0:00:04 > 0:00:06Coast has come to Australia...
0:00:13 > 0:00:17..to explore a coastline of unparalleled splendour.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24This is a landscape that dwarfs humankind.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29Vast in scale. Glorious in spectacle.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35But it's the tales the people of this coast have to tell
0:00:35 > 0:00:37that are so compelling -
0:00:37 > 0:00:41of the success and sorrows layered along these shores
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and the dramatic changes chartered through time.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51It's the furthest Coast has travelled
0:00:51 > 0:00:53for our biggest adventure yet.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22Welcome to Lizard Island,
0:01:22 > 0:01:2530km off the mainland of Queensland
0:01:25 > 0:01:29and within Australia's awe-inspiring natural wonder,
0:01:29 > 0:01:30the Great Barrier Reef.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37This is Earth's largest living organism...
0:01:40 > 0:01:44..and, at 2,300km long,
0:01:44 > 0:01:47stretches further than the west coast of the United States.
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Within its boundaries, over 900 islands...
0:01:54 > 0:01:57..and on the mainland, a rich history,
0:01:57 > 0:01:59coloured by the reef that hugs its coast.
0:02:02 > 0:02:06On this journey, marine ecologist Dr Emma Johnston
0:02:06 > 0:02:10joins a remarkable Google project to record the world's reefs.
0:02:11 > 0:02:13OK - you're mapped!
0:02:13 > 0:02:15They had no idea what was going on.
0:02:15 > 0:02:16Do people know about it?
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Brendan Moar uncovers the living history of a hidden slave trade.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22A lot of people are simply amazed
0:02:22 > 0:02:24that this actually happened in Queensland.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Anthropologist Dr Xanthe Mallett
0:02:27 > 0:02:30investigates an historic maritime mystery.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It must have been terrible for the family,
0:02:32 > 0:02:33just not knowing what happened.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38And I examine a bloody chapter in Australia's frontier wars.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41A heartbreaking conflict with no winners.
0:02:44 > 0:02:46This is Coast Australia!
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Our route this time stretches from Lizard Island in the north,
0:03:15 > 0:03:21down through Cairns, Townsville, Stone Island,
0:03:21 > 0:03:23and on to Heron Island in the south.
0:03:26 > 0:03:29The Great Barrier Reef is no single reef -
0:03:29 > 0:03:34it's a stunning mosaic of 3,000 reefs,
0:03:34 > 0:03:37ranging in area from less than a hectare
0:03:37 > 0:03:39to over 10,000 hectares.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43Beautiful to behold,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46especially when seen from a decent height.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51The Great Barrier Reef is the only living thing
0:03:51 > 0:03:53that can be seen from space.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56But come on - how could it possibly look any better
0:03:56 > 0:03:59than from where we are, right now?
0:04:01 > 0:04:05But below that shimmering surface is a treacherous coral maze
0:04:05 > 0:04:09that's been making life difficult for mariners for centuries,
0:04:09 > 0:04:13including accomplished astronomer, navigator and surveyor,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15Captain James Cook.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19He'd arrived on the east coast of Australia in 1770,
0:04:19 > 0:04:24armed only with this rudimentary French map from 1756.
0:04:27 > 0:04:29It's little wonder he got into trouble!
0:04:34 > 0:04:37In 1770, the legendary mariner James Cook
0:04:37 > 0:04:40became trapped in this labyrinth.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43On June the 11th, the Endeavour actually ran aground on a reef
0:04:43 > 0:04:44not far from here.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Cook was determined that that would never happen again.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51The Endeavour had hit a reef, then limped north to be repaired
0:04:51 > 0:04:54at the mouth of what's now Endeavour River near Cooktown.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Once seaworthy, Cook had set off.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03On August 12th, he'd come ashore here,
0:05:03 > 0:05:05armed with a plan.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08He climbed up to the top of this mountain on Lizard Island,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11to see if he could spy a safe passage out of the reef.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16And I can tell you, his first impressions weren't good.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23"To my mortification, I discovered a reef of rocks
0:05:23 > 0:05:27"laying about two or three leagues without the island,
0:05:27 > 0:05:31"extending in a line northwest and southeast
0:05:31 > 0:05:33"farther than I could see."
0:05:34 > 0:05:36Despite the daunting view,
0:05:36 > 0:05:39Cook managed to navigate a route out of the reefs
0:05:39 > 0:05:42in which he'd been trapped for almost two months.
0:05:42 > 0:05:45He'd relied on a good view and a keen eye to make his escape.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52I'm heading to the port of Cairns,
0:05:52 > 0:05:55the major city of Queensland's tropical north
0:05:55 > 0:05:58to rendezvous with the Royal Australian Navy.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04The Great Barrier Reef has been slow to reveal its secrets.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07More than 240 years after Cook ran aground,
0:06:07 > 0:06:09large parts remain uncharted.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12So I'm hitching a ride with the Navy's hydrographic team
0:06:12 > 0:06:15as they continue their vital work surveying these waters.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Hydrography is the science
0:06:19 > 0:06:21of charting the coastline and seafloor
0:06:21 > 0:06:24to enable the safe navigation of vessels
0:06:24 > 0:06:25through the world's waterways.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28The facing points will be as briefed.
0:06:28 > 0:06:301.4 nautical miles...
0:06:30 > 0:06:36The Paluma is one of the navy's six hydrographic survey vessels.
0:06:36 > 0:06:39Today, I'm joining the crew responsible for mapping
0:06:39 > 0:06:43the remaining uncharted waters of the Great Barrier Reef.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47These sailors are protecting a reef that's still a hazard to shipping
0:06:47 > 0:06:52and a maritime trade valued at over 300 billion a year.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55To ensure the highest accuracy in its surveying,
0:06:55 > 0:06:57the Paluma uses an echo sounder
0:06:57 > 0:07:01that fires out multiple beams in a fan shape under the boat.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03We're on the lookout for an old wreck
0:07:03 > 0:07:05and it soon makes an appearance.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Oh, right. So, that's a bit more of a complicated picture - what's that?
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Yeah, so that's the wreck that we just went over.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17So, after we've added all our corrections and stuff to it,
0:07:17 > 0:07:18cleaned it up nicely,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21this looks like a proper, intact ship, still.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23Petty Officer Russ Hinze
0:07:23 > 0:07:26is the Paluma's hydrographic systems manager.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Our understanding is it's from the 1950s,
0:07:28 > 0:07:30so it's still in pretty good nick.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33And you can see here, it's in about 32m of water.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35The information the team gathers
0:07:35 > 0:07:38is ultimately translated into nautical charts,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41both paper and electronic.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Armed with the latest technology,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47the Paluma can map about 10 square nautical miles a day.
0:07:49 > 0:07:51But I want to know how the earliest mariners,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54including Cook, did things.
0:07:54 > 0:07:59'So I'm going to try and pinpoint exactly where we are,
0:07:59 > 0:08:02'the depth of the water we're in and the condition of the seabed
0:08:02 > 0:08:06'using only old-school equipment and methods.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10'And that starts with a 2kg weight on a rope.'
0:08:10 > 0:08:11This is lanolin or sheep's fat
0:08:11 > 0:08:14and this is actually what they used to use as well.
0:08:14 > 0:08:15It's to get a seabed sample as well
0:08:15 > 0:08:20so they have an idea of what type of holding ground or something is on the seafloor
0:08:20 > 0:08:22just for...for anchorage purposes and stuff back then.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Be good if it comes up with a Spanish doubloon stuck to it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28Yeah. Don't like your chances.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34- Depth's 9m.- 9m - right. - That's saying about 9m.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37So you can see it hasn't too much, but...
0:08:37 > 0:08:40- Just some grains of sand, really. - Just mud, yeah.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44How does this bit of kit come into the equation?
0:08:44 > 0:08:46OK - so we've got our depth.
0:08:46 > 0:08:48- Now, we're trying to position ourselves.- Uh-huh.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51So, basically, all we're going to do is take two angles.
0:08:51 > 0:08:55So the angular difference between Rocky Island, just in front of us,
0:08:55 > 0:08:57- and Cape Grafton.- OK.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02That angle and then the same angle between Rocky Island and False Cape.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05Using a horizontal sextant,
0:09:05 > 0:09:09what we need to do is accurately record two separate angles
0:09:09 > 0:09:12off three stationary points.
0:09:13 > 0:09:14Once we've applied some
0:09:14 > 0:09:16basic trigonometry,
0:09:16 > 0:09:18we'll know exactly where we are.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22It's simple in theory, but it can be quite tricky to master.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24- Not even sounding simple in theory. - LAUGHING:- Yeah.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27'So how hard can it be?'
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Where are you, Rocky Island?
0:09:30 > 0:09:31I can't even see Rocky island.
0:09:31 > 0:09:34Oh, I must have overshot Rocky Island. Hold on...
0:09:35 > 0:09:37- OK.- Reckon you got it?
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Right? Is that Rocky Island?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44Right, I'm going to give it one more.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46I can't see what I'm looking at.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49I'm coming to the conclusion that I may be blind in my right eye!
0:09:50 > 0:09:54Eventually, I do come up with two angles.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- Right, OK. 60 and 110. - 60 and 110.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00Whether they're the right ones?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Well, that needs to be checked on the bridge.
0:10:05 > 0:10:07When James Cook came to these waters,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10the British Navy was still 25 years away
0:10:10 > 0:10:12from appointing an official hydrographer.
0:10:12 > 0:10:17And if you compare the chart he arrived in these waters with
0:10:17 > 0:10:19to the one he created,
0:10:19 > 0:10:22it's easy to see why he's regarded by many
0:10:22 > 0:10:25as the grandfather of modern hydrography.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30- How'd I do Russ?- All right. I looked at your stuff on the chart.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Yeah, I think you need to keep practising, mate.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34So, I'll leave you to it.
0:10:34 > 0:10:35You're being kind, aren't you?
0:10:35 > 0:10:37RUSS LAUGHS
0:10:37 > 0:10:39I'm definitely near Australia.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48Through the centuries,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50ships have delicately threaded their way
0:10:50 > 0:10:53through these sparkling waters.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56But in these beautiful surroundings,
0:10:56 > 0:10:58some of those vessels were taking part
0:10:58 > 0:11:00in a truly ugly enterprise.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04Travelling south, the city of Townsville sits alongside
0:11:04 > 0:11:07the central area of the Great Barrier Reef.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10It was established in the 1860s,
0:11:10 > 0:11:13when white settlers were moving into northern Queensland,
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and a string of sugar plantations developed along the coast.
0:11:19 > 0:11:21With convict transportation abolished
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and white men considered unfit for the task,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27the question was who was going to take on
0:11:27 > 0:11:31the back-breaking work needed to develop tropical Queensland?
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Brendan Moar is in Townsville
0:11:33 > 0:11:36to meet a descendent of those who did
0:11:36 > 0:11:40and discover the living legacy of a resilient islander community.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43This is a new event for a very old community,
0:11:43 > 0:11:47one that had a really grim start about 150 years ago.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49- Good morning, Sonia. - Good morning.
0:11:49 > 0:11:50- Brendan. - Nice to meet you.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52'Sonia Minniecon is the founder of a group
0:11:52 > 0:11:56'that reconnects South Sea Islanders with their families and culture.'
0:11:58 > 0:12:02Theirs is a history that has been overlooked in Australia for decades.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05And I'm going to investigate that dark chapter in our shared history.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08But first, I've got to start this race.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11On your marks....get set...
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Go!
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Sonia's grandparents in Vanuatu
0:12:19 > 0:12:23were transported to Queensland to work on sugar plantations
0:12:23 > 0:12:24in the late 1800s.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29Now known as South Sea Islanders,
0:12:29 > 0:12:32over 60,000 people like her grandparents
0:12:32 > 0:12:34were rounded up from Melanesia
0:12:34 > 0:12:37and brought to Queensland between 1863 and 1904.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42They came mainly from the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu,
0:12:42 > 0:12:47from where Australian sporting legend Mal Meninga's great grandfather
0:12:47 > 0:12:49was abducted as part of this labour trade.
0:12:51 > 0:12:54While some came voluntarily, others were lured, tricked
0:12:54 > 0:12:57and sometimes kidnapped to work in the cane fields.
0:12:57 > 0:13:01It was a form of recruitment known as "blackbirding".
0:13:01 > 0:13:03Most were offered a pittance
0:13:03 > 0:13:05in return for three years of indentured labour,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08and often, the money was never paid out.
0:13:10 > 0:13:11And winner!
0:13:12 > 0:13:13'Despite the conditions,
0:13:13 > 0:13:16'a small number stayed and started families.'
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Nice work.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22'For nearly a century the true origin of these families was ignored
0:13:22 > 0:13:23'and their history denied.'
0:13:23 > 0:13:25- How'd you go, Sonia? - Oh, good.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28'Sonia is working to reconnect this community now,
0:13:28 > 0:13:30'with events linked to their island identity,
0:13:30 > 0:13:32'like today's canoe race.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35'Her organisation is called Blackbird.'
0:13:38 > 0:13:39They came in boats like these.
0:13:41 > 0:13:46Over 800 blackbirding voyages were made to transport this human cargo.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50This is the Defender. She's from the 1890s.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53She was used as a cargo ship but this is very similar
0:13:53 > 0:13:56to what the blackbirding ships would've looked like.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59These guys, you could tell, were straight from the island.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00They're not wearing anything.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03And they were on their way, probably to Queensland.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04Isn't that extraordinary?
0:14:04 > 0:14:09- That is basically, like...that view, isn't it?- Yeah, it is.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12These are just some, um...photos of my grandparents.
0:14:12 > 0:14:14So the first generation South Sea Islanders.
0:14:14 > 0:14:16So on my mother's side, her mother and father.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18He was brought over from Gaua, an island called Gaua,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20and she was from an island called Ambae.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23And that's my grandfather from Ambrym.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28This is, um...a Pacific Islander's Labour's Act register -
0:14:28 > 0:14:31an agreement of when the pastoralists or the cane farmers
0:14:31 > 0:14:34came and went to an auction and...and got their workers.
0:14:34 > 0:14:35So as they came off the boat,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38the men were auctioned off and taken straight to a farm?
0:14:38 > 0:14:39Yes, that's right.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42I had no idea about this. Do people know about it?
0:14:42 > 0:14:43No, they don't.
0:14:43 > 0:14:48People ask - you know - me, where I come from, and...
0:14:48 > 0:14:50to tell them the story...a lot of people are simply amazed
0:14:50 > 0:14:52that this actually happened in Queensland.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57The evidence sits before us at the Museum of Tropical Queensland.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- G'day - Brendan. - Good morning. Steve.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03'Stephen Beck is an authority on the trade
0:15:03 > 0:15:05'and the methods used by recruiters.'
0:15:05 > 0:15:08A recruiting vessel would arrive at the islands.
0:15:08 > 0:15:09The recruiter would go on
0:15:09 > 0:15:13with a whole boxful of European trade goods.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19Axes, tomahawks, metal knives, tobacco pipes and muskets.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24It was usually the tribal elders who did the deals.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30Almost all the workers they traded were in their teens to mid-30s.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37Amongst trade goods, factory-made ceramic copies of islander jewellery
0:15:37 > 0:15:38had a curious appeal.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41The islanders knew that they weren't the genuine thing
0:15:41 > 0:15:43but here's a new type of armband
0:15:43 > 0:15:46that they can incorporate into their status.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48So if you've got one of these,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51it's like having, you know, the latest TV.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55So it had its own intrinsic value.
0:15:55 > 0:15:56So essentially, this is island currency.
0:15:56 > 0:15:58This is like islander currency.
0:15:58 > 0:16:00We'll give this its own set of values,
0:16:00 > 0:16:03because no-one else has got one of these.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07For those returning home after three years,
0:16:07 > 0:16:09often, more injustices lay ahead.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Some were dropped off at the wrong islands...or countries.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20In the years following federation and the White Australia policy,
0:16:20 > 0:16:23most of the 10,000 workers were deported.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26Those who were granted a deportation exemption -
0:16:26 > 0:16:30about 2,000 - were left with few rights.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34'Today, the number of Australian South Sea Islanders
0:16:34 > 0:16:36'has risen to about 40,000 -
0:16:36 > 0:16:39'many descendants of those early sugar workers.'
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Sonia and her Blackbird Team arrange visits back to the islands
0:16:47 > 0:16:49so people can renew family ties.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55It's an emotional experience but welcomed by all.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02I wonder about the word "blackbird" - why did you choose to use that word?
0:17:02 > 0:17:07For me, now it represents flying. Um...letting go. You know?
0:17:07 > 0:17:09Just, um...releasing the word
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and releasing...you know, telling the story.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15So...that's why blackbird, to us, means so much.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18How important are the boats, the water -
0:17:18 > 0:17:20like, the entire coastal culture?
0:17:20 > 0:17:22We're saltwater people.
0:17:22 > 0:17:25You know, we've got saltwater in our...our veins.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It's who we are so, um...
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Yeah, I get very emotional just not being close to the ocean
0:17:30 > 0:17:36and, um...it reminds me of family and the journeys.
0:17:36 > 0:17:37All those sorts of things, yeah.
0:17:37 > 0:17:42Sonia and her team's work will certainly give the term new meaning -
0:17:42 > 0:17:46one that celebrates the identity of a unique community.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Reaching 250km off the Australian mainland,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02these reefs have always proved perilous for shipping.
0:18:03 > 0:18:09Added to that, seasonal monsoons hurl furious cyclones and angry seas
0:18:09 > 0:18:11upon tropical North Queensland.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16More than 30 historic wrecks lie scattered along this coast.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20One of these came to be known as Townsville's Titanic.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24Anthropologist Dr Xanthe Mallett
0:18:24 > 0:18:28is in Townsville to investigate a mysterious maritime disaster.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33100 years ago, the ships that plied these waters
0:18:33 > 0:18:37were an absolute lifeline for Australia's coastal communities,
0:18:37 > 0:18:39critical for moving goods and passengers.
0:18:41 > 0:18:45The SS Yongala was operating along the busy east coast passenger route.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49The Yongala was renowned for its luxury.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52This was the first class lounge -
0:18:52 > 0:18:55as you can see, it was extremely comfortable.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57It had serviced the Melbourne to Cairns route
0:18:57 > 0:19:01from 1907 to 1911 without incident,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03but it was the 99th journey in Australian waters
0:19:03 > 0:19:05that was destined to be its last.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11By 2pm on the 23rd of March, 1911,
0:19:11 > 0:19:13the Yongala had left Mackay bound for Townsville.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16With no radio on board,
0:19:16 > 0:19:18warning of a cyclone to the north
0:19:18 > 0:19:20never reached the ship's captain.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24By early evening, the Yongala was seen
0:19:24 > 0:19:26by a lighthouse keeper in the Whitsundays,
0:19:26 > 0:19:28heading into worsening weather.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32Due into Townsville the following day,
0:19:32 > 0:19:34the Yongala never arrived.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40After five days, all hope had been lost
0:19:40 > 0:19:43for the 122 passengers.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47The local community was shattered.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50An official inquiry noted that skipper William Knight
0:19:50 > 0:19:55was experienced and careful, his ship seaworthy.
0:19:55 > 0:19:58Paul Brown's great grandparents were amongst those
0:19:58 > 0:20:00who never made it home to Townsville.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05The finding of the Marine Board says "The fate of the Yongala
0:20:05 > 0:20:09"passes beyond human ken into the realms of conjecture
0:20:09 > 0:20:12"to add one more to the long roll of the mysteries of the sea."
0:20:12 > 0:20:16Do you think that lack of understanding
0:20:16 > 0:20:18made it worse for those left behind?
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Oh, I'd say it certainly did.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I know our family...there are pictures that were published
0:20:23 > 0:20:25in one of the papers of the time
0:20:25 > 0:20:31of our family going out in small boats to look for the ship,
0:20:31 > 0:20:33and it must have been terribly disappointing,
0:20:33 > 0:20:35not to find any trace,
0:20:35 > 0:20:37and then, after about five days,
0:20:37 > 0:20:38they found a few mail bags washed up.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41It must have been terrible for the family
0:20:41 > 0:20:44just not knowing what happened.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46Just disappeared.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49The mystery endured for nearly 50 years
0:20:49 > 0:20:54until a local salvager snagged the Yongala's hull in 1958.
0:20:55 > 0:20:58I'm hoping to learn more about its disappearance.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02So I've come to Alva Beach
0:21:02 > 0:21:04to see what the wreck of the Yongala can tell us
0:21:04 > 0:21:05about how and why the ship went down.
0:21:07 > 0:21:08- Hello.- Good morning, Xanthe.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12- Welcome aboard the Yongala Express. - Thank you very much.
0:21:12 > 0:21:17Dive master Heather Batrick has explored the wreck hundreds of times.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20The site lies about 20km off the coast,
0:21:20 > 0:21:2280km from Townsville.
0:21:24 > 0:21:29We actually seem to be in, literally, the middle of nowhere. Where are we?
0:21:29 > 0:21:31We're in the shipping channel and, basically,
0:21:31 > 0:21:34the Yongala was heading from Airlie Beach to Townsville,
0:21:34 > 0:21:37so it would seem that it stayed on its course
0:21:37 > 0:21:39and ended up probably about three hours away
0:21:39 > 0:21:41from its final destination.
0:21:42 > 0:21:4730m beneath us lies the largest and most intact historic shipwreck
0:21:47 > 0:21:49in Australian waters.
0:21:54 > 0:21:58So this is the Yongala. Wow!
0:21:58 > 0:21:59It's an amazing site.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06The irony is that a wreck that claimed so many lives
0:22:06 > 0:22:10is now absolutely teeming with marine life.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14Wow, it's amazing. It's just stunning.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17It's like a little oasis in the desert.
0:22:17 > 0:22:23122 people died on this wreck. Why? Why did the ship go down?
0:22:23 > 0:22:25And there are some clues
0:22:25 > 0:22:27when you come down here and have a look.
0:22:27 > 0:22:33'The first clue is in the way the 109m wreck is lying.'
0:22:33 > 0:22:36It's still pointing towards Townsville.
0:22:36 > 0:22:37'And the fact that, when it was first found,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40'the hull was completely intact.'
0:22:40 > 0:22:43So we don't think that it hit anything,
0:22:43 > 0:22:45because of the fact that we're only in, sort of,
0:22:45 > 0:22:4729m of water.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50There would have literally been about 15m of swell.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53So there would have been a lot of water coming overboard.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57'The gaping cargo holds are another clue.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00'Under violent waves, the wooden hatches could be ripped open,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03'leaving the holds exposed.'
0:23:03 > 0:23:06In the shocking weather that the cyclone would have brought,
0:23:06 > 0:23:09the sheer amount of water that went into the cargo holds
0:23:09 > 0:23:13is probably what caused the ship to sink.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15'Our best guess is that the ship
0:23:15 > 0:23:17'was desperately trying to reach Townsville,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20'but caught in the open, with nowhere to shelter,
0:23:20 > 0:23:25the cargo holds brought it down, swamped by enormous waves.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27'When it was recovered,
0:23:27 > 0:23:31the ship's chronometer showed the Yongala sank at 11:45pm.
0:23:34 > 0:23:37'It would have been a terrifying end in the darkness -
0:23:37 > 0:23:41'a disaster that caused immeasurable pain for their loved ones.'
0:23:43 > 0:23:44The wreck, when it happened,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47was obviously really devastating for people here.
0:23:47 > 0:23:51Exactly. And all the remains are still on the wreck.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54- Are they?- They've been taken further into the bow on the wreck.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58As a mark of respect, nobody really wanted to bring the remains up
0:23:58 > 0:24:01and then decide what to do with them.
0:24:01 > 0:24:02Famous dive site, isn't it?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05- And famous for its sad story as well. - Yeah.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07One of Australia's biggest maritime mysteries.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Yeah, absolutely. Amazing to be able to see it.
0:24:13 > 0:24:16Sorrow is never far from success
0:24:16 > 0:24:18when stories are told about life along a reef,
0:24:18 > 0:24:23especially one as beautiful and daunting as this.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Lizard Island was named by Captain James Cook
0:24:26 > 0:24:28on arrival in 1770
0:24:28 > 0:24:31after seeing a large sand monitor.
0:24:33 > 0:24:38100 years later, it was a major port for the lucrative sea cucumber trade
0:24:38 > 0:24:40and the setting for one of the most tragic tales
0:24:40 > 0:24:43in modern Australian folklore.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50Tourists - well-heeled tourists, I might add -
0:24:50 > 0:24:53come here to take advantage of the island's relative isolation,
0:24:53 > 0:24:54its pristine beauty
0:24:54 > 0:24:57and its stunning underwater landscape.
0:24:57 > 0:24:59I can see the attraction.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05This is the Barrier Reef's northernmost island resort,
0:25:05 > 0:25:08accessible largely by private plane.
0:25:09 > 0:25:13But look closer, and you'll see that a dark shadow hangs over
0:25:13 > 0:25:15this tropical island paradise.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19And it's all about this creature - the sea cucumber, or beche-de-mer.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25The waters around Lizard Island are teeming with life
0:25:25 > 0:25:29and back in the 1800s, a lucrative beche-de-mer industry
0:25:29 > 0:25:31began to supply the hungry demand from Asia...
0:25:33 > 0:25:36..a trade that attracted Europeans in search of fortune.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43And this is where the history of this island becomes fascinating
0:25:43 > 0:25:46and a grim tale emerges of Australia's frontier wars.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52In 1879, British captain Robert Watson
0:25:52 > 0:25:54established an operation here,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57with his wife Mary, baby boy Ferrier,
0:25:57 > 0:26:01a business partner and two Chinese servants.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03They had arrived in paradise,
0:26:03 > 0:26:06with abundant sea cucumber to harvest and sell.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11But unbeknownst to the settlers, the island was, and remains,
0:26:11 > 0:26:14a site sacred to the local Aboriginal people.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21A stone hut stands witness to that era of European intrusion
0:26:21 > 0:26:24into a land long used by the Dingaal tribe.
0:26:24 > 0:26:26Confrontation was building.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Two years later, in September 1881,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33while Watson was on a fishing expedition,
0:26:33 > 0:26:37the Dingaal attacked, killing one servant, Ah Leong
0:26:37 > 0:26:38and wounding the other.
0:26:39 > 0:26:42It was a fatal collision of two cultures
0:26:43 > 0:26:45This is an extract from Mary's diary,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47dated October the 1st.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51"Natives, four, speared Ah Sam.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55"Four places in the right side and three on the shoulder."
0:26:55 > 0:26:57Mary bandaged Ah Sam's wounds
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and made the decision to leave the island.
0:27:03 > 0:27:07With her husband still away at sea, Mary fled with baby Ferrier
0:27:07 > 0:27:08and the badly wounded Ah Sam.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11They set off from this beach -
0:27:11 > 0:27:15incredibly - in a ship's tank, used for boiling beche-de-mer.
0:27:19 > 0:27:23These are the approximate dimensions of the tank.
0:27:23 > 0:27:24It's about five feet square.
0:27:27 > 0:27:31And - perhaps more awkwardly - no more than perhaps waist high.
0:27:31 > 0:27:33So not much of a life boat
0:27:33 > 0:27:36for a woman, an injured man and a baby boy.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44After five days in this very tank, that was later found,
0:27:44 > 0:27:47they ended up on what's now Watson Island,
0:27:47 > 0:27:5064km away from Lizard.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54Crucially, however, in the sweltering heat,
0:27:54 > 0:27:57they had run out of water and there was none on the island.
0:27:57 > 0:27:59In her diary for October 10th,
0:27:59 > 0:28:01Mary wrote, "Self very weak.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04"Really thought that I would have died last night."
0:28:05 > 0:28:08The following day, though, she found cause for hope.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11"October 11 - still all alive.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14"I think that it will rain today.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16"Clouds still very heavy."
0:28:16 > 0:28:18But it wasn't to be.
0:28:18 > 0:28:24"October 12th - no rain. Ah Sam preparing to die.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26"Have not seen him since nine o'clock.
0:28:26 > 0:28:30"Ferrier more cheerful. Self not feeling well at all.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33"No water. Nearly dead with thirst."
0:28:34 > 0:28:36And that's her last entry.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40Mary Watson was eventually found dead on the island
0:28:40 > 0:28:43with her son and Ah Sam.
0:28:43 > 0:28:45They had died from dehydration.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50A few weeks later, Robert Watson returned to Lizard
0:28:50 > 0:28:51to find his family missing
0:28:51 > 0:28:53and evidence of an Aboriginal attack.
0:28:56 > 0:28:58The national media was whipped into a frenzy
0:28:58 > 0:29:00before the bodies were found,
0:29:00 > 0:29:03which didn't stop them from wild speculation.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10These are pages from the Sydney Morning Herald
0:29:10 > 0:29:14and for the edition on the 8th of December, 1881,
0:29:14 > 0:29:17it reads, "Mrs Watson defended herself courageously,
0:29:17 > 0:29:18"as long as possible,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21"but was, at length, overpowered, brutally outraged
0:29:21 > 0:29:22"and then tomahawked.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25"The body was thrown into deep water."
0:29:25 > 0:29:27There's more from December 19th -
0:29:27 > 0:29:30"When she was finally overpowered, she was brutally treated, killed
0:29:30 > 0:29:34"and, with her child, cut in pieces and cast into the sea."
0:29:35 > 0:29:37None of this was true.
0:29:37 > 0:29:41Regardless, the Aborigines were blamed for their deaths
0:29:41 > 0:29:44and were subsequently slaughtered in white revenge killings.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49Despite this, Mary was hailed a heroine
0:29:49 > 0:29:51with a monument erected in Cooktown
0:29:51 > 0:29:54to "one of the first martyrs of Northern Settlement".
0:29:59 > 0:30:01This place set off a chain of events
0:30:01 > 0:30:05that have passed into Australian folklore.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08Some of those events are about remarkable courage.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11Others are about callous disregard for human life.
0:30:11 > 0:30:13But apart from anything else,
0:30:13 > 0:30:17they signify a heartbreaking conflict with no winners.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31We're travelling along Australia's natural wonder.
0:30:31 > 0:30:32On Whitsunday Island,
0:30:32 > 0:30:34the largest in the Whitsundays group,
0:30:34 > 0:30:37you'll find the stunning Whitehaven Beach.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42Thanks to a silica purity of 98%,
0:30:42 > 0:30:45Whitehaven's sand is incredibly white
0:30:45 > 0:30:48and so reflective that, even under the hottest sun,
0:30:48 > 0:30:49it remains relatively cool.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55These are some of the smallest sand grains on earth,
0:30:55 > 0:30:58protected within the National Park zoning
0:30:58 > 0:30:59of the Whitsunday Islands,
0:30:59 > 0:31:02to prevent people from removing this white treasure
0:31:02 > 0:31:05from its natural environment -
0:31:05 > 0:31:08a pristine beach with its perfect sand.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18There are at least 600 different types of coral
0:31:18 > 0:31:21that make up the Great Barrier Reef -
0:31:21 > 0:31:23some of which are slow-growing
0:31:23 > 0:31:25and live to be hundreds of years old.
0:31:25 > 0:31:28Professor Tim Flannery wants to discover the secrets
0:31:28 > 0:31:30that coral hold from the past,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33and he's travelling 50km from Townsville to Cape Cleveland,
0:31:33 > 0:31:38and the renowned Australian Institute of Marine Science.
0:31:38 > 0:31:39I've been given rare
0:31:39 > 0:31:40and privileged access
0:31:40 > 0:31:42to the restricted waters
0:31:42 > 0:31:44of a scientific research zone.
0:31:45 > 0:31:47At this pre-eminent research station,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50scientists are examining the Great Barrier Reef,
0:31:50 > 0:31:52which is larger in landmass than Germany.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56One of their tasks is to analyse coral.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00Just like the inner rings of trees,
0:32:00 > 0:32:02coral has incredibly preserved markings
0:32:02 > 0:32:05that illustrate the history of our environment.
0:32:07 > 0:32:08To uncover this past,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11scientists simply bore into the coral,
0:32:11 > 0:32:13take goal-post sized samples
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and then examine the messages within the coral barcode.
0:32:18 > 0:32:21- Ah - Eric, is it? - Yeah. Hi, Tim, how are you?
0:32:21 > 0:32:24- Good, Eric, good to meet you. - You too.- Now, I've been told
0:32:24 > 0:32:26that you can read coral like a book - is that right?
0:32:26 > 0:32:28We can do that here and we're very fortunate -
0:32:28 > 0:32:30we have some amazing samples of coral
0:32:30 > 0:32:32that give us a lot of information.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34- Want to have a look at one? - I'd love to see one.- OK.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36This is some coral bits - they're actually one core.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39We can lay 'em out on the grass and have a look at how big they are.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42- Fantastic.- There we go - this is the first piece.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44- Do you want to take that one and I'll bring the next one?- I will.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48- That must be about 700ml long, that one.- Yeah, just about. Yeah.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51This stuff grows at about a centimetre every year.
0:32:51 > 0:32:55A coral is essentially a huge colony of polyps.
0:32:55 > 0:33:00As a polyp grows, it secretes a layer of limestone...its skeleton.
0:33:00 > 0:33:05Over time, layer upon layer of skeleton builds up.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08Crucially, the density of each layer differs
0:33:08 > 0:33:10depending on the climate at the time.
0:33:10 > 0:33:13- And this is the living end down here? - Yeah.
0:33:13 > 0:33:16'Once this core is laid out and measured,
0:33:16 > 0:33:20'we can see that the coral it's taken from is not only huge,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22'it's got a very long memory.'
0:33:22 > 0:33:26So how old is it then, this massive organism?
0:33:26 > 0:33:27That's a good question, isn't it?
0:33:27 > 0:33:31This one, in fact, is so big, it's actually...500 years' distance
0:33:31 > 0:33:33between those two ends from here to here.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36- 500 years - that's a long time, isn't it?- That's incredible. Back in the 1500s.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38Yeah, that's correct, it really is.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41By analysing the density of the core's different layers,
0:33:41 > 0:33:45scientists can determine what climactic conditions were like
0:33:45 > 0:33:46in any given year.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Today, the rising level of C02 in our atmosphere
0:33:51 > 0:33:55is not only affecting ocean temperatures and acidity,
0:33:55 > 0:33:58but the frequency of extreme weather events
0:33:58 > 0:33:59like cyclones and floods.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04'Coral is extremely sensitive to any of these changes.'
0:34:04 > 0:34:09What an extraordinary record of life in the oceans, for 500 years.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12I guess you just don't get that sort of record anywhere else?
0:34:12 > 0:34:16Not in the kind of resolution offered by these corals.
0:34:16 > 0:34:19The lovely thing about corals, from our perspective,
0:34:19 > 0:34:21in the current conversation about climate,
0:34:21 > 0:34:25is that because they grow about a centimetre a year,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29something like this encompasses some significant world events.
0:34:29 > 0:34:33'Indoors is the good stuff - where science provides us
0:34:33 > 0:34:36'with a DNA map of the past.'
0:34:36 > 0:34:41What we're doing here is putting ultraviolet light onto a coral core
0:34:41 > 0:34:43and it's glowing.
0:34:43 > 0:34:44So we can now see bands.
0:34:44 > 0:34:48In particular, can you see this band over here, this quite bright one?
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- Yeah?- That's that 1974 flood,
0:34:51 > 0:34:53- which was one of the wettest on record, right?- Yes.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55And caused a bit of devastation in Brisbane.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59- This one up here, can you see there's a fuzzy area there?- Yes.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02That's that bleaching period in 1998.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05The lighter bands, then, are periods of stress for the coral, are they?
0:35:05 > 0:35:07Where it perhaps has been...?
0:35:07 > 0:35:10They're periods when it's been really wet with fresh water.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13So we're talking about floods, high rainfall,
0:35:13 > 0:35:14in some cases, cyclones.
0:35:14 > 0:35:19So high influx of fresh water causes the bright yellow bands.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21So, Eric, what makes you so confident
0:35:21 > 0:35:25that what you're seeing here represents actual events?
0:35:25 > 0:35:27Well, when we look at our coral records,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30we can see that for more than 50 years
0:35:30 > 0:35:35the weather station records match with our coral records.
0:35:35 > 0:35:39So we're really confident that if we take our coral records back,
0:35:39 > 0:35:41they would match too.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Coral's precise record of weather conditions over hundreds of years
0:35:47 > 0:35:52will help scientists predict the future with more accuracy,
0:35:52 > 0:35:54and so better inform our ability
0:35:54 > 0:35:57to preserve this great natural wonder.
0:36:04 > 0:36:06I'm heading to Stone Island.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11This wee island has become a significant site,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14thanks to the legacy of one enlightened scientist,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18who arrived here, with his kit, 120 years ago.
0:36:22 > 0:36:24This trip is going to take me in the footsteps
0:36:24 > 0:36:26of a great naturalist...
0:36:28 > 0:36:32..a true pioneer in the field of marine environment management...
0:36:35 > 0:36:37..and a man away ahead of his time.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49William Saville-Kent had a vision for the reef a century ago
0:36:49 > 0:36:53that has left us today with a telling insight into its health.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Joining me is a Saville-Kent admirer,
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Dr David Wachenfeld, conservation scientist
0:36:58 > 0:37:01with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Well, this is just a really important place
0:37:03 > 0:37:05because of the photographs that were taken here
0:37:05 > 0:37:07at the end of the 19th century.
0:37:07 > 0:37:11- Oh, is that the man?- This is the man himself, William Saville-Kent.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- And his pith helmet! - And his pith helmet and his suit.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Maybe when there was nobody to record what he was doing,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18he was as naked as a jaybird.
0:37:18 > 0:37:19It could be! It could be.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21And that's photographic equipment? Here?
0:37:21 > 0:37:23Yeah - look, this is one of the ways
0:37:23 > 0:37:26in which Saville-Kent was an amazing pioneer.
0:37:26 > 0:37:30He used photography in the study of biology and fisheries
0:37:30 > 0:37:31for the first time.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33What was the character of the man?
0:37:33 > 0:37:35He was a meticulous scientist,
0:37:35 > 0:37:39but he was also, I think, a visionary and an innovator.
0:37:39 > 0:37:41A lot of the ways that he used science
0:37:41 > 0:37:44to inform the management and development of fisheries
0:37:44 > 0:37:46was groundbreaking at that time.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50Saville-Kent already, at the end of the 19th century,
0:37:50 > 0:37:52was worried about overfishing.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54Saville-Kent was already observing
0:37:54 > 0:37:57that we'd overfished some of these resources.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01Between 1884 and 1895,
0:38:01 > 0:38:05Saville-Kent produced the first comprehensive and scientific surveys
0:38:05 > 0:38:07of Australia's fisheries
0:38:07 > 0:38:09and gathered material for one of his major books,
0:38:09 > 0:38:13The Great Barrier Reef Of Australia.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It was the first extensive collection
0:38:16 > 0:38:18of high quality photographs for any coral reef.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23Saville-Kent wanted to create a benchmark
0:38:23 > 0:38:27so future generations could monitor the reef's progress.
0:38:27 > 0:38:31So this is one of the photographs that Saville-Kent took
0:38:31 > 0:38:33right here in 1890.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36So that horizon there is more or less the horizon across there.
0:38:36 > 0:38:39That's right. In the distance there is Cape Gloucester,
0:38:39 > 0:38:41it's got quite a distinctive outline.
0:38:41 > 0:38:44And of course, this was part of Saville-Kent's intention.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47He made detailed notes about where he took the photographs
0:38:47 > 0:38:50and he took them with a horizon that was recognisable
0:38:50 > 0:38:54with the view that he wanted people to come back
0:38:54 > 0:38:56and see how the coral had grown.
0:38:56 > 0:38:58So at the moment, this is low tide,
0:38:58 > 0:39:00but not all low tides are the same.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02This was an extreme low tide.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07And this photo, taken in 1994
0:39:07 > 0:39:10on a tide that was as low as the one in the Saville-Kent photo,
0:39:10 > 0:39:13shows how the coral has diminished.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15100 years ago, someone - Saville-Kent -
0:39:15 > 0:39:18spotted the significance of this place,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21and yet, in all of that time, we haven't...we haven't managed
0:39:21 > 0:39:23to keep the right eye on it.
0:39:23 > 0:39:25That's right.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27Unfortunately, in this instance, we've come back
0:39:27 > 0:39:29and seen that the coral has died.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33An early advocate of sustainability,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36Saville-Kent advised governments around the country
0:39:36 > 0:39:39to adopt new practices to protect fisheries,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41from registering vessels
0:39:41 > 0:39:44to introducing minimum-size regulations.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47A man of great vision,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51who left scientists a remarkable record of this reef.
0:39:57 > 0:39:59Half an hour north of Cairns
0:39:59 > 0:40:03is the quiet beach town of Palm Cove,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06where, like for so much of this coastline,
0:40:06 > 0:40:10the temptation to jump in for a quick dip is never far away.
0:40:12 > 0:40:14But these waters can be deadly.
0:40:14 > 0:40:15And as luck would have it,
0:40:15 > 0:40:19some of the deadliest creatures of all are right out there.
0:40:23 > 0:40:24- Hi, Kim.- Hi, Neil.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26- How are you?- Very good.
0:40:26 > 0:40:28So what is this paraphernalia here?
0:40:28 > 0:40:30This is a swimming enclosure
0:40:30 > 0:40:32to protect people against the jellyfish.
0:40:33 > 0:40:38Kim Moss' job is maintaining stinger nets throughout the region.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41What exactly is out there in that water?
0:40:41 > 0:40:43The main one we're concerned about is this fellow here -
0:40:43 > 0:40:46- the box jellyfish.- OK.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49And what size is it? Can you see it in the water?
0:40:49 > 0:40:51You can't really see it without special lighting.
0:40:51 > 0:40:53They're really transparent. Big as your head.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55Right. With the tentacles...
0:40:55 > 0:40:58With tentacles, can be several metres long.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03And how much damage will that do to a person who swims into it?
0:41:03 > 0:41:04The sting is very painful
0:41:04 > 0:41:08and you get welts all over your skin.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09That's part of the problem.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12The other part of the problem is it then attacks your body
0:41:12 > 0:41:15and can stop your heart and your breathing.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17- Oh for goodness' sake. - And that's a serious issue.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20There have been around about 60 people
0:41:20 > 0:41:22that have died from this over the last 100 years or so.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27In this region, they're found mostly across northern Australia
0:41:27 > 0:41:28and as far as China.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Experts believe they may have caused thousands of deaths
0:41:31 > 0:41:33over the past century.
0:41:34 > 0:41:38A box jellyfish can kill a person within two to five minutes -
0:41:38 > 0:41:41one of the most venomous creatures on earth.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44It's a soup of death out there!
0:41:44 > 0:41:47What with the sharks and whatever else is out there,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50and added to that, just as a final touch,
0:41:50 > 0:41:51lethal jellyfish.
0:41:51 > 0:41:53Unfortunately, in this part of the world, yes.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55Is it a year-round problem?
0:41:55 > 0:41:58I mean, are you taking your chances every day of the year
0:41:58 > 0:41:59when you go in there?
0:41:59 > 0:42:02No, it's only a summertime problem. They're a seasonal animal.
0:42:02 > 0:42:04From about November through to May.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07So in this whole expanse of beach,
0:42:07 > 0:42:10the only safe place to be in the water is that rectangle there.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12That rectangle there. And you go to the next beach
0:42:12 > 0:42:15and we have another enclosure at the next beach.
0:42:15 > 0:42:17So each one of these beaches.
0:42:17 > 0:42:20- I will take your word for it. - Go for a swim!
0:42:20 > 0:42:22I didn't say that! I'm not going that far.
0:42:25 > 0:42:26I'll come back in winter.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35With over 2 million visitors a year and sea temperatures rising,
0:42:35 > 0:42:38the future of the Reef is uncertain.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40In the search for answers,
0:42:40 > 0:42:43the world's most famous search engine has signed up.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47On Heron Island, marine ecologist Dr Emma Johnston
0:42:47 > 0:42:52explores how Google is turning Streetview into Seaview.
0:42:53 > 0:42:56Today, we're taking the Great Barrier Reef to the world.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58An incredible project is under way
0:42:58 > 0:43:01in which modern history meets preservation.
0:43:03 > 0:43:05'I'm joining underwater stills photographer,
0:43:05 > 0:43:09'Christophe Bailhache, for a day in the life of the project.'
0:43:10 > 0:43:13Christophe, this is an amazing bit of equipment.
0:43:13 > 0:43:14Yeah, that's correct.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17But I think the best way to try it is to go and get in the water.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20- Excellent. Let's give it a go, yeah. - Let's go.
0:43:20 > 0:43:25The state of the reef is being recorded for long-term analysis.
0:43:25 > 0:43:28'And at the same time, high-definition pictures
0:43:28 > 0:43:31'are being broadcast to the world via Google's Streetview -
0:43:31 > 0:43:35'a new, ground-breaking aspect of Google's worldwide mapping.'
0:43:37 > 0:43:39OK, ready when you are.
0:43:39 > 0:43:42'Filming the reef for the world is one thing,
0:43:42 > 0:43:44'but the pictures have huge scientific value
0:43:44 > 0:43:46'and this drives the project.'
0:43:51 > 0:43:55Once you get below the surface in this beautiful seascape,
0:43:55 > 0:43:57it's difficult to know where to look
0:43:57 > 0:44:00and extraordinary to think that anyone in the world
0:44:00 > 0:44:02will see what we're seeing now.
0:44:02 > 0:44:06'The camera looks in three directions at once.'
0:44:06 > 0:44:09So I'm driving behind Christophe,
0:44:09 > 0:44:13who has a remarkable camera with him.
0:44:13 > 0:44:16It's only one of two cameras in the whole world like this.
0:44:18 > 0:44:19Tell me, how does it work?
0:44:19 > 0:44:23It's made of three cameras, propped inside the orb,
0:44:23 > 0:44:28to create these 360-degree panoramic images.
0:44:28 > 0:44:33'We're travelling at 4kmph, which means all three cameras
0:44:33 > 0:44:36'automatically take a shot every two metres or so.'
0:44:36 > 0:44:39When we conduct a transect,
0:44:39 > 0:44:42we dive for about 45 minutes along the coral reefs.
0:44:43 > 0:44:49In that time, we create about 1,000 panoramic images.
0:44:49 > 0:44:51Of course, on a reef that's home
0:44:51 > 0:44:55to 25% of all the world's marine species,
0:44:55 > 0:44:57you're not just going to see coral.
0:44:59 > 0:45:00I'm taking a few shots right now
0:45:00 > 0:45:04to try and get her through the downward facing camera.
0:45:06 > 0:45:11The team always use the SV2 camera in natural light.
0:45:11 > 0:45:15'Photos are taken at an average depth of 8m.'
0:45:15 > 0:45:17Wow, we've got a beautiful manta ray!
0:45:19 > 0:45:20Look at that!
0:45:22 > 0:45:25Hopefully, this will create a beautiful panoramic shot.
0:45:25 > 0:45:27Watching Christophe operate the camera
0:45:27 > 0:45:28is to see a master at work...
0:45:30 > 0:45:32..but I'm keen to have a go myself.
0:45:32 > 0:45:35So, Emma, would you like to have a go?
0:45:35 > 0:45:37- Can I have a go? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
0:45:37 > 0:45:43So I just point it and it's going to take all these photographs for me?
0:45:43 > 0:45:44Lift it up a bit.
0:45:44 > 0:45:47OK. Let's go.
0:45:47 > 0:45:49So how does it feel, Emma?
0:45:49 > 0:45:54Feels very fast. Much faster than I could swim.
0:45:54 > 0:46:00'The exact location of every photo taken is recorded by GPS
0:46:00 > 0:46:02'and the photos are taken at such an angle
0:46:02 > 0:46:05'that the 3D structure of the reef can be analysed.'
0:46:05 > 0:46:09This is the most amazing piece of research equipment.
0:46:09 > 0:46:13'Problem is, round here, it's easy to get distracted.'
0:46:13 > 0:46:16Christophe, I'm just going to come up to this turtle here
0:46:16 > 0:46:18and see if I can take a photo.
0:46:25 > 0:46:27OK...you're mapped.
0:46:27 > 0:46:31'To think - we could make this turtle more famous than Tom Cruise.'
0:46:34 > 0:46:37'The next step of the process is equally important.'
0:46:37 > 0:46:39- Richard!- Hello.
0:46:39 > 0:46:41'Richard Vevers is the project's director.'
0:46:41 > 0:46:44- We've got some amazing photographs. - Brilliant.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46And what are you going to be doing with them?
0:46:46 > 0:46:49Well, we've actually got the...the three images here,
0:46:49 > 0:46:52as you can see, from each of the three cameras.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55And that goes off for image recognition analysis
0:46:55 > 0:46:59and that will break down the species and will give us a massive database,
0:46:59 > 0:47:02because we've got 105,000 images so far.
0:47:03 > 0:47:08Another key aspect of the project is getting the public involved,
0:47:08 > 0:47:10by viewing the images on Google.
0:47:11 > 0:47:13How many people are looking at these images?
0:47:13 > 0:47:16Well, it is actually, um, millions.
0:47:16 > 0:47:18- Millions? - Well, tens or hundreds of millions
0:47:18 > 0:47:22because we're uploading these to the internet in such a way,
0:47:22 > 0:47:23using the latest technology,
0:47:23 > 0:47:27that anyone can go virtual diving for the first time in history.
0:47:27 > 0:47:29Thanks to photos like these,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33scientists will be able to diagnose the health of the world's reefs
0:47:33 > 0:47:35more effectively than ever.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38And if you want to see my day's work, go to Google,
0:47:38 > 0:47:40type in "Ocean Street View",
0:47:40 > 0:47:43and you might see a turtle you recognise.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52The Great Barrier Reef is just 6,000 years old.
0:47:52 > 0:47:56And in terms of the lifetime of a 5 billion-year-old planet,
0:47:56 > 0:47:58it's a mere infant.
0:47:58 > 0:48:01But will we lose it before we have the time and the chance
0:48:01 > 0:48:02to unlock all of its secrets
0:48:02 > 0:48:05and simply to appreciate the wonder of it all?
0:48:06 > 0:48:07I do hope not.
0:48:10 > 0:48:12Next time, Tasmania.
0:48:12 > 0:48:14Brendan Moar journeys to rugged Tasman Island
0:48:14 > 0:48:18to understand the dramatic grip of lighthouse life.
0:48:18 > 0:48:20This must be one of the most beautiful places I think I've ever seen,
0:48:20 > 0:48:22but you can feel the isolation.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25Emma Johnston dives into the battle
0:48:25 > 0:48:28between alien urchins and giant lobsters.
0:48:28 > 0:48:30Hey!
0:48:30 > 0:48:33Tim Flannery examines Hobart's crucial role
0:48:33 > 0:48:35in Antarctic exploration.
0:48:35 > 0:48:38In the footsteps of Scott, Amundsen and Mawson.
0:48:38 > 0:48:40They were tiny, weren't they?
0:48:40 > 0:48:44Xanthe Mallett is glad that fashion changes.
0:48:44 > 0:48:46Ooh, I do not fancy wearing this.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48'And I learn about the enormous effort
0:48:48 > 0:48:51'to restore a grande dame of the sea.'
0:48:51 > 0:48:54How often does a person get the chance to look out at Hobart?
0:48:54 > 0:48:55This is definitely
0:48:55 > 0:48:58in the once-in-a-lifetime category of opportunities.