Sponge garden
Sponge gardens are found on boulders in the deeper areas of the aquatic reserve beyond 8 m.
Marine life
These gardens are rich in sea squirts, sponges, sea fans, small foliose algae, and the endangered cauliflower soft coral, Dendronephthya australis.
Common inhabitants of sponge gardens include leatherjackets, wobbegong sharks, giant Australian cuttlefish, eastern red scorpionfish, sea stars, and nudibranchs.
Sponges, sea squirts, sea fan and one-spot puller (fish) in the sponge garden. (Photo: John Turnbull)
Sea fans are only found in the sponge garden habitat and typically occur on the side of boulders. (Photo: John Turnbull)
Endangered cauliflower soft coral, Dendronephthya australis in the sponge garden of this aquatic reserve (Photo: John Turnbull)
Magnificent volute, a type of sea snail, searching for prey such as small fish, crustaceans, and molluscs in the sponge garden. (Photo: John Turnbull)
Sea tulips (a type of ascidian) and a red-throated ascidian in the sponge garden, covered with an encrusting sponge. (Photo: John Turnbull)
Blue groper between sponge garden and sand, coughing up what it can’t digest. (Photo: William Gladstone)
