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The Marine Discovery Centre through the eyes of a Year 5 student

05 June 2020

I open my sleep crusted eyes, and feel the warm sunshine dripping down my skin. I remember that today is the day our school is going to the beach – and I leap from my bed with excitement. Mum fixes me breakfast and fusses about my uniform like a clucking hen, getting me ready for the day, and drops me off at the school bus with a parting “tell me all about your day later sweetie”. I’m in the school bus and my friends and I buzz with anticipation of the day ahead – we’re finally visiting the Marine Discovery Centre!

Community | Education

The Sea Lion Colony of South Australia – Puppies of the Sea

01 June 2020

Spanning across the length of The Pages Islands in South Australia and Houtman Abrolhos off the Western Australian coast, Australian Sea Lions, Neophoca cinereal, are a species to behold. They are one of the rarest species in the world, and 85% of them live herein South Australia, while the other 15% lives in Western Australia. In the entirety of Australia, only 9900 – 12,500 remain, with this number diminishing each year.

Community | Education

The Encounter Marine Park – 24/7 opportunities for discovery

26 May 2020

The Yorke Peninsula is not only crawling with native South Australian creatures, it is also a magnificent scenic destination. Given COVID-19 restrictions, our closed borders give locals the perfect opportunity to explore our own land. The Encounter Marine Park is located from the southern metropolitan beach of Christies Beach to the northern coast of Kangaroo Island. This park is vital for the preservation of our ocean wilderness and is a spectacular destination to see SA’s thriving marine life. We will focus on three rare species that are delightful to swim with and are habitually found in our waters.

Community | Education

South Australia’s Marine Emblem – The Leafy Sea Dragon

17 May 2020

The mystical leafy sea dragon, Phycodurus eques, is proudly South Australia’s marine emblem and attracts global attention for its iconic camouflage, even by David Attenborough himself, claiming it is his favourite animal in the wild. This rare species is only found on the coast of southern and eastern Australia, and masquerades as seaweed using its slow pace and leaf-like structures to ward off predators.

Education

Recreational fishing restrictions in SA - keeping our fish stocks healthy

09 May 2020

South Australians have at least heard of minimum sizes of creatures, boat limits and protected species. What we might not know, is why these restrictions are in place. At its core, size, bag, boat and possession limits are enforced by PIRSA to protect aquatic stocks and safeguards that there are enough fish for the future. They ensure the number and correct size of fish are taken, allowing adolescent species to continue to grow and breed.

Education

An interview with our Marine Scientist - Georgie Kenning

07 May 2020

Georgie is our Marine Scientist and her focus at the Marine Discovery Centre is looking after our marine creatures and educating our visitors about the importance of preserving our marine environment.

Community

An Interview with our Cultural Educator and Marine Trainee – Karno Martin

28 April 2020

Karno is our standing cultural educator and marine trainee, and his focus while at the Marine Discovery Centre is on the high importance of environmental sustainability. He seamlessly integrates both a western and traditional point of view with a single focus; a sustainable future.

Community

Thinking like a scientist – the science exploration room

27 April 2020

Virtual reality headsets, microscopes and more; the science exploration room puts you in control of your learning. The Marine Discovery Centre’s science exploration room gives students access to technology used by marine biologists in their research, as well as an understanding of South Australian creatures and marine life.

Community | Education

Beachcombing – searching for an understanding of Henley Beach

20 April 2020

“Beachcombing” is an interactive activity where individuals "comb" the beach and the intertidal zone, looking for anything of value. At the Marine Discovery Centre, this is done at Henley Beach, where kids spend an hour sifting through the sand and enjoying the ambiance of our local beach.

Community | Education

Catchment to Coast - passing on knowledge for a thoughtful future

01 April 2020

The Marine Discovery Centre prides itself on educating young minds, in interactive tours, on not only marine life; but sustainability itself. The aforementioned ‘catchment to coast’ room is one of four educational hubs in the centre, and details how we can personally be more sustainable each day.

Education