A ‘living museum’ at Long Reef Aquatic Reserve

Walking along Long Reef Headland is an experience in itself, with sweeping ocean views stretching north and south, but even more remarkable is the 80 hectares below – often described as a ‘living museum’ – teeming with unique marine life and geological features. 

This ‘living museum’, a term first used by Newport’s Isobel Bennetter – one of Australia’s pioneering marine biologists – refers to Long Reef Aquatic Reserve. Established in 1980, this is the oldest aquatic reserve in New South Wales. According to reports, in the 1970s, the reserve had become “seriously depleted due to the intensive collection of food and bait.” But a wave of support to protect the area’s marine life soon took hold, and for over 40 years the reserve has remained a sanctuary.

As we wandered down the steep steps at the eastern edge of the headland, a light dusting of clouds drifted across an otherwise bright blue sky. The sunlight cast down on the reserve, revealing the array of colours that made the tidal platforms look like a painted picture. We watched as two surfers headed into the ocean from the north side of the reef, joining two foilers enjoying the quiet, uninterrupted waves. Further out on the tidal platform, families and young children played in the shallow water, splashing in rock pools, and searching for marine life. 

A few people, us included, stood with cameras in hand, watching the myriad birds hovering in the wind or diving to catch prey. A bird of prey plunged into the water to bathe, splashing around before soaring high above the headland to dry off. It’s a reserve teeming with activity, above and below the tideline. 

In a video describing a day at the reef for the NSW Government, Daniel Mallen, Senior Education Officer at DPI Fisheries, says, “people can see a huge range of sea creatures, from nudibranchs and bubble shells to turban snails, octopuses, a whole range of birdlife, and all the trace fossils that can be found along the shelf out here.”

The geographical features of the area – high and low tides, rock pools, surf-exposed ledges, sheltered rock pools, rocky reefs, and boulder fields- facilitate the breeding of this diverse range of animals. It’s also what makes it a hotspot for marine biologists to study. Over 4,000 school children visit every year to study everything from biology and geography to biodiversity, erosion and weathering, and the human impact on the coastline.

Even as we stand here, the landscape continues to shift around us. A heron perches on a rock while more birds join the bird of prey, hovering high in the sky. It’s incredible to watch, and just as astonishing to think about all that’s unfolding beneath the surface in this living museum.

Did you know…

Despite the headland’s prominence, no lighthouse was ever built. As a result, approximately 25 shipwrecks have been linked to Long Reef. Some, however, were intentional, sunk to create artificial reefs, including the Manly ferries Dee Why and Bellubera.  

How to get here

Turn onto Anzac Avenue from Pittwater Road and either park on Anzac Avenue or in the council car park next to the Long Reef Golf Club. From here, you can either walk along the headland to the top, where steps at the eastern side lead you down to the reserve, or start at the northern end of the reserve, walking along Fisherman’s Beach and around the base of the headland on the rocky platforms.