Marine Conservation Centre
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In 1996, DRI was granted Approved Research Institute status by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO). The Institute's Marine Conservation Centre is based at the Western Port Marina, on the shores of Western Port Bay at Hastings, south-east of Melbourne in Australia. The Centre is located near two of Victoria's recently declared Marine National Parks.
Our research programs have helped us begin to understand the threats facing the dolphins and, with government, tourism industry and other stakeholders, to develop strategies to manage these threats. Education and media programs have raised community awareness, resulting in more caring behaviour around the dolphins and their marine environment.
This mix of research, education and community involvement has proven successful - it is what makes the Dolphin Research Institute effective and unique.
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Marine Conservation Centre, Hastings
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DRI's strategic vision for the future includes a world-class Centre of Excellence for Coastal Sustainability. It will be a cooperative, community-based champion for, and window to, our southern marine ecosystems. It's a vision to create a lasting legacy.
In 2001, the Dolphin Research Institute took the first step, establishing a Marine Conservation Centre, located at the Western Port Marina in Hastings.
The Institute's Centre is within an hour of Melbourne's population centre and two thirds of Victoria's schools.
The Western Port region is an oasis for plant and animal life, and the perfect place for young people to become inspired by the marine environment, through our Education Programs. Our 40 seat Marine Conservation Centre brings the watery world into sharp focus, taking students on magical journeys to experience the sights and sounds of the sea, including awesome displays like a vertebra from a 25 metre blue whale!
We are perfectly located directly on the Western Port shoreline, adjacent to a huge nature reserve of mangroves, salt marsh and woodlands. The reserve and salt marsh is a home for rare migratory birds that journey half way across the world to this special place. In our immediate vicinity, there are sandy beaches, mysterious mudflats, seagrass meadows, and 3 Marine National Parks.
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