The Great Barrier Reef wasn't always considered a natural wonder worth protecting. 😮 In 1967, a small group of volunteers had to fight a battle to save it from being dug up for fertiliser and concrete. ⛏️ Today we meet two of those champions, and visit the place where it all started.

Episode Image: Eddie Hegerl (left) and John Busst. Source: Friends of Ninney Rise.

References:

• Daley, Ben, and Griggs, Peter (2006) Mining the reefs and cays: coral, guano and rock phosphate extraction in the Great Barrier Reef, 1844-1940. Environment and History, 12 (4). pp. 395-433. 
• Wright, J. (2014). The Coral Battleground (3rd ed.). Spinifex Press.
• Bowen, J., & Bowen, M. (2002). The Great Barrier Reef: History, Science, Heritage. Cambridge University Press.
• McCalman, I. (2015). The Reef: A Passionate History (Reprint ed.). Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

See also: www.ninneyrise.com