CoralWatch

Part 2 – Outback to Ocean trip: Rockhampton, Woorabinda and Woppa

After all our successful events in Longreach, Winton, Ilfracombe and Barcaldine, Diana hopped on the bus to Rockhampton to meet with the next CoralWatch team including local Ambassadors, ready to deliver events in Woorabinda, Rockhampton and Woppa.

On Thursday we drove out to Woorabinda, an Indigenous school. We delivered two workshops, the children loved the Virtual Reality and all the coral reef learning activities, which turned out to be great preparation for their fieldtrip later in the year to North Keppel Island.

On Friday we were on stage at the Rockhampton Agricultural Show together with Capricorn Conservation Council. We educated over 200 primary school kids about coral and the importance of reefs in 2 sessions. Students got the opportunity to learn about citizen science, and created action posters to protect the Great Barrier Reef.

Our final day of our Outback trip was at the Ocean, at Woppa. Unfortunately due to weather we had to cancel our snorkel event, but we had a wonderful day of learning, sharing and connecting on Woppaburra Land and Sea Country. A huge thank you to Woppaburra Traditional Custodians and Elders for generously sharing cultural knowledge, stories and perspectives on caring for our reefs and marine environment. Special thanks to Woppaburra TUMRA Aboriginal Corporation Woppaburra Saltwater Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC Capricorn Conservation Council Keppel Dive & Snorkel Livingstone Shire Council and everyone coming to be part of this wonderful event.

In total: CoralWatch Outback to Ocean trip delivered 11 events in 9 days in 8 locations, with the help of 9 Ambassadors, 3 CoralWatch staff members and visiting scientist Professor Gregg Webb. Total outreach > 555 people. In addition, end of May we had a display at World Science Festival in Toowoomba with over 2000 visitors. What an experience and privilege to talk to so many people about what we love and care for.

The CoralWatch Outback to Ocean tour is proudly supported by a Queensland Engaging Science Grant.

Queensland Environment The University of Queensland UQ Centre for Marine Science

Great article about our recent Ambassador workshop in Taiwan

April 2026 by the numbers:

Citizen scientists across multiple countries got out there and surveyed the reefs in their own backyards. Every data point collected helps us better understand coral health on a global scale and it all starts with people like you.

It’s always inspiring to see so many communities caring for their local reefs, from tropical coastlines to island communities and beyond. 🌊🐠

Want to get involved?
You can request your FREE Coral Health Chart and start surveying today at coralwatch.org

Let’s keep the momentum going!

And special mentions : We welcome to Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas as the newest data contributor to the CoralWatch database.