Everything you need to know about the Museum of Underwater Art

It’s one of nature’s most epic natural masterpieces – a complex, fragile and spectacular living sculpture with something new to see and appreciate each time you visit. The Great Barrier Reef became even more inspiring with the 2020 opening of the Museum of Underwater Art (MOUA), transforming part of the world's largest coral reef system into an art piece in the purest sense of the word.

Located in Townsville in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, MOUA is a series of installations by world-famous underwater sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor that highlight reef conservation, restoration, and education, and a deep connection to the community.

Though it looks like the stuff of your most surreal dreams, MOUA is not only a uniquely beautiful spectacle, but an innovative blend of art, marine science and culture. 

The significance of the Museum of Underwater Art

The awe-inspiring MOUA lays claim to being the first underwater art museum in the Southern Hemisphere, and its creator Jason deCaires Taylor was one of the first contemporary artists to use the underwater realm as an exhibition space. After exploring themes of conservation with his underwater art at MUSA in Mexico and Museo Atlantico in Spain, it’s only fitting he then set his sights on arguably the world’s most famous underwater environment: the Great Barrier Reef.

Not just a world-first stunning art installation and must-do tourist attraction, MOUA is a new habitat for marine creatures, and even a marine laboratory. Water salinity, pH and oxygen levels are monitored, and an underwater camera captures the development of the corals. Scientists, marine students and tourists all have the opportunity to learn more about the reef and its wonders.

As well as the conservation element, the museum is about preserving history through installations inspired by the local community, their stories of the reef, and the culture of its First Nations people.

Where to see the Museum of Underwater Art

Ocean Siren | The Strand, Townsville

Rising dramatically out of the sea, the Ocean Siren is modelled after 12-year-old Takoda Johnson, a member of the local Wulgurukaba people, one of two traditional owners of the local land. Installed alongside Townsville’s iconic jetty at The Strand, she's accessible to be viewed by everyone who walks along the foreshore here.

The best time to visit is from dusk onwards, when Ocean Siren really comes into her own. This is because the sculpture's 202 internal LED lights change colour according to the ocean’s temperature, using data collected from from the Australian Institute of Marine Science weather station on Davies Reef, Great Barrier Reef. Not just a kaleidoscopic light display, the ever-changing, solar-powered sculpture is a reminder of our planet's rising sea temperatures.

The sculpture was designed as an artistic and starkly visual connection for the urban environment to actually understand what's happening to the marine environment in real-time, with a vision to inspire reef and ocean conservation action.

Coral Greenhouse | John Brewer Reef

The Coral Greenhouse sculpture at John Brewer Reef off the coast of Townsville offers a never-to-be-forgotten underwater experience. It features a nine-metre stainless steel greenhouse structure, designed to dissipate the ocean's undercurrents. Inside are 20 "reef guardian" sculptures of marine science students, which are transforming over time with newly growing coral; attracting new marine life to the Great Barrier Reef.

It’s the largest MOUA installation thus far, and the first-ever underwater building created by the artist. The site was chosen specifically for its clear visibility, natural coral walls and sandy, flat base. And while it can be viewed with a snorkel, it's best experienced as a dive for a thorough exploration of all its beautiful details. Just be prepared for your jaw to (figuratively) hit the sea floor.

Ocean Sentinels | John Brewer Reef

Ocean Sentinels are the latest breathtaking installation at John Brewer Reef. The sentinels are fixed just five metres deep on the seabed making them idea for snorkellers to view them. 

The sentinels comprise eight sculptures standing 2.2 metres tall that can be found a short swimming distance from the Coral Greenhouse. Each sculpture, made from a new high grade, low carbon Earth Friendly Concrete, is dedicated to a renowned marine scientist or conservationist. Like, Professor Charles Veron, dubbed the 'Godfather of coral' having discovered 20% of all coral species on the planet. And, Jayme Marshall, a Wulgurukaba and Yunbenen woman, whose sculpture represents the crucial role played by Traditional Owners in safeguarding the future of the Great Barrier Reef. 

What's next for the Museum of Underwater Art?

Like any good art gallery, the Museum of Underwater Art is constantly evolving, and will soon welcome additional sculptures throughout the Great Barrier Reef. 

A future art installation is also planned for idyllic Magnetic Island, situated just 8km off the coast of Townsville. 

How to get to the Museum of Underwater Art

While Ocean Siren is viewable from The Strand without so much as getting your feet wet, experiencing the Coral Greenhouse requires a boat, some dive or snorkel gear, and a sense of adventure. The Ocean Sentinels can be explored either by free dive, scuba or snorkel.

A selection of commercial tour operators have licences to operate tours to the installation at John Brewer Reef in conjunction with MOUA.

These are the tour operators that will take you to explore this phenomenal art project under the sea:

• Adrenalin Dive Townsville 
• Yongala Dive Burdekin 
• SeaLink North Queensland 
• Orpheus Island Lodge (private charter for resort guests, on request)

How to help make a difference

A whole new way to connect with the coastal and marine wonders of Queensland, the Museum of Underwater Art will inspire, educate and amaze, and make all who experience it fall in love with the Great Barrier Reef even more than before.

Want to further your positive impact? Visitors to the Coral Greenhouse on John Brewer Reef can contribute to science as they explore, helping to identify and record marine species and coral growth using Eye on the Reef and iNaturalist tools. Or, make a donation to 'adopt a coral' which helps to fund the planting of new coral on the site and contribute to the ever-growing, thriving Reef. 

Looking for more unique ways to experience the Great Barrier Reef? Here are a few more of our favourites.