0:00:03 > 0:00:05I'm on a journey around Australia.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11A country the size of a continent.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20This is a vast land, with extraordinary wildlife.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30A rich, booming country on the edge of Asia.
0:00:34 > 0:00:37It's not just cricket and kangaroos.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43- Thanks, ladies.- You're welcome.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47If you think you know Australia, think again.
0:00:50 > 0:00:51On this leg of my journey,
0:00:51 > 0:00:56I travel from Darwin, in Australia's far north, across to the remote
0:00:56 > 0:00:59Cape York Peninsula and on to the Great Barrier Reef.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07In the far north, I go out on patrol with a unique military force,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10experts at surviving deep in the Australian bush.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14- Green ant tea.- Green ant tea, yeah.
0:01:14 > 0:01:16Two green ants' nests we put in that.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18I have close encounters with some of
0:01:18 > 0:01:20the deadliest creatures on the planet.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- Is that enough to kill a human? - 15 to 20 humans. No problems at all.
0:01:24 > 0:01:27And I discover how Australia's booming industry
0:01:27 > 0:01:30is threatening the world's greatest coral reef.
0:01:33 > 0:01:36It's really like something from a sci-fi film.
0:02:01 > 0:02:04Wow! Oh, my goodness.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15I'm starting this leg of my journey
0:02:15 > 0:02:17in what locals call the top end of Australia.
0:02:17 > 0:02:23This is the classic Aussie outback - remote, wild and beautiful.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Down there is Kakadu National Park.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27It's one of the largest national parks in the world.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36Kakadu is just one of thousands of national parks
0:02:36 > 0:02:39and reserves in this vast country.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It's the size of Wales - a home to spectacular rocky plateaus,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47four major river systems and huge flood plains.
0:02:54 > 0:02:55Conservationist Ian Morris
0:02:55 > 0:02:59has trained many of the rangers who protect the park.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He knows its 8,000 square miles as well as anyone.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Apart from being completely massive,
0:03:07 > 0:03:11what is it about Kakadu that makes it special?
0:03:11 > 0:03:13Here we've got a biodiversity hot spot.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16We've got a place where there are lots and lots of unique animals all
0:03:16 > 0:03:19living together, not found anywhere else in the world, just in Kakadu.
0:03:19 > 0:03:20- Just here.- Endemics, yeah.
0:03:25 > 0:03:28What's this over here, Ian? Is that a croc in the water?
0:03:28 > 0:03:32Yes, that'll be a large male just cruising along.
0:03:32 > 0:03:34It's coming into their breeding season now,
0:03:34 > 0:03:38so the boy ones are getting a bit overloaded with testosterone.
0:03:38 > 0:03:41Ooh, he's looking... He's heading for the boat.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43- We're in his territory, so he's coming to have a look at us.- Uh!
0:03:43 > 0:03:48- It's probably a ten-foot male.- Ten foot? There's another one over here.
0:03:48 > 0:03:49They are everywhere around us.
0:03:49 > 0:03:53- Flipping heck!- You put yourself in crocodile soup today.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58'There are more than 100 types of reptile here
0:03:58 > 0:04:00'and countless other species.'
0:04:00 > 0:04:03That is an incredible bird.
0:04:03 > 0:04:07'The park is a twitcher's paradise, A haven for an endless
0:04:07 > 0:04:10'variety of birds, including visitors from overseas.'
0:04:11 > 0:04:12We're quite close,
0:04:12 > 0:04:16we're very close to Southeast Asia and lots of these water birds
0:04:16 > 0:04:19out here have got aunties and uncles up that way.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23You do realise there are very strong connections between you,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27- the land here, and your Asian neighbours.- Exactly.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32Kakadu has long been a spectacular sanctuary,
0:04:32 > 0:04:36but in recent years wildlife numbers here have been falling.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43Ten years ago, there used to be a lot more life here.
0:04:44 > 0:04:50There were goannas, which are whopping great monitor lizards,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53there were quolls in the trees around here.
0:04:53 > 0:04:58Quoll is a sort of marsupial, the size of a cat with a bushy tail
0:04:58 > 0:05:00and a lovely pink nose,
0:05:00 > 0:05:05and they have been wiped out by a strange, feral invader
0:05:05 > 0:05:08and Ian's going to take me to try and find it.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14Ian and I headed out of the park to hunt down the destructive creature.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16Is this Graeme here?
0:05:16 > 0:05:17This is Graeme, yes.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20So, this is Ian's mate, Graeme, up ahead,
0:05:20 > 0:05:24who's come to join us on this little mission.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29- You stop here? - Yes, this will be fine.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Lights out? And then we wait until dark.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34That's right.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48'The animal causing so many problems in Kakadu
0:05:48 > 0:05:50'and across much of Australia...'
0:05:51 > 0:05:53Just there. There you are.
0:05:53 > 0:05:54That's it.
0:05:54 > 0:05:56'..is called the cane toad.'
0:05:56 > 0:05:58Well, mid-sized female in not great condition...
0:05:58 > 0:06:00- Watch it.- ..can lay 20,000 eggs.
0:06:00 > 0:06:02I've got a thing about toads.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04I'm not mad on them, I must admit.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06Just looks like a harmless frog.
0:06:06 > 0:06:09- It does.- Why is it so dangerous?
0:06:09 > 0:06:12It is these glands here, which contain this toxin
0:06:12 > 0:06:15which none of our native animals seem to be able to handle.
0:06:15 > 0:06:16So, it's a poisonous toad?
0:06:16 > 0:06:19Yeah, to our animals, it's deadly.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23'Native animals that feast on a cane toad rarely survive the meal.'
0:06:23 > 0:06:25- See that? - And that's it, that's the poison.
0:06:25 > 0:06:27When the animals get it on their gums,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30that's enough to cause them death in a fairly short while.
0:06:30 > 0:06:32I mean, we've seen lots of big snakes, like king brown snakes,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35which are one of the biggest snakes up here,
0:06:35 > 0:06:37die so quickly, the toad's still stuck in their mouth.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40Good Lord. So they hadn't even swallowed it, just...
0:06:40 > 0:06:43No. Hadn't even got it down. The toxin just is that quick.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45'Cane toads were introduced into eastern Australia
0:06:45 > 0:06:49'from the Americas in the 1930s, in the hope they'd eat beetles
0:06:49 > 0:06:52'that were destroying fields of sugar cane.
0:06:52 > 0:06:55'It was a catastrophic mistake.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58'The cane toads completely failed to eat the beetles and, instead,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00'they became a massive pest.'
0:07:01 > 0:07:06'Just over 100 were introduced. There are now hundreds of millions.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:08See the little tadpoles here?
0:07:08 > 0:07:10They are newly-metamorphosed toad tadpoles.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12Oh, my goodness.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14- Yup.- There's hundreds of them.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19'Even cane toad eggs and tadpoles contain enough poison to kill
0:07:19 > 0:07:21'fish and frogs that eat them.'
0:07:21 > 0:07:24A female toad can lay, on average, about 35,000 eggs.
0:07:24 > 0:07:28It has been recorded up to about 50,000.
0:07:28 > 0:07:3035,000?
0:07:30 > 0:07:32So, what we're looking at here,
0:07:32 > 0:07:35all these tadpoles are probably the product of one lady.
0:07:38 > 0:07:40Oh, I'm really losing my voice,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43or at least getting appropriately croaky, anyway.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49'Ian and Graeme are among thousands of volunteer conservationists
0:07:49 > 0:07:52'who have spent years hunting cane toads at night,
0:07:52 > 0:07:56'trying to stop the creatures from spreading across the country.'
0:07:57 > 0:07:59There's a big one.
0:07:59 > 0:08:00Yes.
0:08:00 > 0:08:02'When they've gathered up as many as they can find,
0:08:02 > 0:08:06'they cull them as painlessly as possible, using carbon dioxide.'
0:08:07 > 0:08:10One of the really sad things about this is that there's
0:08:10 > 0:08:12no real alternative to that.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21For us, they're the frog from hell.
0:08:21 > 0:08:25That's quite graphic. That's really how you see them.
0:08:25 > 0:08:27That's the sort of threat they are.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29They're more powerful than we are at the moment.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31They're winning and we're losing
0:08:31 > 0:08:34and we've got to turn that around, somehow.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36'Killing one species to protect another
0:08:36 > 0:08:39'is a last resort for any conservationist.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41'Here, experts believe it's the only option.'
0:08:42 > 0:08:46'In recent decades, Australia's wildlife has been hammered.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49'Hundreds of native species have been pushed towards extinction,
0:08:49 > 0:08:51'thanks, in part, to poisonous cane toads
0:08:51 > 0:08:54'and other introduced creatures.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57'Despite the best efforts of volunteers like Ian and Graeme,
0:08:57 > 0:09:01'tackling toads by hand can only have a limited impact
0:09:01 > 0:09:03'on the millions who are still hopping their way
0:09:03 > 0:09:04'across the country.'
0:09:17 > 0:09:19'The next morning, I left the outback.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22'I was on my way to the city of Darwin
0:09:22 > 0:09:25'and stopped first on Australia's northern coast.'
0:09:29 > 0:09:31'This part of the country is closer to Indonesia's capital
0:09:31 > 0:09:33'than it is to Australia's.'
0:09:35 > 0:09:39'In the past, that proximity to Asia has put northern Australia
0:09:39 > 0:09:41'on the front line, as I could see at this
0:09:41 > 0:09:43'World War II coastal bunker.'
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Ooh.
0:09:48 > 0:09:52This area feels cut off from the rest of Australia,
0:09:52 > 0:09:56but Asia's not far away.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02During the Second World War, Japanese war planes
0:10:02 > 0:10:06attacked Darwin, dropping more bombs and sinking more ships than they
0:10:06 > 0:10:11did at Pearl Harbor, which they'd attacked just a few weeks before.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14'And the remote top end of Australia is becoming
0:10:14 > 0:10:15'strategically vital again.'
0:10:23 > 0:10:28'Robertson Barracks is home to Australia's first armoured regiment.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31'I met up with commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Scott Winter.'
0:10:32 > 0:10:35- Colonel.- Simon. Welcome to the home of Australia's armoured might.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37- Thank you very much, indeed. - Welcome to Darwin.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40The home of Australia's armoured might. That's quite a line.
0:10:40 > 0:10:42Well, look, I think it's one we can live up to,
0:10:42 > 0:10:45given that we are the best tank regiment in the Australian army.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48We're the only tank regiment in the Australian army, as well.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52No, look, we're fiercely proud of the service that we've conducted
0:10:52 > 0:10:54up here and are very much at home here in the north.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Do you want to come and have a look around?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Let's go and have a look. Thank you.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00What is this?
0:11:00 > 0:11:04That's the M1A1 Abrams main battle tank,
0:11:04 > 0:11:08so that's been in service with the Australian army for about six years.
0:11:08 > 0:11:10One of the unique things about the Abrams tank is it
0:11:10 > 0:11:12doesn't have a normal engine in it.
0:11:12 > 0:11:14It's got a helicopter engine in it.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Why does it have a helicopter engine?
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Is that some sort of top secret part of it?
0:11:18 > 0:11:21No. When they first made the tank, it was so big and so heavy that they
0:11:21 > 0:11:24couldn't physically make a diesel engine big enough
0:11:24 > 0:11:26- to actually move it.- My goodness.
0:11:28 > 0:11:30Well, you certainly couldn't
0:11:30 > 0:11:33mistake these tanks for belonging to anybody else other than the
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Australian army, could you, really, with the kangaroo on the front?
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Absolutely.
0:11:38 > 0:11:42So a big part of the reason to be up here in Darwin is that this
0:11:42 > 0:11:44is almost Australia's front line.
0:11:44 > 0:11:47It's a fascinating area of the world, Asia.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51It has its unstable, sort of, corners
0:11:51 > 0:11:55and Australia plays a leading role, I guess, in providing stability.
0:11:55 > 0:11:59But Australia is an Asian nation and it makes sense that, you know,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02our capacity in the future is to be within the region.
0:12:02 > 0:12:04I find it really interesting that you say
0:12:04 > 0:12:06Australia is an Asian nation.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10Growing up, I thought of Australia as being a, sort of, well,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13it may sound terrible, but a European outpost.
0:12:13 > 0:12:16Our forebears certainly saw themselves as part of the greater
0:12:16 > 0:12:20Empire and, while many of us are still very proud
0:12:20 > 0:12:21of our European roots,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24there is a geographical reality to where Australia is.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28'We headed down to the training area
0:12:28 > 0:12:30'so that I could see what the tanks can do.'
0:12:30 > 0:12:33I think they're impressive when they're static, but it's not
0:12:33 > 0:12:36until you really see that helicopter engine push
0:12:36 > 0:12:39the 60 tonnes of steel around that you really get to appreciate it.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46I feel a little bit like it could move anywhere, it could do
0:12:46 > 0:12:49anything and there's nothing that's going to stop that, is there?
0:12:49 > 0:12:52- That just means it's working. - Yeah. The ground shakes.
0:12:57 > 0:13:03When you've got 60-odd tonnes moving at 70km an hour,
0:13:03 > 0:13:05it has quite the unique presence.
0:13:05 > 0:13:0870km an hour, that can be propelled at?
0:13:08 > 0:13:09About 50mph.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12It's designed to make the enemy stand up, back against the tree
0:13:12 > 0:13:15and raise the white flag before you even fire a shot.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Well, it's working on me.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20I mean, it's great fun.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23As much as we're military professionals and we take an
0:13:23 > 0:13:26enormous amount of pride in what we do, it's also extremely enjoyable.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28It's classic big boys' toys.
0:13:30 > 0:13:33I was about to accuse you of that, but you said it yourself.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40'As the world's focus shifts towards the Asia region,
0:13:40 > 0:13:42'the United States has recently announced it will be
0:13:42 > 0:13:47'shifting its military focus from the Middle East to Asia.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50'The US is also rekindling a long standing strategic friendship
0:13:50 > 0:13:53'with Australia, and over the next few years
0:13:53 > 0:13:56'Robertson Barracks will become a home for up to
0:13:56 > 0:13:58'2,500 elite US Marines.'
0:14:00 > 0:14:04So this is where the US Marines will be living.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06It's not bad, actually -
0:14:06 > 0:14:09simple, plain, but they each get their own room.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15This decision by the US government to shift its emphasis,
0:14:15 > 0:14:19its military emphasis, from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean
0:14:19 > 0:14:21and Pacific, is really huge.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23It's momentous, in fact.
0:14:24 > 0:14:29It reflects, I suppose, a decision or an acceptance
0:14:29 > 0:14:34by the Americans that this century is very likely to be Asia's century.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37That's what people are calling it.
0:14:37 > 0:14:43And also that America's military competition in the future
0:14:43 > 0:14:48is very likely to come from the emerging Asian superpowers,
0:14:48 > 0:14:49particularly China.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58So, we're loading up and we're going to head off on patrol.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06'This is NORFORCE, a long-range surveillance regiment
0:15:06 > 0:15:09'that works in some of the toughest terrain on the planet.'
0:15:11 > 0:15:15'NORFORCE is said to have the largest area of operations of any
0:15:15 > 0:15:16'military unit in the world.'
0:15:22 > 0:15:26'The Northern Territory is six times the size of the UK.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29'But with a population of just 230,000 people,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31'vast areas are uninhabited.'
0:15:35 > 0:15:37'A unit of survival specialists,
0:15:37 > 0:15:41'these men are deployed to patrol Australia's front line with Asia.'
0:15:46 > 0:15:48'They were on the lookout for anything suspicious,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51'from drug smugglers to boatloads of illegal immigrants.'
0:15:51 > 0:15:52This a good spot?
0:15:52 > 0:15:54Not bad. What do you reckon, Woodsy?
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Not too bad.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Lieutenant Noble-Harris was setting up an observation post.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01So, there's pretty clear views out to sea,
0:16:01 > 0:16:05so basically all your northern and western approaches can be
0:16:05 > 0:16:09seen here, any sea traffic or air traffic going past can be observed.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14We've still got a good line of sight through the foliage.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18And you've got a huge area of operations, but I suppose you can
0:16:18 > 0:16:22see anything that's passing through it and passing across there.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26We're here looking out to make sure that nothing untoward happens
0:16:26 > 0:16:27to Australia's coastline.
0:16:27 > 0:16:29Anything we see, we'll report up.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32To all intents and purposes, we're out in the middle of nowhere,
0:16:32 > 0:16:33but that is where...
0:16:33 > 0:16:38That is a gap which is often filled anywhere in the world by illegality.
0:16:38 > 0:16:41There's people out there, you just never know.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44You could be in the middle of nowhere, but you never know.
0:16:44 > 0:16:49'NORFORCE soldiers can survive in the outback for weeks at a time.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53'60% of the regiment are Aboriginal Australians,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55'many with an understanding of life in the bush that has been
0:16:55 > 0:16:57'passed down through generations.'
0:16:59 > 0:17:02Does it really feel like you're able to use
0:17:02 > 0:17:07those 40,000 years of accumulated knowledge?
0:17:07 > 0:17:12Yeah, yeah. I am using it to teach others, too.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16Do you reckon you blokes could survive out here indefinitely?
0:17:16 > 0:17:17Uh-huh.
0:17:18 > 0:17:20- I mean, that's... - As long as I was hanging around him.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22THEY LAUGH
0:17:22 > 0:17:24'With their intimate knowledge of the land,
0:17:24 > 0:17:28'these soldiers can find nourishment in the unlikeliest of places.'
0:17:28 > 0:17:31As you can see, the green ant, it's...
0:17:31 > 0:17:33I've got one on me here, look.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36You can see the very green bum.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40That green part there is edible, OK?
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Are you just biting the bum of the snake?
0:17:43 > 0:17:45It's an ant.
0:17:45 > 0:17:46THEY LAUGH
0:17:46 > 0:17:49What are you doing?
0:17:49 > 0:17:53So, inside the nest there, we've got the eggs
0:17:53 > 0:17:55and we've got all the other green ants there.
0:17:55 > 0:18:00- Right.- Basically, there's a lot of citrus in the ant, so what we do,
0:18:00 > 0:18:02we make a cup of tea, we'll boil that up.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05You boil the ants' nest up for a cup of tea?
0:18:05 > 0:18:07Yes, the ants, the whole show in there.
0:18:07 > 0:18:08Is this a wind up?
0:18:08 > 0:18:09No, no, serious.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Green ant tea.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15Green ant tea, yeah. Two green ants' nests we put in there.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22It's smoky and citrusy. It's pretty tasty.
0:18:22 > 0:18:23Yeah.
0:18:26 > 0:18:29'The ants' nests were just a starter.
0:18:29 > 0:18:31'Wild magpie geese were on the menu for dinner.'
0:18:37 > 0:18:40'After they were roasted over a camp fire, we tucked in.'
0:18:42 > 0:18:44Look at that.
0:18:44 > 0:18:45Best bit, saved for you.
0:18:45 > 0:18:46Best bit?
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'On my travels in this country, I've seen that white Australians
0:18:49 > 0:18:52'and Aboriginals often live completely separate lives,
0:18:52 > 0:18:56'but among the soldiers of NORFORCE, things seem different.'
0:18:56 > 0:18:58The moment you join the Australian Defence Force,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02you wear these colours here and we're the one colour.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04We just feel like real brothers.
0:19:04 > 0:19:05Real brothers.
0:19:05 > 0:19:10It doesn't matter whether you're Aboriginal, European, Asian,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12we all stick together, fight together.
0:19:16 > 0:19:21(A couple of the guys are laid up doing their surveillance job.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23(The rest of the troop are just sleeping over there.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27(They've got a thicker skin than me, maybe.
0:19:27 > 0:19:28(Goodnight.)
0:20:01 > 0:20:03Morning.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09That was a long, sweaty night.
0:20:11 > 0:20:12And raining, as well, actually.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18I didn't sleep too badly. I did all right, actually.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Anyway, I see everybody else is up, so I'd better get up.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31'Australia's coastline is now being monitored around the clock.'
0:20:33 > 0:20:36'Several thousand people are caught trying to get into Australia
0:20:36 > 0:20:38'illegally every year.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40'I wanted to see where some of them are taken.'
0:20:40 > 0:20:44Now, so, there we go. Look. There is Darwin.
0:20:44 > 0:20:46It's much bigger than I was expecting.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49I thought it would be a sleepy, out-of-the-way town.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56'Half of the Northern Territory's population live in Darwin,
0:20:56 > 0:20:58'its capital city.'
0:21:00 > 0:21:04'The rest of the state, like most of Australia, is sparsely populated.'
0:21:05 > 0:21:08'Although so few people live in this country,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12'there's surprising hostility to migrants arriving illegally.'
0:21:12 > 0:21:17One of the biggest political issues in Australia at the moment
0:21:17 > 0:21:21is asylum seekers and refugees.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25And here, in Darwin, there are actually five detention centres
0:21:25 > 0:21:27for people who've come here illegally.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33'In Australia, illegal migrants and refugees face mandatory,
0:21:33 > 0:21:36'indefinite detention while their cases are being considered.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39'It's one of the toughest immigration policies of any
0:21:39 > 0:21:42'democratic country in the world.'
0:21:42 > 0:21:46- Hello.- Hello. What's your name?- Athari.
0:21:46 > 0:21:48- Athari.- Yes.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51- Where did you come from, Athari? - From Iraq.
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- From Iraq?- Yes.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57- Hello.- Hello. How are you?- Yes.
0:21:57 > 0:21:59- Where are you from?- Afghanistan.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02- Afghanistan?- Yes.- Iraq.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05- From Iraq?- Iraq.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10Iraq, Iran, Burma, Afghanistan.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14'I'd hoped we could film inside a detention centre.
0:22:14 > 0:22:15'We were told we could, but on terms that
0:22:15 > 0:22:17'would have allowed the immigration authorities
0:22:17 > 0:22:21'to delete and censor any of our footage.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24'So, instead, I stood outside this facility
0:22:24 > 0:22:26'where families and children are held,
0:22:26 > 0:22:28'and talked to detainees through the fence.'
0:22:30 > 0:22:32How long have you been in here?
0:22:34 > 0:22:35Two months.
0:22:48 > 0:22:49- Kidnapped by them?- Yeah.
0:22:49 > 0:22:51Because you're Shia?
0:22:51 > 0:22:54- Yeah.- The Taliban are Sunni.- Yeah.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'Most of these people have made perilous journeys
0:22:58 > 0:23:01'of thousands of miles across land and sea.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03'No doubt many of them wanted
0:23:03 > 0:23:06'to get into Australia for economic reasons.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08'They still have horrific stories.'
0:23:09 > 0:23:12'Carl O'Connor is a lawyer who represents
0:23:12 > 0:23:13'many of the detainees
0:23:13 > 0:23:17'and campaigns against the government's policy on refugees.'
0:23:17 > 0:23:19CHILDREN SHOUT
0:23:20 > 0:23:23What's different about how Australia treats asylum seekers
0:23:23 > 0:23:25and refugees compared to other countries?
0:23:25 > 0:23:27Other countries will process refugees in centres
0:23:27 > 0:23:31such as this, but not for as long as it takes in Australia.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34So, they might be in there for a couple of days in Europe before
0:23:34 > 0:23:37they're moved into the community and they can get on with their life.
0:23:37 > 0:23:40'The government says its policy of mandatory detention, which can
0:23:40 > 0:23:44'last for months or years, helps to discourage potential refugees
0:23:44 > 0:23:49'from making the dangerous and often deadly journey from Asia by boat.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51'They say that if they let people live outside detention centres
0:23:51 > 0:23:54'while their claims are processed, as in many other countries,
0:23:54 > 0:23:58'refugees could simply disappear and live illegally.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01'Few countries have open borders, of course,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04'but human rights groups and local protesters claim Australia's
0:24:04 > 0:24:08'immigration policies breach their international obligations.'
0:24:09 > 0:24:15One of the biggest tragedies of the whole debate, furore,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18in developed countries about asylum seekers and refugees,
0:24:18 > 0:24:21when we think of people as a mass,
0:24:21 > 0:24:26as some sort of invading force, people find it frightening.
0:24:26 > 0:24:28They worry about their jobs being taken,
0:24:28 > 0:24:30their homes being taken, etc, etc.
0:24:30 > 0:24:33But when you start meeting people and hearing their individual stories
0:24:33 > 0:24:36and you realise you've got to be pretty desperate
0:24:36 > 0:24:38to make the journey here.
0:24:38 > 0:24:43Pretty determined, as well, but, ultimately, desperate.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49'Most Australians support tough controls on illegal immigration,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52'but like other wealthy countries Australia has, of course,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55'been happy to cherry-pick and allow in millions of legal economic
0:24:55 > 0:24:58'migrants to live in the country and boost the economy.'
0:25:01 > 0:25:04'It was time for me to leave the Northern Territory.'
0:25:06 > 0:25:09'I'd soon be visiting The Great Barrier Reef, to get up close
0:25:09 > 0:25:12'with some of Australia's most beautiful wildlife,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14'but first, I headed for Weipa,
0:25:14 > 0:25:16'on the isolated Cape York Peninsula.'
0:25:23 > 0:25:26So we've arrived, hired a car,
0:25:26 > 0:25:30and we're in a very remote part of the country.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33The Cape York Peninsula is about the size of England,
0:25:33 > 0:25:37but has a population of less than 20,000.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42This is the main town, the throbbing metropolis of Weipa.
0:25:44 > 0:25:46'I'd come to meet Dr Jamie Seymour.'
0:25:46 > 0:25:48- Morning.- Morning.
0:25:48 > 0:25:50'He's a scientist who studies some of the most lethal
0:25:50 > 0:25:52'creatures on the planet.'
0:25:53 > 0:25:58Jamie, it's looking stunning out here.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03It's an amazing place, Weipa, but don't let the looks deceive you.
0:26:03 > 0:26:05It's not the easiest place to get in and out of the water
0:26:05 > 0:26:07and stay alive in, that's for sure.
0:26:07 > 0:26:08Stay alive in?
0:26:08 > 0:26:10- Well...- What have we got out here?
0:26:10 > 0:26:12Take us through what is in the water here.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14Well, if you work from the top end, there's saltwater crocodiles,
0:26:14 > 0:26:17there's some of them four, four and a half metre crocodiles...
0:26:17 > 0:26:19- Right. - ..so they're liable to kill you.
0:26:19 > 0:26:21You've got sea snakes, you've got sharks,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23and then you've got box jellyfish, the world's most
0:26:23 > 0:26:26venomous animal and, literally, we can find all of those things within
0:26:26 > 0:26:29probably 200, 300 hundred metres of where we're standing.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31So, not a place to take a dip?
0:26:31 > 0:26:33No. You wouldn't get in the water here and swim out.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Something would probably get you before you got back to shore.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38We haven't really said what we're here to do yet,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40but the back of Jamie's T-shirt,
0:26:40 > 0:26:43if you don't mind spinning round, gives you a hell of a clue.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Stinger Research Unit. Let's get out there.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48- All right.- I feel a bit apprehensive after that warning.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50You'll be fine. You'll be fine. Trust me.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53'I headed out with Jamie,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56'his colleague, Richard, and boat skipper, Dave.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59'We were looking for jellyfish.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02'Many scientists believe that, because of our changing climate
0:27:02 > 0:27:04'and the overfishing of their predators,
0:27:04 > 0:27:06'global jellyfish numbers are increasing.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09'Some even worry they could become one of the dominant
0:27:09 > 0:27:11'life forms in our seas.'
0:27:11 > 0:27:14Jamie, what on earth are we - or rather, you - out here to do?
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It's basically one of their major settling sites,
0:27:17 > 0:27:18where we come to chase box jellyfish.
0:27:18 > 0:27:22This is one area where we find THE greatest density of these things.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25There is nothing on the planet, animal-wise,
0:27:25 > 0:27:27that kills as quickly as these animals.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29There is nothing that even comes close.
0:27:32 > 0:27:34'Jamie was planning to catch box jellyfish,
0:27:34 > 0:27:36'but first we had to find them.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39'Part of the reason they're so dangerous is that they're
0:27:39 > 0:27:40'so hard to spot.'
0:27:47 > 0:27:51There's lots of bait fish and things here that they'd be chasing.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54What's that down there?
0:27:54 > 0:27:57- No, that's...- That's just white sand.- No, that's white sand.
0:28:01 > 0:28:02There's one. Deep in the water.
0:28:02 > 0:28:04Big one. Big one. See him, just down here?
0:28:04 > 0:28:08- Oh, yeah, yeah. Just a slight change in the colour.- Yep.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10I mean, I would not have noticed that.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16The most venomous creature on planet Earth?
0:28:16 > 0:28:19Yep. And look how far it is from shore.
0:28:19 > 0:28:21Well, it's only about 12 feet, isn't it?
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Yep. That's the problem. We know what we're looking for.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I've just shown you one just there, and you went, "I didn't see that."
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Now, you imagine if you'd just come to the water to go for a swim,
0:28:29 > 0:28:32you blunder into that animal.
0:28:32 > 0:28:33It's all over.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35So, you're going to try and catch that one?
0:28:35 > 0:28:37Yeah, we need to get kitted up first.
0:28:37 > 0:28:39You can't get in the water until we get kitted up.
0:28:39 > 0:28:42And is that creature enough to kill a human?
0:28:42 > 0:28:46That animal, that size, 15 to 20 humans, no problems at all.
0:28:46 > 0:28:50- Could kill?- Oh, absolutely. Without a shadow of a doubt.
0:28:50 > 0:28:51In under two minutes.
0:28:51 > 0:28:53Take it super-seriously.
0:28:53 > 0:28:57Yeah. You screw up here, you only get one chance at it.
0:28:57 > 0:28:58Oh, this sucks.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02'We put on thin wet suits, as protection from the stingers.'
0:29:02 > 0:29:04- Just jump in here?- Yep.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Now, I want you, to stay between me and the shore.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10OK. I'm happy with that.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13So, swing in from here.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15- My God, it's just in front of me.- There.
0:29:15 > 0:29:17I wouldn't have even seen that.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19Basically, what you're looking at is...
0:29:19 > 0:29:21- I'll just get him to the surface. - Good God.
0:29:21 > 0:29:25- So, there you are.- There it is. - That's about half-grown.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27It looks completely harmless.
0:29:27 > 0:29:28Now, if you have a look at the animal.
0:29:30 > 0:29:34There you have, basically, a half-grown box jellyfish.
0:29:34 > 0:29:35You can see it's still pulsing.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40So, these are, basically, off here, you've got all the tentacles.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44It feels like a, sort of, hard jelly.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49Just feeling it, I mean, you don't whether it feels alive.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52It doesn't even really feel particularly alive.
0:29:52 > 0:29:55- Squidgy.- Yep.- Quite squidgy.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59- Another one coming in behind it. - Another coming in through here?- Yes.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03'Box jellyfish can move at almost 5mph,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06'as fast as Olympic swimmers.
0:30:06 > 0:30:09'Two metres of tentacle contact is enough to kill an adult human
0:30:09 > 0:30:13'and even the tiniest sting can be agonising.'
0:30:16 > 0:30:19It's getting to the stage where I want to get out of the water.
0:30:19 > 0:30:23We need to get back in the boat, cos we've been here a bit too long
0:30:23 > 0:30:26and they're worried that crocs are watching us all the time
0:30:26 > 0:30:30and the window is, basically, sort of, 20-25 minutes before
0:30:30 > 0:30:32a croc will come in and start to launch an attack,
0:30:32 > 0:30:36which, as you can imagine, is quite a scary prospect.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39- All right, Rich, let's get out of here.- OK.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45'Jamie has had several close shaves himself,
0:30:45 > 0:30:47'but he's hunting for box jellyfish
0:30:47 > 0:30:50'precisely because they are so dangerous.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52'He's convinced their venom will be enormously useful
0:30:52 > 0:30:54'for medical research.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56'The venom has so much potential
0:30:56 > 0:30:59'that drug companies are helping to fund his work.'
0:30:59 > 0:31:01'You need to think of venom as a cocktail.'
0:31:01 > 0:31:03So there's a heap of things in there
0:31:03 > 0:31:07and they all target different components. So we know, for example,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10in box jellyfish venom, there's a component that attacks the heart.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13But then there's another 20, 30, 40 different compounds
0:31:13 > 0:31:17that we haven't even started to look at, that we know don't cause death,
0:31:17 > 0:31:19but they're in the venom. What do they do?
0:31:19 > 0:31:22They could be there to help the drug get into a certain area quicker,
0:31:22 > 0:31:25so, if we're looking at that, for example,
0:31:25 > 0:31:26it may make it go quicker to the heart.
0:31:26 > 0:31:28It's a matter of understanding what's going on.
0:31:28 > 0:31:34So, by studying jellyfish venom, you can come up with new drugs
0:31:34 > 0:31:37or a new way of treating people for ailments and problems
0:31:37 > 0:31:39entirely unconnected with jellyfish.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41The chances of finding a novel compound in here
0:31:41 > 0:31:46that could save people's lives is enormous.
0:31:46 > 0:31:47If there wasn't,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50pharmaceutical companies would NOT be going down this track.
0:31:50 > 0:31:51There's one, Simon.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54'Research into the composition of venoms
0:31:54 > 0:31:56'is already producing results.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59'Scientists recently discovered a compound in the venom
0:31:59 > 0:32:03'of an African snake that has potential as one of the world's
0:32:03 > 0:32:05most powerful painkillers.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07We want some tentacles from this guy,
0:32:07 > 0:32:08because that's where the venom is,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11so we're going to take the bottom end off this.
0:32:11 > 0:32:13So lift that underneath there, Rich.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16So we put the animal back in the water.
0:32:16 > 0:32:19You can still see that he's got the vast majority of his tentacles.
0:32:19 > 0:32:20The tentacles have got the venom in it.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23He'll regrow those in such a rate that he'll
0:32:23 > 0:32:27regrow something between 1-2cm of tentacle in 24 hours.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31- Astonishing.- Just take that top. That'll do. That'll do us.
0:32:31 > 0:32:35I find it absolutely stunning that what you're doing here and now
0:32:35 > 0:32:37could help to find new drugs,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41new ways of treating some of the most intractable human ailments.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44If, somewhere in the future. the work that I did
0:32:44 > 0:32:47- saved somebody's life... - Made a difference.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50Let's be honest, just saying those things, at the moment,
0:32:50 > 0:32:53I can just feel all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56One day it will happen. I know it will happen.
0:32:56 > 0:32:57It's a matter of when.
0:33:21 > 0:33:25I continued my journey across the remote Cape York Peninsula.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28It's one of the least populated areas of Australia
0:33:28 > 0:33:32'and most of the people who do live here are Aboriginals.'
0:33:32 > 0:33:35I headed to the town of Aurukun.
0:33:35 > 0:33:37After white settlers arrived in Australia,
0:33:37 > 0:33:41the indigenous people suffered brutal treatment.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44In some parts of the country, they were exterminated.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49For decades, Australia treated its indigenous people appallingly.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52There was abuse, almost apartheid.
0:33:52 > 0:33:56Aboriginal communities now suffer
0:33:56 > 0:33:59significantly lower life expectancy and higher unemployment than the
0:33:59 > 0:34:03rest of Australia, and Aurukun is a town gripped by social problems.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06I met up with Gina, who has first-hand experience
0:34:06 > 0:34:08of the issues people here struggle with.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Gina, is this a community in crisis?
0:34:11 > 0:34:15It's like a pressure cooker of social problems.
0:34:15 > 0:34:19We still continue to endure very low socioeconomic standards,
0:34:19 > 0:34:22compared to that of the mainstream Australia -
0:34:22 > 0:34:25no businesses, no jobs,
0:34:25 > 0:34:29most of the people in the community are on welfare benefits.
0:34:29 > 0:34:30Most people?
0:34:30 > 0:34:33Yes, the majority. Yes.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35A lot of people are dying too young.
0:34:35 > 0:34:39The average life expectancy here is still very, very low.
0:34:39 > 0:34:42- My mother died, she was 42. - How did your mother die?
0:34:42 > 0:34:47My mother was murdered by her partner at the time.
0:34:47 > 0:34:48I was 14 years old.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51- God, I'm so sorry. - That was alcohol-fuelled violence.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Blame for many of the problems affecting Aboriginal people today
0:34:58 > 0:35:00can no longer all be pinned on the white establishment.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06Many Aboriginal communities across the country have their own ingrained
0:35:06 > 0:35:08problems with drug abuse, child abuse,
0:35:08 > 0:35:10alcoholism and domestic violence.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15And it can be shocking to discover just how many families are affected.
0:35:19 > 0:35:23It's just really sad. Look at it.
0:35:25 > 0:35:29This place is a classic example of what happens when people lose
0:35:29 > 0:35:32their sense of purpose and meaning,
0:35:32 > 0:35:34when they lose their role in life and become
0:35:34 > 0:35:40welfare dependent and rely on sit-down money, as it's called here.
0:35:40 > 0:35:45I've seen and I've felt, I think, that same sense of helplessness
0:35:45 > 0:35:48and hopelessness in many other parts of the world,
0:35:48 > 0:35:52but I've never felt it quite so strongly as I have in
0:35:52 > 0:35:55any number of Aboriginal communities here in Australia.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00Across Australia,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04Aboriginal lands sit on top of huge deposits of minerals -
0:36:04 > 0:36:07coal, copper and, here on the Cape York Peninsula,
0:36:07 > 0:36:09the aluminium ore, bauxite.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15A culture of welfare dependency in Aboriginal communities
0:36:15 > 0:36:18has been fuelled by the fact that many receive royalty payments
0:36:18 > 0:36:21from mining companies, to mine their land,
0:36:21 > 0:36:24which have become little more than hand-outs or sit-down money.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27But Gina wants to help end the dependence on these pay-outs.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31We went to a mine owned by Rio Tinto,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35a multi-billion pound mining giant, which hires bulldozers from Gina.
0:36:35 > 0:36:41Over here is one of our dozers. It's called a D10 dozer.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45- When you say it's one of our dozers...- Aurukun Earthmoving.
0:36:45 > 0:36:51So this bulldozer is actually owned by the people of Aurukun?
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Yes. We're establishing businesses,
0:36:53 > 0:36:56so that we can actually have economic participation -
0:36:56 > 0:36:59and economic participation means jobs for our people.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01It means wealth creation.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04It is not just about receiving royalties. We don't want to just
0:37:04 > 0:37:07get sit-down money from the companies who mine our land.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10This is our land and we want to be involved in any developments
0:37:10 > 0:37:11that happen on our land.
0:37:11 > 0:37:14What's your involvement in the company?
0:37:14 > 0:37:18I played a role in establishing the business and I've been
0:37:18 > 0:37:21a company director, managing director, for the last eight years.
0:37:21 > 0:37:24- Did you set the company up, then? - Yes. 18, 19.
0:37:24 > 0:37:28- You were a teenager...- Yes.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31- ..when you... How many of these do you own?- Four.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33We started out with one dozer and we went knocking
0:37:33 > 0:37:35on Rio Tinto's door and said,
0:37:35 > 0:37:38"Please, would you give us some work?"
0:37:38 > 0:37:39And here we are today.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42We've got a five-year contract that was just recently signed,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46so it's a fantastic result for all of us. We're very happy.
0:37:47 > 0:37:49'Owning and renting out mining equipment
0:37:49 > 0:37:51'is the start of Gina's plans.
0:37:51 > 0:37:56'There are bauxite-rich deposits around her community at Aurukun.
0:37:56 > 0:37:57'Even though it's in a wilderness area,
0:37:57 > 0:38:00'it seems likely it'll be mined and Gina wants the people
0:38:00 > 0:38:02'of her community to be the ones who mine it.'
0:38:02 > 0:38:05We have spoken to the highest levels in government.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07We have spoken to the Deputy Premier,
0:38:07 > 0:38:10we have spoken to the Department of Infrastructure.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13We want to be the owners of that resource.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16We want to develop our own mine.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19This is very exciting. Has this been done before?
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Has an Aboriginal community in Australia
0:38:22 > 0:38:24run their own mining operation?
0:38:24 > 0:38:27Never. It's never happened.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29We want to lift the bar. We'll be able to,
0:38:29 > 0:38:34with our partners, of course,
0:38:34 > 0:38:37we'll be able to show the world that this is how it should be done.
0:38:40 > 0:38:43Aboriginal communities need strong, inspiring leaders, like Gina.
0:38:43 > 0:38:48She's trying to get the people of Aurukun off welfare
0:38:48 > 0:38:51and give them purpose and meaning again, through employment.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56I'm on the move again
0:38:56 > 0:39:01and I'm heading now to the airport, where I'm going to hop on a flight
0:39:01 > 0:39:03which is going to take me to the east coast
0:39:03 > 0:39:05and the Great Barrier Reef.
0:39:11 > 0:39:12I headed to the city of Cairns,
0:39:12 > 0:39:17a gateway to one of the greatest natural wonders on the planet.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21The Great Barrier Reef is the largest natural structure on earth.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24It extends for more than 1,500 miles
0:39:24 > 0:39:26and is big enough to be seen from space.
0:39:30 > 0:39:34Very excited about this. Trying to remain calm.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37A chance to get onto The Great Barrier Reef is not one
0:39:37 > 0:39:39you want to miss.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- Hello there.- Hey, welcome on board.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44- Are you Col?- I'm Col, and pleased to have you in my work place.
0:39:44 > 0:39:46- Thanks, Col. Oh! - Right there. I got it.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48'Col McKenzie represents tour operators
0:39:48 > 0:39:50'who take tourists out on the reef.'
0:39:50 > 0:39:52- Nearly made it into the water!- Yup.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57'He's also one of the people
0:39:57 > 0:40:00'responsible for keeping the reef at its best.'
0:40:00 > 0:40:05Col's kindly taking me out to see a beautiful bit of reef,
0:40:05 > 0:40:06and I get to snorkel on it.
0:40:13 > 0:40:18The sheer diversity of the reef is jaw-dropping.
0:40:18 > 0:40:23It's a home to more than 130 types of sharks and rays,
0:40:23 > 0:40:251,800 species of fish
0:40:25 > 0:40:29and every type of coral and colour the mind can imagine.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32But coral reefs aren't just pretty to look at.
0:40:32 > 0:40:34They're vital to the health of our oceans.
0:40:34 > 0:40:38Reefs occupy less than 1% of the Earth's surface,
0:40:38 > 0:40:42but they support more than 25% of all marine life.
0:40:47 > 0:40:49But of all the life down here,
0:40:49 > 0:40:52there's one creature in particular that Col is concerned about.
0:40:52 > 0:40:56It's a type of starfish that is literally eating the reef.
0:40:56 > 0:40:59You can actually see an area that's just been eaten.
0:40:59 > 0:41:01It's been eaten in the last 24 hours.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03It's a bright, white skeleton,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06because all the animal has been dissolved and taken away.
0:41:06 > 0:41:10'It was easy to see the dead white coral skeleton
0:41:10 > 0:41:12'that Col was talking about.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16'The creature responsible for the damage is a spiky starfish
0:41:16 > 0:41:18'called the crown-of-thorns.'
0:41:18 > 0:41:21While we were down, we could see one crown-of-thorns
0:41:21 > 0:41:27that Col pointed out to me. And it is a monster of a creature.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30Really like something from a sci-fi film.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34Crown-of-thorns starfish are native to the reef
0:41:34 > 0:41:37and they naturally eat fast-growing coral
0:41:37 > 0:41:40and help give slower-growing coral a chance to thrive.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44But if they reach plague proportions,
0:41:44 > 0:41:46they can destroy the reef, leaving nothing
0:41:46 > 0:41:49but algae-covered coral skeletons.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52In recent years, that's exactly what's been happening
0:41:52 > 0:41:54on large areas of The Great Barrier Reef.
0:41:56 > 0:41:57They eat everything.
0:41:57 > 0:42:01They eat all the hard coral, all the soft coral,
0:42:01 > 0:42:03they eat the whole lot out. I've seen a reef go
0:42:03 > 0:42:07from 55% live coral cover to 5% live coral cover
0:42:07 > 0:42:11in less than six months. These things can really devastate a reef
0:42:11 > 0:42:16and it's, unfortunately, human intervention that's caused it.
0:42:16 > 0:42:19It's because of our farming and grazing practices.
0:42:19 > 0:42:22It's because of the cities that are growing up along our coastline.
0:42:22 > 0:42:24That's what's causing this problem.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Many scientists believe that increased use of fertilisers
0:42:29 > 0:42:33in farming has led to more nitrogen and phosphorous being washed into
0:42:33 > 0:42:35the seas off Australia's east coast.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38They provide food for plankton which are, in turn,
0:42:38 > 0:42:42the food of choice for crown-of-thorns larvae.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45Crown-of-thorns plagues are linked directly to flood plumes
0:42:45 > 0:42:49and to the water quality that's coming off our land.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52So you get more baby starfish, more teenage starfish,
0:42:52 > 0:42:54more adult starfish, etc, etc.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56Three years after a flood plume,
0:42:56 > 0:42:59we will have an outbreak of crown-of-thorns.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03The Great Barrier Reef is in serious trouble.
0:43:03 > 0:43:06A recent report revealed it's lost 50% of its coral cover
0:43:06 > 0:43:08over the last 30 years.
0:43:08 > 0:43:11Our changing climate is having a huge impact,
0:43:11 > 0:43:14but so are crown-of-thorns. To protect the reef,
0:43:14 > 0:43:19the starfish are being targeted by Col's team of divers.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21I'm loving this Australian meal.
0:43:21 > 0:43:23A proper Aussie barbecue.
0:43:23 > 0:43:27There's basically ten kilos of steak, ten kilos of sausages.
0:43:27 > 0:43:31Oh, no, look, that was unfair of me. I was going to say no veg.
0:43:31 > 0:43:36Look at this. Pumpkin and tatties. Looks fantastic.
0:43:36 > 0:43:40'The crown-of-thorns aren't only dangerous to coral.
0:43:40 > 0:43:43'They can be tricky for a diver to deal with.'
0:43:43 > 0:43:45The problem with handling these creatures is that
0:43:45 > 0:43:49those spines on them have a neurotoxin poison
0:43:49 > 0:43:52and this is what protects the crown-of-thorns.
0:43:52 > 0:43:54Of course they've got a neurotoxin. This is Australia.
0:43:54 > 0:43:56Everything is venomous or poisonous.
0:43:56 > 0:44:00Well, I know of a case where a diver doing crown-of-thorns work
0:44:00 > 0:44:03in the coral reef around Japan only two months ago
0:44:03 > 0:44:06died from a crown-of-thorns sting.
0:44:06 > 0:44:09- Really?- They'll go through a 5mm wet suit, no trouble.
0:44:09 > 0:44:14So the plan is we eat this fantastic meal, sleep,
0:44:14 > 0:44:18and then tomorrow, we'll see what you're doing to tackle the starfish.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20Absolutely. So far, you've seen some good sites
0:44:20 > 0:44:23and some pretty bad sites. Now we'll show you how we protect it.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Beautiful little sharkies in the water.
0:44:53 > 0:44:57I'm just cleaning my teeth and it's out here, down beneath us.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13'After breakfast, Col and I went out to see his dive team at work.
0:45:28 > 0:45:32'It wasn't long before the team found coral scars,
0:45:32 > 0:45:35the telltale sign there were crown-of-thorns nearby.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39'The starfish typically feed at night.
0:45:39 > 0:45:41'During the day, they're often hidden away.'
0:45:51 > 0:45:53Really bizarre.
0:45:53 > 0:45:59There were almost a dozen of them, these multi-armed feeding machines.
0:45:59 > 0:46:03I'm going to go back down and see how they deal with them.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09As with the cane toads I saw earlier on my trip, and other feral and
0:46:09 > 0:46:13invasive creatures that are damaging the environment in Australia,
0:46:13 > 0:46:17the crown-of-thorns are just doing what comes naturally to them.
0:46:17 > 0:46:19But human actions have seen their numbers explode
0:46:19 > 0:46:22and so conservationists have decided the only way of protecting
0:46:22 > 0:46:25the Great Barrier Reef is to cull the crown-of-thorns.
0:46:25 > 0:46:30Originally, researchers tried cutting the starfish in half,
0:46:30 > 0:46:35but, remarkably, each part survived, doubling the numbers.
0:46:37 > 0:46:40Injecting them with chemicals is a slow, laborious process,
0:46:40 > 0:46:43and Col's team are only protecting the parts of the reef
0:46:43 > 0:46:45most visited by tourists.
0:46:51 > 0:46:54The cynic in me wonders, I suppose, if tourists weren't coming
0:46:54 > 0:46:58to these parts of the reef, whether there would be the incentive
0:46:58 > 0:47:02and the pressure for you to proactively try and protect them.
0:47:02 > 0:47:07High-value tourism and high tourism numbers give us
0:47:07 > 0:47:10the financial clout to be able to invest in protecting the reef.
0:47:10 > 0:47:11It's ironic, isn't it?
0:47:11 > 0:47:14Everybody said, "Oh, tourism will be the death of places."
0:47:14 > 0:47:17Here, it's actually contributing to the salvation of it.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Without tourism, we'd have no financial incentive to do a thing.
0:47:20 > 0:47:26With all the different threats there are to coral reefs around the world,
0:47:26 > 0:47:31what's your take on what the future is for The Great Barrier Reef?
0:47:31 > 0:47:34If we don't get control of it, reef-wide, in the very
0:47:34 > 0:47:38near future, we're going to lose an enormous amount of biodiversity.
0:47:38 > 0:47:41Where we have a couple of hundred species of coral,
0:47:41 > 0:47:44we could end up like the Caribbean or the Bahamas or off Florida,
0:47:44 > 0:47:47where you can count the number of species on two hands.
0:47:47 > 0:47:48So, see it while you can?
0:47:48 > 0:47:51If people want to see the Reef in pristine condition,
0:47:51 > 0:47:55they need to be out here right now and see it over the next five years.
0:47:55 > 0:47:59The future of the Barrier Reef is going to be different
0:47:59 > 0:48:00to what we see right now.
0:48:01 > 0:48:04Two million tourists visit the Great Barrier Reef every year.
0:48:04 > 0:48:06'Apart from anything else,
0:48:06 > 0:48:10'it's an economic resource that Australia can't afford to lose.'
0:48:18 > 0:48:21So, we're heading south from here,
0:48:21 > 0:48:26down the magnificently-named Bruce Highway.
0:48:26 > 0:48:29I'm sure there's a Sheila Street out there, as well.
0:48:29 > 0:48:32This area is actually a bit of a Mecca for backpackers,
0:48:32 > 0:48:34but, as you can see,
0:48:34 > 0:48:38with all the camera equipment, we can't travel quite so lightly.
0:48:41 > 0:48:43Let's get on the road.
0:48:58 > 0:49:00There is a giant Wellington boot.
0:49:04 > 0:49:06Got to stop and show you this.
0:49:12 > 0:49:18So, as we head south, we pass through this town called Tully,
0:49:18 > 0:49:23which... Well, it gets a bit wet here and so they put this boot here
0:49:23 > 0:49:27to commemorate, I suppose, to celebrate, really,
0:49:27 > 0:49:29just how wet it gets.
0:49:31 > 0:49:36I have to say, the Australians do constantly, rather constantly,
0:49:36 > 0:49:39go on about how it rains a little bit in Britain,
0:49:39 > 0:49:42but never does it rain as much as it does here.
0:49:42 > 0:49:43So, average rainfall -
0:49:43 > 0:49:47I checked this. Thank you, internet -
0:49:47 > 0:49:54average rainfall in the UK per year is about a metre. About a metre.
0:49:54 > 0:50:00Here, in one year, almost eight metres of water fell.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04And so, to celebrate that,
0:50:04 > 0:50:09what better way than to put a giant Wellington boot in your town,
0:50:09 > 0:50:13to let everybody know you are one of the wettest places in the world?
0:50:24 > 0:50:27'I continue driving down Australia's east coast,
0:50:27 > 0:50:31'along the seemingly-endless highway that runs parallel to the Reef.
0:50:40 > 0:50:41'500 miles south of Cairns,
0:50:41 > 0:50:46'I arrived at Hay Point, one of the largest coal ports in the world.'
0:50:46 > 0:50:49Almost 10% of the world's
0:50:49 > 0:50:54seaborne coal is exported from just this port.
0:50:54 > 0:50:56It's astonishing, really.
0:50:56 > 0:50:59It gives you a glimpse, I think, into the scale of Australia's
0:50:59 > 0:51:02resources boom, which, in many ways, has been the biggest story
0:51:02 > 0:51:05in this country over the last couple of decades.
0:51:05 > 0:51:10In the vastness of this continent-sized country,
0:51:10 > 0:51:13there are all manner of mines and quarries and seams
0:51:13 > 0:51:19that churn out the raw materials that fuel the furnaces and feed
0:51:19 > 0:51:24the resource-hungry economies of countries like China and India.
0:51:27 > 0:51:30This is the final stage of the process.
0:51:30 > 0:51:33The coal is being brought down through the nozzle over here
0:51:33 > 0:51:36and loaded into the hold of this ship,
0:51:36 > 0:51:39at the rate of up to two tonnes a second.
0:51:39 > 0:51:43Out on the horizon over here, I can see any number of ships
0:51:43 > 0:51:46just waiting to have their bellies filled.
0:51:46 > 0:51:50Incredibly, before they can reach the open sea,
0:51:50 > 0:51:52the huge ships are allowed to navigate their way
0:51:52 > 0:51:55through the Great Barrier Reef.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Even this, one of the most fragile and threatened environments
0:51:58 > 0:52:02on Earth, cannot stand in the way of the Australian resources boom.
0:52:02 > 0:52:07Any collision in the maze of coral islands would be disastrous,
0:52:07 > 0:52:09so the ships are guided by specialist reef pilots,
0:52:09 > 0:52:10like Richard Tennant.
0:52:10 > 0:52:13These ships have a draft of about 18 metres, when they sail.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16It's a deep draft, so they haven't got very much water under the keel.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18So, how far off the bottom is it?
0:52:18 > 0:52:20The shallowest point would be about one metre off the bottom.
0:52:20 > 0:52:25One metre off the bottom? So there are points when this ship,
0:52:25 > 0:52:31loaded with 180,000 tonnes of coal is, what, that far off
0:52:31 > 0:52:33the bottom of the seabed?
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Yes, but they're not going very fast in that instance.
0:52:36 > 0:52:39They're only going about walking pace that close to the bottom.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41They don't stop very easily, though, do they?
0:52:41 > 0:52:43When they're going full sea speed,
0:52:43 > 0:52:45yeah, they take a long while to stop.
0:52:45 > 0:52:49In fact, it would be quicker to turn it around than stop it.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55'The helicopter flies Richard more than 100 miles out to sea
0:52:55 > 0:52:57'and lands him on a moving ship.
0:52:57 > 0:53:00'His job is then to guide the ship's captain through the shallow
0:53:00 > 0:53:04seas of the Reef and into the coal port, to pick up its cargo.
0:53:33 > 0:53:36A wrong turn would be catastrophic.
0:53:36 > 0:53:39In 2010, a ship called the Shen Neng tried to navigate its way
0:53:39 > 0:53:43through the reef without a pilot. It ran aground,
0:53:43 > 0:53:45carving a two-mile gash in the coral
0:53:45 > 0:53:49and leaking three tonnes of toxic oil and chemicals into the water.
0:54:36 > 0:54:37There we go. We're here.
0:54:37 > 0:54:39Magnificent flying.
0:54:39 > 0:54:42- See you this afternoon, then. - We wish you all the best of luck
0:54:42 > 0:54:46- with your piloting.- Thanks. - Hope it goes safely.
0:54:48 > 0:54:51He's gone off to the bridge to pilot the ship
0:54:51 > 0:54:53and we're going to take off
0:54:53 > 0:54:55and watch, as it travels through the tight passage of the Reef.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18In a ship this size, which takes hundreds of metres to turn,
0:55:18 > 0:55:20there's no margin for error.
0:55:22 > 0:55:27Australia's resource boom shows little sign of slowing down.
0:55:27 > 0:55:32The government here is keen to open more mines and export yet more coal.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35It's already one of the country's top export earners.
0:55:36 > 0:55:40So, despite the fact it's a protected marine park,
0:55:40 > 0:55:43the number of ships passing through the Great Barrier Reef
0:55:43 > 0:55:45is expected to increase up to five-fold.
0:55:52 > 0:55:55But Richard's ship is in safe hands.
0:55:55 > 0:55:56As he headed to shore,
0:55:56 > 0:56:01the chopper pilot offered to show me a little patch of paradise.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38So, we've landed on a coral cay.
0:56:38 > 0:56:39It's a tiny one.
0:56:39 > 0:56:44Look, the bits of the helicopter are hanging off over the water.
0:56:44 > 0:56:46It's covered in coral. Look at this.
0:56:46 > 0:56:49So, the ship's made it through safely. It's continuing its journey.
0:56:49 > 0:56:52I'm ending this part of my journey here.
0:56:52 > 0:56:55On the next leg, I'll be travelling down Australia's
0:56:55 > 0:57:00bustling and beautiful east coast, towards the bright lights of Sydney.
0:57:00 > 0:57:02Next time, I'll be visiting
0:57:02 > 0:57:04Australia's beautiful coastal cities.
0:57:04 > 0:57:09I'll encounter a side of Australia visitors rarely get to see...
0:57:09 > 0:57:10Is it respect or fear?
0:57:10 > 0:57:12If people fear us, they've got to fear us for a reason.
0:57:12 > 0:57:17I'll get up close to Australia's iconic wildlife...
0:57:17 > 0:57:19and to devastating bush fires.
0:57:20 > 0:57:25Look at this! A line of flames here.