Pt Noarlunga Trail

It's easy to take the Noarlunga Reef for granted because it's always been there at the end of the jetty. However South Australian reefs are different from others in the world because of the unusual conditions they form in. Firstly, the water is temperate meaning it is colder and rich in nutrient - the reefs have been isolated for tens of thousands of years and they face south. All this means that a diver isn't likely to see the Great Barrier Reef in Gulf St Vincent. Instead it is a marine environment unique to South Australia. What a diver will see along the 1.6 kilometre reef is marine algae, seaweed and invertebrates and of course fish and coral - smaller than their tropical cousins, but incredibly diverse - 60 types of fish and 200 species in all. To assist with the understanding of the reefs, an underwater trail was put in place on the seabed in 1994. This series of plaques explains to divers what is going on all around them - what molluscs are, for example, and how sea creatures adapt to their environment. The plaques are part of a programme known as "Reef Watch" which is run by the Conservation Council. They want divers themselves to monitor the reefs and report first hand what is happening - a way of taking responsibility for their own backyard pool. The Noarlunga Reef isn't only for scuba divers, at low tide it can be explored on foot and no fishing is allowed in the area since it became the state's first aquatic reserve in 1971. Snorkelling is also easy and this makes the Noarlunga Reef the most popular diving spot in South Australia - at the height of the season over 1000 divers per week explore this exotic part of our metropolitan coast. For information on "Reef Watch" call the Conservation Council on (08) 8223 5155 and if you would like to know more email: info@postcards.sa.com.au