Flinders Reef is a small isolated

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic component, abiotic processes—deposition (geology), deposition of ...

near

Moreton Island Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is an island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. The Coral Sea lies on the east coast of the island. Moreton Island lies northeast of the Queensland capital, Brisbane. ...

, north-east of

Cape Moreton Cape Moreton is a rocky headland at the north eastern tip of Moreton Island in South East Queensland, Australia. The surrounding area is part of the Moreton Island National Park. Flinders Reef is north-west of Cape Moreton. The outcrop is m ...

South East Queensland South East Queensland (SEQ) is a bio-geographical, metropolitan, political and administrative region of the state of Queensland in Australia, with a population of approximately 3.8 million people out of the state's population of 5.1 million. T ...

, Australia. It has the highest number of coral species of any subtropical reef system along Australia's east coast and is the nearest true coral reef to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Flinders Reef is one of South East Queensland's most popular

dive site Recreational dive sites are specific places that recreational scuba divers go to enjoy the underwater environment or for training purposes. They include technical diving sites beyond the range generally accepted for recreational diving. In this c ...

s. The reef is located within the

Moreton Bay Marine Park The Moreton Bay Marine Park was established in 1992 to protect ecologically significant habitats in Moreton Bay. The marine park extends from Caloundra south to the southern tip of South Stradbroke Island. The marine park's border extends up to ...

and is monitored by the Reef Check

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

program. The reef is located within the Tweed–Moreton marine biogeographic region. There is a second Flinders Reef in the

Coral Sea The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down the Australian northeast coast. Most of it is protected by the Fren ...

north-east of

Townsville Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 180,820 as of June 2018, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland; it is unofficially considered its capital. Estimated resident population, 30 ...

. A weather station there is monitored by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government ...

. A third Flinders Reef exists offshore from the town of

1770 Events January– March * January 1 – The foundation of Fort George, Bombay is laid by Colonel Keating, principal engineer, on the site of the former Dongri Fort. * February 1 – Thomas Jefferson's home at Shadwell, V ...

Fauna

The reef has more than 175 fish species. There are more species and varieties of corals in this one area than any other single reef on the

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

. The diverse amount of marine life include schools of

wrasse The wrasses are a family, Labridae, of marine fish, many of which are brightly colored. The family is large and diverse, with over 600 species in 81 genera, which are divided into 9 subgroups or tribes. They are typically small, most of them ...

, sweetlip,

trevally The Carangidae are a family of ray-finned fish which includes the jacks, pompanos, jack mackerels, runners, and scads. It is the largest of the six families included within the order Carangiformes. Some authorities classify it as the only family ...

parrotfish Parrotfishes are a group of about 90 fish species regarded as a family (Scaridae), or a subfamily (Scarinae) of the wrasses. With about 95 species, this group's largest species richness is in the Indo-Pacific. They are found in coral reefs, ...

, bat, surgeon,

turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked ...

s and

tropical fish Tropical fish are generally those fish found in aquatic tropical environments around the world. Fishkeepers often keep tropical fish in freshwater and saltwater aquariums. The term "tropical fish" is not a taxonomic group, but rather is a ge ...

Manta ray Manta rays are large rays belonging to the genus '' Mobula'' (formerly its own genus ''Manta''). The larger species, '' M. birostris'', reaches in width, while the smaller, '' M. alfredi'', reaches . Both have triangular pectoral fins, horn-s ...

wobbegong The wobbegong is the common name given to the 12 species of carpet sharks in the family Orectolobidae. They are found in shallow temperate and tropical waters of the western Pacific Ocean and eastern Indian Ocean, chiefly around Australia and ...

s and

leopard shark The leopard shark (''Triakis semifasciata'') is a species of houndshark, in the family Triakidae. It is found along the Pacific coast of North America, from the U.S. state of Oregon to Mazatlán in Mexico. Typically measuring 1.2–1.5 m (3.9� ...

s are among the larger creatures that reside here. Sightings of whaler sharks are sometimes seen on the eastern side of Flinders. During the months of June to September,

humpback whales The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...

can be seen on the surface as they pass by. The Australian bluefish, Sixgill stingray, the rare

Narrowbar swellshark The narrowbar swellshark (''Cephaloscyllium zebrum'') is a rare species of catshark, and part of the family Scyliorhinidae, known only from two specimens collected near Flinders Reef off northeastern Australia. This species reaches at least in ...

have been found on the reef. Green Turtle at Flinders Reef, Moreton Island.jpg,

Green sea turtle The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range ...

School of fish at Flinders Reef, Moreton Island.jpg, School of fish Crayfish at Flinders Reef, Moreton Island.jpg, Crayfish Feather star in Flinders Reef, Moreton Island.jpg, ''

Himerometra robustipinna ''Himerometra robustipinna'' is a species of crinoid belonging to the family Himerometridaem first described as ''Actinometra robustipinna'' by Philip Herbert Carpenter in 1881. Description ''Himerometra robustipinna'' can reach a diameter of ...

History

The reef is named after Matthew Flinders who discovered the reef before discovering what would become the city of Brisbane. In 1986 the

Australian Army ship Crusader (AV2767) ''Crusader'' (AV2767) was an Australian Army amphibious operations support ship of World War II. She was launched shortly before the war ended and entered service in late 1935. From 1945 to 1947 she was mainly used to return Australian Army equ ...

was sunk near the reef and has become a popular dive wreck. The reef was zoned as a marine park in 1998. The reef was not affected by the

2009 southeast Queensland oil spill The 2009 southeast Queensland oil spill occurred off the coast of southeast Queensland, Australia on 11 March 2009, when 230 tonnes of fuel oil, 30 tonnes of other fuel and 31 shipping containers containing 620 tonnes of ammonium nitrate spille ...

. The reef is often the location for small fishing boat wrecks, and rarely, diving incidents including the death of a Brisbane man in March 2005. It was the site of a helicopter rescue after a dive ship ran aground on the reef in December 2008.

References

{{coord, 26, 59, 18, S, 153, 26, 31.4, E, type:landmark_region:AU, display=title South East Queensland Moreton Island Reefs of Australia Protected areas established in 1998

Fauna

History

See also

References