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Robert Etheridge Photograph Collection, Australian Museum Archives, Australian Museum,
Sydney
However, the activities of tourists - in particular, taking coral from the
reefs - caused concern about environmental degradation at the major resorts,
including Hayman, Heron and Green Islands where, from 1930 onwards, coral
specimens were readily available as ornaments and curios (Barrett, 1930, p375).
One account of coral collecting at Hayman Island in 1932 and 1933, for instance,
written by Marks (1933, pp14-15), stated:
The excitement was intense as, again and again, the diver who accompanied
us returned to the surface grasping bunches of living jewels plucked from
the depths. Soon the boat was full of pieces of coral of different shapes
and sizes, but the illusion was lost. The dainty fairy-like forms proved to
be mere slimy skeletons, and the colour blurred and faded as the living
organisms within, away from their natural element, gradually succumbed
to the heat of the tropical sunshine, and began to give out a most offensive
odour. But even in death the fragments retained their beauty of form, and,
cleaned and bleached, were eagerly sought after as souvenirs. To return from
the Great Barrier Reef without some specimens of its coral framework was
unthinkable!
The corals collected during that particular expedition included 'mushroom' and
'brain' corals, which were removed from the reef using pick-axes.
Concerns about the damage to coral reefs caused by this type of souveniring -
and the likelihood of anticipated additional damage as the tourist industry
developed - were expressed, as the following account by the Secretary of the
Provisional Administration Board of the QDHM illustrates:
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