Arrawarra Coastal Field Station

The marine field station is located at Arrawarra Headland, on the northern New South Wales coast, adjacent to the Solitary Island Marine Park which supports substantial coral communities. The station was established in the late 1960s to provide a base for both teaching and research. The location of the station is ideal, providing easy access to a full range of marine and estuarine habitats. The rock-platform on the northern side of Arrawarra Headland supports a very high diversity of plants and animals and has consequently been fully protected by the regulations of the Solitary Island Marine Park.

To the west of the station, Arrawarra Creek supports a healthy estuarine community and is the site of long-term data collection on populations of marine yabbies. The beaches within the region have recently been studied to determine what lies within the sediments and most of the species identified from the region can be found on Arrawarra Beach.

The sheltered aspect of Arrawarra Beach allows for easy access to the stunning underwater communities in the Solitary Islands Marine Park. A kitchen and a lecture room with laboratory benches are available at the station.

Examples of important research that has been conducted at Arrawarra include:

  • The first research into the important coral communities at the Solitary Islands in the early 1970s.
  • Documentation of the diverse local seaweeds by researchers from Melbourne during the late 1980s (who named a species of red seaweed after the station).
  • Research into the impacts of sewage effluent on local marine communities.

Hiring the field station

For enquiries regarding booking the Field Station please contact:

erstech@une.edu.au