Darren YeohAfter surviving almost two years of not being able to travel, travelholics like myself can’t help but be excited about the gradual reopening of borders around the world. In Singapore, there are already Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTL) with countries like Korea, Germany, and, of course, Australia!
However, it seems international travel isn’t the only thing that is restarting in Australia. In an epic explosion of colour this week, billions of coral babies were born on the Great Barrier Reef along the stunning coast of Cairns! This awe-inspiring sight of life comes after a year and a half of strict border closures.
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For context, coral spawning is a yearly occurrence when corals release tiny balls into the water. The balls, which act as a means for corals to reproduce, float to the surface where they break open. This enables the corals to cross-fertilise and spawn new reefs!
The spawning usually occurs in waves, with each “birth” being a truly remarkable sight to behold. Just imagine, billions of colourful coral balls rising to the surface at a time. It’s simply whimsical!
This year, the regeneration of the coral reef brings even more joy and excitement. After all, it coincides with Australia reopening its borders!
Gareth Phillips, a marine scientist from Reef Teach, was one of the first to discover the inspirational sight of the coral spawning. He likened his excitement of watching the Great Barrier Reef bursting with life to the excitement many shared about finally emerging from COVID restrictions.
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“We are coming out of restrictions with a fresh leap of life just as the reef is spawning”, said Phillips, who spent over four hours filming the incredible sight.
Hopefully, this is a true sign of things to come as the world slowly recovers from the pandemic. Like the regeneration of the corals, let’s rediscover our passion for travel and reignite our wanderlust!
The information above was extracted from a press release by Tourism and Events Queensland.
