Welcome
to the web site for the
Cochrane Artificial Reef
-
a project of B.A.D.A.R.A.I.
(Bundaberg
and
District
Artificial
Reef
Association
Incorporated)
ABOUT THE ASSOCIATION:
BADARAI was formed in October 1987, by Alan Cochrane, his wife
Brenda and a small but enthusiastic group of people who wanted
to put something back into the environment from which many
people seem to do nothing but take - the underwater marine
wonderland.
AIMS OF THE ASSOCIATION:
The aim of the organisation is to
assist nature to improve fish stocks, marine biodiversity and
replace reef loss as well as create a diverse fish habitat which
fishermen and scuba divers can enjoy. Along the way the
association wants it's members to enjoy being a part of this
challenging project for the community, and the committee is
always seeking enthusiastic people to share ideas to help aim for the
goal of creating an artificial reef second to none.
ABOUT THE COCHRANE ARTIFICIAL
REEF:
An area 400m by 800m, approximately 2.5 to 3 nautical miles from
the rocky coastline near Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia (within the Woongarra Marine Park) has been
set aside for the site of the Cochrane Artificial Reef. To date,
it is the only artificial reef that has been approved in an
existing marine national park in Australia.
The result of many hours of hard work by a small and dedicated
team has been the most amazing habitat for many species of
marine creatures, ranging from the upper end of the scale,
including very large groper to the smallest of creatures such as
nudibranchs. Both hard and soft corals are growing on the many
diverse objects that have been placed on the reef, along with
sponges, hydroids and gorgonia fans.
The variety of objects lends itself to attracting many species
of marine life, and there is a home for almost any creature that
chooses to take up residence on the reef. The largest objects
include the
Porteur 77, a 130ft gravel barge that had a fully loaded
displacement of around 770 tonnes, a 50 metre long, 350 tonne gravel dredge - the Ceratodus II
(which takes its name from the lungfish that inhabit the Burnett
River, and are also found in the Mary and Brisbane Rivers) - and
along with 2 Mohawk aircraft, a 15-seater Kingair plane, a
landing barge, a water tank, numerous concrete pipes, and steel
prisms, 2 lightships, and an ex-trawler, this all makes for a fantastic dive site.
Being relatively close to the shore, the Cochrane Artificial
Reef is also the destination for many fishermen. Many species of
sport and table fish are caught, including snapper, parrot,
trout, moses perch, mangrove jacks, estuary cod and pelagic
species. Scuba divers also report regular sightings of a variety
of other marine life including dolphins, turtles, manta rays,
wobbegongs (carpet sharks), docile leopard sharks, batfish and
the list goes on. Over the years the family of groper has grown
from the original two that were spotted regularly by divers, to
the six that are now often seen hovering just within vision
range. Monitoring of the site has shown over 140 different
species of fish in the area.
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