost every category on the sheet. The swell definitely made buoyancy a bit more challenging at times but it was all part of the fun. Our skipper was absolutely amazing and got us there and back safely, even though we were completely soaked on the boat ride.

Honestly, it felt like we were on the set of a comedy where someone was throwing buckets of water over us the whole trip! We all had such a laugh, learnt so much and being out there with such fun, supportive and like-minded team made the day even better. I can’t wait to get back out there again!

To find out more about Reef Check Australia and how you can get involved check out the website, and sign up for our enews letter to stay up to date!

🌐 www.reefcheckaustralia.org

Address

1/377 Montague Road, West End
Brisbane, QLD
4101

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 5pm
Tuesday	9am - 5pm

Website

http://www.reefcheckaustralia.org/

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