Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station

A world-leading supplier of on-reef facilities for coral reef research and education.

Main Contact

Anne Hoggett
Updated

12/06/20

This video shows the state of the reef at Lizard Island in April 2020 and outlines events during the past decade that have affected it - Crown-of-Thorns Starfish outbreaks, cyclones and coral bleaching. For best results, increase the resolution in settings.

About the research station and its facilities

The Australian Museum is committed to the health and wellbeing of our employees, researchers and our community. As a result of recent developments due to COVID-19, we have temporarily closed our Lizard Island Research Station.

We will continue to monitor the evolving situation and based on government advice, will determine when we can safely re-open. We thank you for your patience at this difficult time.

About LIRS

An overview of Lizard Island Research Station.

Video
Location
Staff
and more...
Contact

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Facilities

See what LIRS has to offer in support of research and education.

Accommodation
Boats
Aquarium
Laboratories & more

Resources for Lizard Island

Sources of information about Lizard Island and LIRS

Field Guide
Environmental data
Publications
Reports
EMP

Eligibility, bookings and costs

Visits to the Lizard Island Research Station must be booked well in advance directly with LIRS.

Eligibility and bookings
Bench fee information
Other costs

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Early stage trip planning

This section outlines the things that need consideration well before your visit to LIRS starts.

Permits
Diving & snorkelling
Boating
Travel
Freight

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Later stage trip planning

Things that need to be done and considered in the weeks leading up to your trip

Barge schedule
Ordering food
Things to bring
Biosecurity

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Fellowships & Grants

Lizard Island Fellowships

Fellowships are offered annually for PhD students and for early career researchers thanks to support from the Lizard Island Reef Research Foundation.

Doctoral fellowships
Postdoctoral fellowships

Stylasterid coral research at Lizard Island

Lizard Island Research Grants

Lizard Island Research Grants support important and often time-sensitive coral reef research projects. Applications are now open for 2020 plastic pollution research grants.

2020 grants information
Honour roll

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Secondary student coral reef study tour 2020

An immersive, live-in educational experience in coral reef science on the Great Barrier Reef led by marine scientists. Applications are have now closed for Year 11 students in 2020 who are studying Stage 6 Biology at NSW government schools.

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Related blogs

Professor Andrew Hoey from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University rolls out a transect tape on the shallow reef crest. This work involved visual surveys of conspicuous fishes and corals to assess their diversity

Bridging the DNA barcode gap: field sampling of fishes in East Australia

Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding provides a new tool to monitor biodiversity in our oceans but the greatest challenge that it faces is a lack of DNA barcode reference libraries. Natural history museums are best placed to come to the rescue in the near future.

Underwater photograph of the reef at Lizard Island Research Station

Deck the halls, the corals are spawning!

A scene of utter devastation a few years earlier, this resilient Lizard Island reef is now on the way to recovery. Having experienced two good consecutive summers, the corals have been growing rapidly.

Stylaster coral - family Stylasteridae, Crypthelia sp.

Lace corals around Lizard Island

Due to over exploitation for economic uses, stylasterids are considered threatened with extinction. After 33 dives to 29 sites around Lizard Island and the outer reef, Dr Daniela Pica preliminarily identified the presence of up to 11 species.