The concept of a Marine Sanctuary at Rickett’s Point was first conceived by the late Bob Whiteway OAM, a geography teacher at Beaumaris Secondary College.
Bob "the grandfather of Ricketts Point" would take students out snorkelling to study marine ecosystems and since the 1970s they had created an inventory of the extraordinarily diverse local animal and plant life.
The sanctuary once included the native Rakali, a globally unique rodent that’s evolved to look and behave like an otter; and locally rare species of hermit crab and octopus.
By the 1980’s Bob started to notice “a diminution of some species, and in some cases, some species started to disappear altogether”.
“I couldn’t teach the lessons that I was used to teaching, because I couldn’t find the animals that were key players in the story I was telling”, Bob said.
“It was a gradual process of depletion and degradation and that happened mainly because of the poaching of marine life”.
Rickett’s Point used to be renowned for “an iconic species, hermit crabs”, not seen by Bob since 1989.
Bob fought single-handed over 16 years for Rickett’s Point to be included as a Victorian State Marine Sanctuary, only to have Ricketts initially left off the list.
Celebrity fisher Rex Hunt and Ian Jones, commodore of the Beaumaris Motor Yacht Squadron, lobbied hard against it.
According to The Age in 2003 ‘, Jones said ‘it doesn't seem fair that people can do everything else there except fish’, while acknowledging that it would probably protect the very biodiversity the fish depend on.
Bob went back to campaigning and lobbying and eventually had Ricketts Point declared a Marine Sanctuary on the 16th November 2002. He subsequently went on to set up Marine Care Ricketts Point, which still operates today.
“Imagine a dream; create a sanctuary” – Bob Whiteway
Bob was later honoured with an OAM for his efforts. Posthumously he was honoured with a dedicated walkway at Ricketts.
In over 20 years since the sanctuary was created some of the fish have returned. But the site faces many challenges, not least the increasing decline in water quality and excess nutrients entering the bay from the north and west.
Shell-fishing may have removed most turban snails and contributed to the loss of hermit crabs, which have never returned. Before even Bob began his love-affair with Ricketts Point, spearfishing had removed most of the large resident reef fish.
Today, we have a better understanding of the connectivity of these things, and how the whole system needs to be lifted back up together, to recreate balance and vibrancy.
The hermit crabs have never come back. Neither have some of the resident reef fish.
As Bob described “it’s going to take a long time before we have a return of all of the species we have lost”
Today you can visit Ricketts Point and glimpse some of the richness that would have been there before. The urchin abundance has returned to the shallows and in springtime some parts of the reef are covered in fish life.
It remains an incredible example of an urban reserve and rivals parts of the Great Barrier Reef for biodiversity. But most importantly, we live here, and it is ours. It is one of our most iconic places in Victoria, important for our future and even, one of the only sources of life to support all marine users, including fishers.
It's protection is essential. There can be no half-measures when it comes to restoring something this important.
Also read ‘Tide turns on Ricketts' rockpools’ The Age, January 2003. https://www.theage.com.au/national/tide-turns-on-ricketts-rockpools-20030123-gdv3ym.html
Photo, from The Herald Sun 'Magnificent Eight' https://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/inner-south/magnificent-eight/news-story/efb0f9fe560268c1939058d32a7e8425