Geelong’s Dell Eco Reef celebrated in Design Week

THIS Geelong Design Week, the Dell Eco Reef has emerged as a standout attraction, drawing both locals and tourists alike.

The snorkelling tours of The Dell Eco Reef, which took place earlier in the week, allowed attendees to explore the sculptural wave units located off Clifton Springs.

Reef Design Lab’s Alex Goad said from the outset his team decided to approach coastal protection in a completely new way.

“We asked how can we approach coastal protection in a more sculptural, more ecologically inclusive and a sort of more general public inclusive way.”

The wave units are designed to combat beach erosion, offer wave break protection, and attract oysters and mussels, thus enhancing the coastal ecosystem.

According to Mr Goad, the forms, with their highly sculptured aesthetics, have multiple benefits.

“They get people interested in the installations so they actually want to go and snorkel on the reef, but also the geometry creates a lot of complex crevasses and niches for the colonising organisms we want to attract,” Mr Goad said.

“We want to attract a lot of oysters and mussels that are the reef-building species found in Port Phillip Bay, in the hopes of constructing a living and thriving reef.”

City of Greater Geelong senior environmental engineer Ralph Roob said the artificial reef was a nature-based coastal protection solution.

“The construction of the Dell Eco Reef was aimed at stabilising the beach. By reducing wave energy, it prevents further erosion,” he said.

Mr Roob said there is some risk associated with applying nature-based solutions that are non-conventional.

“The reef now harbours a variety of seaweeds, diverse shellfish including limpets and top shells, and crustaceans such as shore crabs and shrimps.”

The innovative nature of The Dell Eco Reef was further cemented when the City of Greater Geelong was listed on the Australian Financial Review BOSS Most Innovative Companies for 2023.

Geelong mayor Trent Sullivan praised the reef’s dual role in strengthening the region’s climate resilience and its allure as a unique tourist destination.

“This artificial reef combines innovative tech and ecological expertise, and really needs to be experienced in person to fully understand how it functions, its positive impact and its beauty.

“The Dell Eco Reef and other events during Geelong Design Week reflect our region’s innovative mindset, creativity and drive to find better ways to care for our people and our environment.”

The city’s week-long celebration of its unique status as Australia’s only UNESCO Creative City of Design features more than 50 diverse programs, including exhibitions, film premieres, and discussions centred on design, architecture, fashion, and green infrastructure.