Elizabeth Reef facts for kids

1934 map of Elizabeth Reef

Elizabeth Reef 29°57′25″S 159°4′32″E / 29.95694°S 159.07556°E / -29.95694; 159.07556 is a beautiful coral reef found in the Coral Sea. It's like a secret underwater garden! This reef is quite far from land. It's about 160 km from Lord Howe Island and 555 km from the coast of New South Wales in Australia.

Elizabeth Reef is special because it's the southernmost coral atoll in the whole world. An atoll is a ring-shaped coral reef that often has a lagoon in the middle. It measures about 8.2 km long and 5.5 km wide. Even though it's quite far south, it has a huge variety of flora (plants) and fauna (animals). This is because warm tropical ocean currents meet cooler temperate currents here, creating a perfect mix for different kinds of sea life.

At low tide, you can see most of the reef's flat top. When the tide is high, you can still spot a small sandy island called a cay and a sand spit. Elizabeth Island, which is part of the reef, is about 400 meters across and stands one meter above the water. Elizabeth Reef and its neighbor, Middleton Reef, are part of the Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs Marine National Park Reserve. The Australian Government protects this area to keep its amazing nature safe.

Amazing Animals and Plants

Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science have studied Elizabeth Reef. They found many healthy black cod, which is a type of fish that is rare in New South Wales.

In a survey done in 2003, they counted 111 different kinds of coral and 181 types of fish! Across several studies, a total of 311 fish species have been recorded here. They also saw many Galapagos sharks. This might mean the reef is a special "nursery" where these sharks have their babies. Lots of sea cucumbers (specifically black teatfish) were also found.

Sometimes, there are outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish. These starfish can eat coral, so scientists keep an eye on them. In 2003, there were only a few, but by 2005, more were seen.

Shipwrecks: Stories from the Past

Both Elizabeth Reef and Middleton Reef have been the site of many shipwrecks. These reefs are beautiful but can be very dangerous for ships. Many ships have crashed here over the years.

Some of the ships that got stranded at Elizabeth Reef include:

• Britannia
• Colonist
• Douglas
• Elizabeth
• Naiad
• Packet
• Ramsay
• Rosetta Joseph
• Tyrian

The ship Britannia is listed as having been wrecked at both Elizabeth and Middleton Reefs.

More recently, in 2007, a British sailor named Steve Landles had to be rescued from his stranded yacht, the Lamachan. A Royal Australian Navy helicopter came to winch him to safety, but his yacht could not be saved.

Images for kids

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  Elizabeth Reef from space, showing its beautiful coral patterns.

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  The iron ship Ramsey, one of the many ships wrecked near Elizabeth Reef.