Ocean Infinity (Australia) Pty Ltd (formerly iXblue Pty Ltd), in partnership with Deakin University’s Marine Mapping Group, University of Wollongong, Tellus4D Geoimaging, University of Newcastle, University of New South Wales, University of Tasmania, and Geoscience Australia, undertook a combined aerial and hydrographic survey as part of the Norfolk Island Nearshore and Coastal Habitat Mapping project under Parks Australia Grant Activity ID 4-FISKTDM. The work aimed to establish a detailed baseline of Norfolk Island’s nearshore coastal and shelf environments to inform management, conservation, and research. From 21 to 24 July 2021, 109 km² of the Norfolk Shelf was mapped using high-resolution multibeam sonar, along with two sub-bottom profiles. These were supplemented by 44 Baited Remote Underwater Video (BRUV) deployments in the northeast and south of the island to assess fish assemblages and provide ground truthing data for interpretation of seabed nature. In November 2021, a separate coastal survey using high-resolution drone photogrammetry captured geomorphic and habitat information at seven coastal sites: Captain Cook Lookout, Anson Bay, Puppy’s Point, Headstone Point, Slaughter Bay and Bombora Beach, and Cemetery and Emily Bay. These locations span a variety of morphologies, from exposed basaltic shore platforms and dramatic cliffs to offshore stacks and pockets of rocky beach. The data collected by the project provides a detailed view of the marine and coastal geomorphology of Norfolk Island. The data provides an initial condition assessment of key areas to inform park management, habitat protection, and future targeted studies such as further bathymetric mapping in sensitive areas and expanded ground-truthing of seabed habitats.

Parks Australia - Our Marine Parks Grants Round 2 Project: Nearshore marine habitat mapping of the Norfolk Marine Park (Grant Activity ID: 4-FIZ391E) The Norfolk Marine Park is the is the eastern-most Park in the Temperate East Network of Australian Marine Parks, located between the NSW coast and Norfolk Island. The Park encompasses 188,444 km² of ocean and ranges in depth from 0 m at the Norfolk Island high tide mark to more than 5,00 m off the edge of the Norfolk Ridge. The Park includes two key ecological features – the Norfolk Ridge, and the Tasman Front and associated eddy field – both of which are valued for their high productivity, aggregations of marine life, biodiversity, and endemism. Norfolk Marine Park supports a range of species, including those listed as threatened under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act (1999), and contains Biologically Important Areas for breeding, foraging, and migration of seabirds, marine turtles, and humpback whales. The objective of this project was to create the first marine habitat map for the nearshore shallow water surrounding Norfolk, Nepean, and Phillip Islands. This was conducted in collaboration with Norfolk residents to provide local knowledge input and to ground-truth the remotely-sensed habitat mapping. This high-level habitat map will be used for planning purposes, development applications, and EPBC Act referrals within the nearshore waters of the Norfolk Marine Park, where no specific zoning for recreational and commercial activities currently exists. The map provides a basis for any ongoing citizen-science-driven marine habitat impact and condition assessments, ecosystem monitoring, and to provide the Norfolk Island residents with ownership of any future zoning planning. The map can be further refined as more detailed information becomes available from subject matter experts in the future.