In our Mirning Elders’ knowledge, this ocean is known as the great Father Sea, in our language we call him Memalu Billia Mocalba. He is great provider of water for the planet Earth. He replenishes the Earth’s thirst and provides for those in need of drinking the water of life, just as Mother Nature is the land, Yoola, Earth. So, in the Dhoogoorna, Dreaming and today the Sea sends the rain to give Mother Earth, Yoola, all living things the precious water of life to drink.
In the Creation times, Karajia, long time ago in the beginning when the world was young, in our Dreamtime story and belief, the great white whale, Jeedara, created the Sea and is responsible for the changes in sea level.
More than 85% of species in the Great Australian Bight are found nowhere else on Earth and the Bight has unique nutrient upwellings that provide their habitat.
There is more endemic biodiversity in the Great Australian Bight than in the Great Barrier Reef.
The southern Australian seaweeds have the highest level of species richness and unique species of any regional seaweeds in the world.
The iconic cliffs of the Nullarbor form the longest cliff line in the world and the vast Nullarbor is the largest single piece of limestone on Earth.
The Nullarbor above ground and below is a unique time capsule for Humanity; a global archive of Earth’s ancient past.
The Nullarbor is a subterranean wonderland of caves, each with its own story; intact and isolated for 5 million years, the caves are home to unique, undisturbed species.
84% of South Australians support World Heritage protection for the Great Australian Bight and support for World Heritage in the Bight is an election promise of the State Government.
There are 1,157 World Heritage estates listed globally and only 2 meet as many World Heritage criteria as the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight.
The Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight is one of the most pristine and valuable heritage estates in the world with a vast biodiversity of unique species.
Like our County, our Yerkala Mirning people have lived in relative isolation, and all this exists within our unique cultural landscape.
World Heritage protection for the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight in SA – Let’s create one of the most amazing conservation estates in the World!
Fight for the Bight
Uncle Bunna Lawrie is a founding member of the Great Australian Bight Alliance, which took a small, dedicated group and ignited into Australia’s largest grassroots coastal environment movement. Coastal communities, surfers, campaigners and tens of thousands of Australians and Norwegians stood with the Mirning in protecting our Billia Mocalba, Great Australian Bight from oil drilling.
In 2016 The Great Australian Bight Alliance announced the launch of ‘Operation Jeedara’ – a campaign that would see the ‘Steve Irwin’ sail into the heart of the Great Australian Bight to document the beauty of the region in order to showcase what we would all stand to lose if we let BP drill there. This became the documentary Jeedara. If you only have a few minutes, then you can watch Uncle Bunna Lawrie calling the whales just after 30 in until about 37 minutes.
The Great Southern Reef team also worked to have the value of this underwater treasure recognised through stunning footage and scientific facts on the significance. They continue to do so with an acknowledgment of the role of saltwater First Nations peoples, for whom this is our homes and Sea Countries. Dr Sylvia Earle, Founder Mission Blue, noted:
“The Great Southern Reef is a fantastic example of how the natural world can thrive when we leave it alone. However, more must be done, because right now the Reef faces extreme threats from climate change and oil drilling. We need to embrace the identity of the GSR so all can understand and appreciate this ecosystem, so we can forge ahead and do everything possible to protect it.”
Deep time + isolation + pristine = unique + exceptional + vulnerable
= World Heritage for the SA Nullarbor + Great Australian Bight!
For millions of years, the caves of the Nullarbor and waters of the Great Australian Bight have been isolated, creating unique ecosystems. Astonishingly, this unique estate is still pristine, yet vulnerable; renowned for endangered species and exceptionally high endemic biodiversity – the sheer quantity of unique species found here and nowhere else on Earth. The combination of human deep-time over 65,000 years and isolation has also given rise to a unique and vulnerable Yerkala Mirning culture.
Millions of years in the making, Humanity and our planet have been gifted an exceptional pristine estate that cannot be ignored and then rehabilitated by future generations. The natural and cultural values of the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight require protection now!
Number of World Heritage estates listed globally = 1,157
Number of criteria to satisfy to be listed = 1
Largest number of criteria satisfied by a single World Heritage estate = 7
Number of World Heritage estates that satisfy as many as 7 diverse criteria = 2
Number of criteria satisfied by the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight = 7
The Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight estate would be in the highest 0.2% of number of diverse World Heritage criteria satisfied in the global listing!
Over 1,000 species have been identified in the Great Australian Bight and “more than 85 per cent of known species in the region are found nowhere else in the world.” (CSIRO 2018 GAB Research Program Findings 2013-2017, p.7) With over 85% of endemic species in the Great Australian Bight, this is “a figure that trumps the endemic diversity of the Great Barrier Reef.” (An Australian Marine Treasure, GAB Alliance Book, 2017, p3.) “The southern Australian marine macroalgal flora has the highest levels of species richness and endemism of any regional macroalgal flora in the world.” (Marine macroalgal biodiversity hotspots: Why is there high species richness and endemism in southern Australian marine benthic flora? 2001.) This is pristine ocean wilderness that contributes to the health of the global ocean; a healthy ocean is a healthy planet. (UNESCO, World Oceans Day 2016.) “The Great Australian Bight is a unique marine ecosystem with significant natural resources and high conservation significance.” (GAB Research Program Highlights 2013-2017 (2018) page 4.)
The Great Australian Bight Environment Protection Bill (2016) acknowledged that “The Bight is a nationally significant environmental treasure and it needs to be protected so that local industries are able to flourish and future generations are able to enjoy this magnificent part of Australia.” (E.M. p.1)
Polling shows 84% of South Australians support World Heritage Protection for the Great Australian Bight. (The Australia Institute (2019) Polling – GAB, p.p. 1 and 2).
In February 2020 Norwegian oil giant Equinor abandoned plans to deepwater drilling for oil in the Great Australian Bight, stating that the controversial project did not make commercial sense.
In the 2022 election, the current SA Labor Government made an election promise supporting World Heritage protection for the Great Australian Bight.
In 2022 a consultation document on World Heritage Nomination of the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight (in South Australia) found that the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight satisfy 7 World Heritage Criteria, making the area one of the most diverse and valuable heritage properties in the world.
Only one criterion needs to be met for World Heritage protection and there are only 2 places in the world satisfying as many as 7 criteria.
The Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight are outstanding on a global scale, including our Yerkala Mirning cultural landscape.
The unbounded vistas of the night sky are alive with our stories. Our cultural landscape of plains, caves, sea and sky is imbued with the myths and sacred sites of our unique cosmology.
World Heritage protection for the Nullarbor and Great Australian Bight in SA – Let’s create one of the most amazing conservation estates in the World!
