Short Films

A series of short films celebrating Science Week and the work of outstanding individuals and organisations promoting the natural and cultural values of Roebuck Bay and the Yawuru Conservation Estates on Broome’s coast

SEA SNAKES OF ROEBUCK BAY
by Post Doctoral Researcher Dr Jenna Crow-Riddell, University of Adelaide

Dr Jenna Crow-Riddell has been studying sea snakes in Roebuck Bay and the Kimberley coast for ten years.  Jenna agreed to speak on camera whilst in Broome recently about her fascinating research on sea snakes on the Kimberley coast. Jenna is seeking answers to a range of questions: sea snake’s evolutionary biology, general biodiversity, sensory biology and ecological role in this unique ecosystem. Film by Matthew Adams, Surge Films.

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BENEFITS OF NATIVE PLANTS FOR BROOME’S COASTAL WATERS
by Kandy Curran, Roebuck Bay Working Group

The reprint of the popular book Coastal Gardens – A Planting Guide for Broome on the Dampier Peninsula is inspiring the Broome community to grow a waterwise garden that benefits the wallet, environment, and Broome’s coastal waters and in particular, Ramsar listed Roebuck Bay. Local natives (endemics) have many benefits. They thrive in Broome soils and climate, most are cyclone resistant, they keep homes and gardens cool, require less water than introduced plants and resist tropical pests. Endemic plants have evolved over time with defense mechanisms to cope with common pests, thereby requiring fewer pesticides than introduced species. Less pesticides used in your garden, means less chemicals entering Broome’s coastal waters via roadside stormwater drains. The book is available online and designed to be smart phone friendly https://roebuckbay.org.au/pdfs/coastal-gardens-web-version.pdf 

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EUCALYPTS OF BROOME
by Philip Docherty, Society of Kimberley Indigenous Plants 

In 2021 Philip Docherty was awarded a Eucalypt Australia fellowship www.eucalyptaustralia.org.au to run a project to collect seeds, propagate and plant Broome eucalypt species in Magabala Botanical Park in Broome North. The project includes raising awareness of Eucalypts through guided tour, radio interviews and an educational display at Broome Public Library. Future initiatives include tree planting days, creating signage and a booklet on Kimberley eucalypts.

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Migratory Shorebirds, a stop motion animation about Broome’s migratory shorebirds, has been put together by Broome Primary School PEAC students Taela and Lessie  for the Science on Broome Coast series. The series is an initiative of the Roebuck Bay Working Group and Yawuru Land and Sea unit and sponsored by Inspiring Australia, Rangelands NRM with support from the Federal Government National Landcare Program, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, University of Notre Dame and Broome Community Resource Centre.

Shorebird Quest follows Curtis the Curlew on his  breeding migration from Siberia to Roebuck Bay through a fusion of Yawuru Country knowledge, musical theatre, puppetry and original music written by Jaime Jackett. Writer and puppeteer Bernadette Trench-Thiedeman said the show celebrates the biodiversity of Roebuck Bay, bringing life to the creatures that exist in its water and mudflats. Shorebird Quest is a co-creation between Theatre Kimberley, Broome Bird Observatory, Parks and Wildlife Service Yawuru Rangers, Nyamba Buru Yawuru Country Managers, five Broome schools and the community.  This film was made by Paul Bell (Feral Films) and funded by Rangelands NRM through the Federal Government National Landcare Program.

The Dinosaur Coast stars six Broome locals and 130-million-year-old dinosaur tracks in the Broome Sandstone.  Thousands of tracks made by over 20 species of dinosaurs, including six named after locals, have been identified from Roebuck Bay north along the Broome coast.  The film, made by  Paul Bell – Feral Films is the initiative of the Roebuck Bay Working Group and Dinosaur Coast Management Group,. Funded by State NRM with support from Royalties for Regions and Rangelands NRM through the Federal Government National Landcare Program.

Bushtucker trail heals community and bay shows an uplifting story of community, local government, Yawuru Rangers and a community group working together to spruce up a neglected walkway and stormwater drain.  With everyone pitching in, the McMahon walkway in Broome has been cleared of litter, prickles, weeds and garden waste and a bushtucker trail planted – restoring habitat and community pride in a popular recreational area. Thank you State NRM with support from Royalties from Regions for funding this worthy project.

Life in the long mud With a major ‘benthic’ expedition on Roebuck Bay and Eighty Mile Beach in 2016, the film shows the importance of the remarkable invertebrates that live in the lmudflats of the two Ramsar listed wetlands. The information is informing the management of these valuable wetlands for migratory shorebirds, as they come under growing pressure from human interference on the East Asian Australasian Flyway.  Thank you Paul Bell for making the film and State NRM through Royalties for Regions for the funding.

Gardens for Broome’s saltwater country is a short film on the remarkable life in Roebuck Bay and what the community can do to keep these coastal waters productive and clean so all life can thrive. The film was made by Mark Jones, with aerial footage by Shayne Thomson for the Roebuck Bay Working Group. Viewers are warned that the film has images and voices of a deceased person. Thank you Rangelands NRM for funding this outstanding short film through funding from the Federal Government Landcare Program.

Celebrate the bay captures the passion of the Broome community for Roebuck Bay. The message for everyone is to garden waste, fertiliser, sewerage and chemical runoff from gardens into Broome’s stormwater drains. More tips, back-flush your pool water onto the garden and wash your car on the lawn as it will absorb the nutrients in detergent which should be phosphorous free.  Funded by Rangelands NRM with support from the Federal Government Landcare program.

A blooming good film about Roebuck Bay includes great footage of snubfin dolphins, seagrass and shorebirds as well as practical tips for the Broome community to reduce nutrient rich run-off and polluted groundwater flowing into Roebuck Bay and feeding Lyngbya blooms.  The film is a collaboration between the RBWG, Parks and Wildlife Yawuru Rangers, Roebuck Primary students and Broome community. Thanks Rangelands NRM for funding the film and award winning filmmaker Mitch Torres, cameraman Clinton Ferstl and Paul Bell who edited the film.

Seagrass pastures of the sea is about the seagrass meadows in Roebuck Bay. Seagrass provides a nursery for fish, crustaceans and invertebrates, protects our coast, stores carbon and absorbs nutrients – way cool!  The film was made by Seagrass Watch »