Real to reel reef: Space, place and film at the Great Barrier Reef

Abstract

For more than 1,200 miles along the northeast coast of Australia stretches a string of islands, cays, shoals and reefs that are home to a multitude of living organisms. In spite the vast scale of the region and a complexity of geographic and biological features, it is known to us as a single entity - the Great Barrier Reef. A reconstruction of visitors' experiences of the region, however, suggests that the way in which it has been constructed and understood as a place during the twentieth century has changed considerably. In this paper I examine the role of motion film in recording visitor experiences of the Reef, and consider how such technologies affect human understanding of place and space.