Our station at a glance
Established in 1949, Moreton Bay Research Station has long been an important training ground for marine and terrestrial research and teaching.
We work closely with the Quandamooka people, the area’s Traditional Owners, on research, teaching, learning and development projects.
Unique location
Moreton Bay Research Station is on North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), 30 kilometres east of Brisbane and between the waters of Moreton Bay (Quandamooka) and the Coral Sea.
We’re within easy reach of UQ St Lucia and Brisbane’s city centre, yet have an incredible diversity of marine and terrestrial ecosystems right on our doorstep.
This unusual mix of tropical and temperate environments draws researchers, educational groups and workshop participants from around the world to study a range of disciplines.
World-class university
Moreton Bay Research Station is owned and operated by The University of Queensland, a world top-50 university with a long-standing record of excellence in marine research and education.
The station is a vibrant hub for year-round UQ academics, professionals and higher degree by research candidates, resident whale acoustics and behaviour researchers, and visiting researchers from many other Australian and international institutions.
We provide specialised facilities and instrumentation for research and teaching, as well as extensive workshop, seminar and conference spaces.
We support projects on sea grasses, dugongs, whales and dolphins, sea turtles, mangroves, fish and their parasites, invertebrates, plankton, sharks and rays, migratory sea birds, habitat complexity and connectivity, as well as terrestrial work on areas as diverse as hydrology and archaeology.
Valued partner
UQ has a groundbreaking partnership with the Quandamooka people, the area’s Traditional Owners.
Our staff work closely with the Quandamooka people, and we’re an integral part of the North Stradbroke Island community.
Community groups use our facilities for meetings and activities, and we take part in local events and wildlife rescues.
Our periodic Open Days draw enthusiastic visitors, and we’re heavily involved in National Science Week and STEM activities for school students, including partnerships with CSIRO and Dunwich State Primary School.
Early years
Established in 1949 by the Queensland State Government and managed by the Department of Harbours & Marine (Fisheries), Moreton Bay Research Station was known as the Dunwich Laboratory.
It was used by UQ staff and students, and government and international researchers, including CSIRO’s Dr Jim Thomson. He lived on site and studied local oyster and sea mullet fisheries from 1949 to 1953.
Specialist centre
By the 1950s, it became clear that the area’s significant natural and anthropological diversity was best suited to specialised marine and terrestrial research and teaching.
UQ took over management of the newly named Dunwich Marine Station in 1961.
Facilities included a bunkhouse, laboratory and a generator engine room that was later converted into a teaching hall and mess, and researchers collected organisms in canvas bags and used rowboats.
Expansion
By the late 1990s, the station’s buildings had become inadequate for growing teaching and research needs.
In 1997, UQ’s Associate Professor Jack Greenwood and Dr Ian Tibbetts sought funding to construct a purpose-designed teaching and research facility.
The $2.6 million UQ Moreton Bay Research Station and Study Centre was opened in 2000.
Permanent research base
In recent years, UQ purchased nearby land and properties to accommodate further development.
Today, the station sleeps 100 people and offers extensive modern facilities, including wet and dry research laboratories, teaching spaces, and seminar and conference capabilities.
An Academic Director provides research direction.