The 'wonderful and unusual' heyday of an island's underwater observatory
/ By Nicholas Lee
The 'wonderful and unusual' heyday of an island's underwater observatory
/ By Nicholas Lee
"G'day, Coral here."
That's how Coral Wedd would answer the phone in the 1980s at the Middle Island Underwater Observatory's souvenir shop in the Pacific Ocean off Queensland.
"Not very many people go overseas to work each day under water by the name of Coral," Ms Wedd, formerly Howes, laughed.
"Coral would go to work under the water selling coral to the tourists."
It still makes her chuckle 40 years later.
"The typical day was the envy of everybody I think," she said.
"It was a wonderful time working on the observatory, it was an unusual time."
Great Keppel Island is 24 kilometres off the coast of Yeppoon in central Queensland.
In the crystal-clear waters not far from the island, the Middle Island Underwater Observatory was a star attraction in the 80s and 90s.
"Hundreds of tourists … would come down daily from Rockhampton to the Capricorn Coast, they would load onto the tourist boats … probably 200 people each," Ms Wedd recalled.
Three fathoms deep into the sea, it even once hosted maritime nuptials.
A month after the underwater observatory opened in 1980, souvenirs from the gift shop were moved aside to make way for guests and a wedding party.
Mark William Heslin and Sharee Anne Newland tied the knot underwater on October 11, 1980.
"It was quite a novelty for the underwater observatory," Ms Wedd reflected.
In a sad but poignant affair, she also recalled when a young man's ashes were laid to rest.
He had visited the underwater observatory in the months prior and was fascinated with the set-up and the fish, she said.
Through an unfortunate accident, he passed away and his parents asked if his ashes could be buried nearby.
"Our diver from the observatory took the ashes," Ms Wedd said.
"The parents stood and watched as he planted the ashes under a rock and in the sand.
"It was a bittersweet day for his parents … that was the first, too, for the observatory."
A rare kind of tourist attraction
Australia was home to the world's first underwater observatory stationary structure in 1954 at Green Island off Cairns in Far North Queensland.
Built from an old Navy dive chamber, the observatory — which attracted a visit from Queen Elizabeth II in 1970 — closed in 2012 after being deemed unsound.
Today, the world's largest underwater observatory is at Busselton Jetty, in Western Australia, built in 2003 with a 9.5 metre observation chamber.
The Middle Island Underwater Observatory was the largest in Australia when it opened on September 25, 1980.
It was the dream of Yeppoon man Jim Nimmo, with the support of his wife Sheena.
Ms Wedd was there for the opening day, which involved much fanfare.
"Lots of broadcasting, radio and TV, very important people coming across, lots of people there, all excited to see it," she said.
"Interestingly, the most excitement was from the dignitaries that came up from Brisbane, they were quite fascinated with the construction, the transport, the sinking [of the observatory under the water]."
Electrical current to prevent corrosion
The structure was built on land by Yeppoon firm, Goodies Engineering, between 1979 and 1980.
It was filled with 500 tonnes of ballast, made of copper and ilmenite.
The material was loaded via a giant funnel and crane at the Rosslyn Bay Harbour.
To prevent corrosion, the structure was designed that an electrical current would pass through it 24 hours a day.
The structure was floated out to sea and was set down 6 metres below sea level on plated piles driven into the seabed.
A Taiwanese shipwreck and other pieces of junk were sunk at the same time to create a habitat for marine life.
The 10-metre wide building had a souvenir shop on the ocean ground floor with 14 windows that looked out to the ocean.
An operator would feed the marine life twice a day to keep them lurking close by while tourists watched in awe through the windows.
"The windows of the observatory were the only ones of their kind, they were 6 foot long, not the little portholes that most of the observatories had at the time," Ms Wedd said.
"I think that was the only one of its kind to have a tourist shop under water, in Australia anyway."
'Current state to be assessed'
Following the closure of the Great Keppel Island Resort in 2008, the underwater observatory was shuttered as well.
These days, the only visitors are marine life and scuba divers or snorkellers.
The area has been rezoned as a green zone, meaning no fishing can take place, which has in turn created a thriving marine life population.
Coral has formed over the old structure and sea animals use the nooks and crannies as a habitat.
It has become a popular spot with reef fresh, cod, groupers, sharks, rays and turtles often sighted.
The future of the site now lies in the hands of the state government, which rescinded the leases from former Great Keppel Island Resort owners, Tower Holdings, in 2023.
Earlier this year, a tender was awarded to a demolition company to clean up abandoned buildings on Great Keppel Island, and as part of the works, an assessment was to be undertaken of the Middle Island Underwater Observatory.
In a new statement requested by the ABC, a Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing, and Regional and Rural Development spokesperson said the condition of the underwater observatory was still under assessment.
They said the department's priority was the safety and security of the former Great Keppel Island resort site.
#newsletter:abc-capricornia_optin
That's how Coral Wedd would answer the phone in the 1980s at the Middle Island Underwater Observatory's souvenir shop in the Pacific Ocean off Queensland.
"Not very many people go overseas to work each day under water by the name of Coral," Ms Wedd, formerly Howes, laughed.
"Coral would go to work under the water selling coral to the tourists."
It still makes her chuckle 40 years later.
"The typical day was the envy of everybody I think," she said.
"It was a wonderful time working on the observatory, it was an unusual time."
Great Keppel Island is 24 kilometres off the coast of Yeppoon in central Queensland.
In the crystal-clear waters not far from the island, the Middle Island Underwater Observatory was a star attraction in the 80s and 90s.
"Hundreds of tourists … would come down daily from Rockhampton to the Capricorn Coast, they would load onto the tourist boats … probably 200 people each," Ms Wedd recalled.
Three fathoms deep into the sea, it even once hosted maritime nuptials.
A month after the underwater observatory opened in 1980, souvenirs from the gift shop were moved aside to make way for guests and a wedding party.
Mark William Heslin and Sharee Anne Newland tied the knot underwater on October 11, 1980.
"It was quite a novelty for the underwater observatory," Ms Wedd reflected.
In a sad but poignant affair, she also recalled when a young man's ashes were laid to rest.
He had visited the underwater observatory in the months prior and was fascinated with the set-up and the fish, she said.
Through an unfortunate accident, he passed away and his parents asked if his ashes could be buried nearby.
"Our diver from the observatory took the ashes," Ms Wedd said.
"The parents stood and watched as he planted the ashes under a rock and in the sand.
"It was a bittersweet day for his parents … that was the first, too, for the observatory."
A rare kind of tourist attraction
Australia was home to the world's first underwater observatory stationary structure in 1954 at Green Island off Cairns in Far North Queensland.
Built from an old Navy dive chamber, the observatory — which attracted a visit from Queen Elizabeth II in 1970 — closed in 2012 after being deemed unsound.
Today, the world's largest underwater observatory is at Busselton Jetty, in Western Australia, built in 2003 with a 9.5 metre observation chamber.
The Middle Island Underwater Observatory was the largest in Australia when it opened on September 25, 1980.
It was the dream of Yeppoon man Jim Nimmo, with the support of his wife Sheena.
Ms Wedd was there for the opening day, which involved much fanfare.
"Lots of broadcasting, radio and TV, very important people coming across, lots of people there, all excited to see it," she said.
"Interestingly, the most excitement was from the dignitaries that came up from Brisbane, they were quite fascinated with the construction, the transport, the sinking [of the observatory under the water]."
Electrical current to prevent corrosion
The structure was built on land by Yeppoon firm, Goodies Engineering, between 1979 and 1980.
It was filled with 500 tonnes of ballast, made of copper and ilmenite.
The material was loaded via a giant funnel and crane at the Rosslyn Bay Harbour.
To prevent corrosion, the structure was designed that an electrical current would pass through it 24 hours a day.
The structure was floated out to sea and was set down 6 metres below sea level on plated piles driven into the seabed.
A Taiwanese shipwreck and other pieces of junk were sunk at the same time to create a habitat for marine life.
The 10-metre wide building had a souvenir shop on the ocean ground floor with 14 windows that looked out to the ocean.
An operator would feed the marine life twice a day to keep them lurking close by while tourists watched in awe through the windows.
"The windows of the observatory were the only ones of their kind, they were 6 foot long, not the little portholes that most of the observatories had at the time," Ms Wedd said.
"I think that was the only one of its kind to have a tourist shop under water, in Australia anyway."
'Current state to be assessed'
Following the closure of the Great Keppel Island Resort in 2008, the underwater observatory was shuttered as well.
These days, the only visitors are marine life and scuba divers or snorkellers.
The area has been rezoned as a green zone, meaning no fishing can take place, which has in turn created a thriving marine life population.
Coral has formed over the old structure and sea animals use the nooks and crannies as a habitat.
It has become a popular spot with reef fresh, cod, groupers, sharks, rays and turtles often sighted.
The future of the site now lies in the hands of the state government, which rescinded the leases from former Great Keppel Island Resort owners, Tower Holdings, in 2023.
Earlier this year, a tender was awarded to a demolition company to clean up abandoned buildings on Great Keppel Island, and as part of the works, an assessment was to be undertaken of the Middle Island Underwater Observatory.
In a new statement requested by the ABC, a Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Manufacturing, and Regional and Rural Development spokesperson said the condition of the underwater observatory was still under assessment.
They said the department's priority was the safety and security of the former Great Keppel Island resort site.
#newsletter:abc-capricornia_optin