From birds whose wings turn into fins, to males that give birth, 80 per cent of the marine life off our southern shores is found nowhere else on earth.
Now, the secrets of Port Phillip Bay have been revealed in a documentary featuring world-class underwater imagery, including footage from Jawbone Marine Sanctuary at Williamstown.
Aquatic scientist Sheree Marris heads the Melbourne Down Under campaign, which has produced a DVD and book revealing the bay’s underwater wonderland.
She said Jawbone, named after its shape, had been fenced off by a coastal rifle range for more than 80 years, allowing marine life to flourish.
The documentary features images of the sanctuary’s seagrass meadows and time-lapse sequences of the mangroves, which are nurseries and habitats for many marine animals.
It also features the area’s sea urchins, seastars, globefish, dumpling squid and octopi.
“Now it’s a protected area so nothing’s allowed to be taken from there,” Ms Marris said.
“The main driver of the campaign is to make people aware of what we have on our front doorstep.
“It’s about raising awareness and creating a marine stewardship ethic in the community, getting people to be really proud of our marine environment and wanting them to explore it.”
The Melbourne Down Under documentary, produced by Jarrod Boord, can be seen at free community screenings around Port Phillip Bay, including at Williamstown on December 9 and Altona on January 13. Screenings are followed by a Q&A session.
Details: melbournedownunder.com.au
