Towards the end of May, I got the opportunity to go to the third Shellfish Restoration Network Meeting in Sydney, Australia. This was my first time going to Sydney, and my third time to Australia. I arrived late at night, which gave me little opportunity to see much, but I was treated well the next morning. The meeting was located at Chowder Bay and I awoke early to take the bus from the CBD out to the meeting. Of course, not knowing where exactly I was going, I headed out exceedingly early. I arrived at the Sydney Institute of Marine Science and with no one around, decided to enjoy the dawn and the sites I could see. Sydney has a strong connection with the ocean, with houses and buildings directly on the waterfront, following the coastline of every inlet and peninsula in Sydney Harbour.
The Institute and surrounding Chowder Bay was a nice place and I spent a considerable amount of time watching the numerous birds foraging in the early morning light. It still feels unusual to see so many parrots and parakeets but their banter was a nice accompaniment to my early morning exploration.
The institute itself is quite a nice building and perfectly located. The water taxi comes in directly on the wharf and there was a cafe and conference room for rent, which I am sure gets well used for such functions as weddings. And what a beautiful place to have them! Although I did not get to tour through any of the science buildings, they did have an active experiment set up for public display which was a nice way to highlight the science and show visitors the importance of the research.
The day went on and as the sun rose higher, I began to worry about the timing of the event, given I had seen no signs and still no one else had arrived. I explored a small dock and the beach while I continued to wait. I didn't get to see too much but I did run across some fish and the local oysters which undoubtedly were to be the focus of much of the days meeting.
Eventually people I recognized started to show up and the meeting began. It was a very productive networking opportunity for myself and a great way to keep opportunities for collaboration and information sharing among the sparse enthusiasts and researchers working in bivalve restoration.
The next morning of this particularly short trip was the field trip to observe and discuss the efforts being conducted within the harbour to increase habitat for shoreline organisms, including oysters. It was also a great opportunity to see Sydney from a different perspective. So in the early morning light, I was up and off again to Barangaroo Reserve near the beach. One of the biggest issues with urbanisation of coastal environments is the unnatural hardening of the coastline. What was potentially boulders or mangroves has been replaced by rock or cement walls, reducing the available habitat. Like many other harbours throughout the world, Sydney has been taking action to try and counteract this loss of habitat. One way has been the restructuring of these barriers, and at the reserve, this has come in the form of a restructured rock barrier that uses a stepping pattern to increase the available space, creating crevices and pools for animals to remain sheltered from the harsh exposure during low tide. We even saw some oysters growing on the rocks, showing that the work is starting to bring these organisms back.
From there, we headed to a boat that we chartered to take us around the harbour and see some of the other work that has been trialed to increase space for the flora and fauna of Sydney's waterways.
Much of the waterfront around the CBD was either stone or cement walls. These walls were certainly not devoid of life and we were happy to see oysters growing at the water line.
One of the modifications that were employed to increase available space was the removal of stone blocks and the creation of a small barrier that trapped water when the tide receded. Another modification that we didn't get to see was the half flower pots that played a similar role on a cement wall.
Another tool was the use of a standardized block structured cement which is being deployed in harbours around the world. This will allow researchers to monitor colonization by shoreline species and creates little islands of habitat.
We moved away from the CBD to a secluded inlet further up the estuary to have some lunch. In the less developed areas, the shoreline was still dominated by mangroves and rocky shores. With the science largely out of the way, we enjoyed a small tour to see some of the city from the water. Although I am not much of a city person, it was a beautiful skyline that day!
It is amazing to see that Sydney was so very much like Auckland in it's connection to the sea. Small and large boats were abound, from personal yachts and sailing vessels to large commercial container ships and a host of ferry's coming in and out of Circular Quay.
And to finish it all off, that most iconic buildings and symbols of not only Sydney but Australia: The Sydney Opera House. It truly has a unique architectural design we got a great look from the water. I couldn't help but feel that I was only getting a small taste of this landmark, and that I would need to actually go and see something to fully appreciate it. Perhaps a trip for another time!
Back under the bridge we went and back to the wharf where I said my goodbyes and raced back to the airport to catch my flight home.
