Marine life has been discovered deep beneath the sea that's so spectacular it rivals even the Great Barrier Reef.
Magnificent reefs containing colourful sponge gardens, corals, and abundant fish species are just some of the features recorded during the recent scientific expeditions to Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park in Victoria (scroll down for video).
The area is famous for its stunning landscapes above the water, but what lives deep beneath the sea had previously been unknown.
Researchers used a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) to record the marine life in habitats from 30-100m deep.
It revealed massive coral fans, large sea whips and colourful sponge gardens beyond scientists' expectations, along with extensive walls, house-sized boulders, ridges and caverns with a diverse range of colourful sponges, hard and soft corals and abundant fish life. There were abundant fish species including some that are said to be of conservation significance such as the Australian barracuda, Sphyraena novaehollandiae, and Longsnout boarfish, Pentaceropsis recurvirostris, along with 90m deep holes with big schools of deep sea perch. The were also complex underwater dune systems including one about 30m high and 2km long.
Wilsons Promontory Marine National Park is Victoria's largest Marine Protected Area at 15,550ha. It extends along 17km of mainland coastline and is located around the southern tip of Wilsons Promontory.
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