Coralita - under her new owners Alby and Irene Ziebell moved the home base to Cairns (which has an international airport) to more easily service dives at the northern Coral Sea reefs and eventually PNG.

Captain Wally Muller - by chance dropped anchor of his charter boat Coralita on an enormous starfish infestation in 1974, the location he said was 'two reefs east of Mystery Cay', The Swain Reefs. Another smaller infestation filmed for Movietone News was at 'Lavers Cay' - (reef names by Wally Muller were not retained on GBRMPA charts - which gives little or no recognition to this original explorer who sailed these dangerous waters pre GPS from the mid 1950's. aboard his 'Riversong' a lugger-style fishing vessel.

Wally Muller's mentor was Clarrie Nuffer who's vessels were "Sunray" and "Ocean Reaper" (source Ron Zangari 2019)

Dr Robert Endean

Ben Cropp AM

Wally Muller purchased the 20-year old Careelah in 1967 to replace Riversong.

Wally Muller's first boat "Riversong" - fished The Swain Reefs

Wally Muller's third vessel the purpose built 79 foot TSMV Coralita

(1969)

MULLERS REEF
Captain Wally Muller in 1975

Captain W.G. 'Wally' Muller in 1971 - remembered today by Mullers Reef (The Swain Reefs)

Newspaper: Wally Muller Hall of Fame

Coralita advertising 1971 (Fathom magazine)

Apology for poor quality - taken from VHS

Wally’s nautical career began as a professional hand-line fisherman based at Yeppoon, then a sleepy central Queensland seaside village back in the 1940s. Two local groups were then fishing The Swain Reefs. The White Brothers (who were to hire young Wally Muller aged 17) and Clarence Nuffer (owner of Sun Ray and later Ocean Reaper).

Wally’s method of operation. Just himself and a deckhand would hand line reef fish until they filled the freezer with 4000 pounds of mostly coral trout and red throat sweetlip fillets, both A grade species, then return to port. The round trip taking between two and three weeks. If seriously bad weather were encountered (preventing a return home after just a few days fishing) – the entire catch might be dumped so that a fresher haul could be caught and returned to port. Such was the population of reef fish during the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Fifty tonnes of whole fish per year for twenty years. One thousand tonnes of fish caught by a single small fishing boat working virgin Great Barrier Reef. Scientists today researching coral trout density numbers dispute such figures as ever having been possible, and use a different yardstick post spearfishing era.

Gradually Wally and Riversong explored deeper into The Swain Reefs – the largest mass of uncharted territory in the southern GBR. No other fishermen ventured into this maze of reef by 1960. Located between 120 and 180 nautical miles offshore. Wally made his own rough chart of this territory (which was lost or destroyed in embarrassment soon after the first aerial-photographed chart (by Gulf Oil) became available).

Most boat captains were nervous of being involved with spear fishermen, (shark paranoia). Wally Muller took calculated risks. With crew members Ron Zangari, and visitors Ron Taylor and Ben Cropp the team became the first spearmen in underwater expeditions to the Swain Reefs 1961-62.

TSMV Coralita was a twin screw timber constructed 79 foot dive boat designed and built by Norman R. Wright shipyards in Brisbane. The first sleep-aboard which allowed exploring of remote world-class Coral Sea reefs. Marion Reef was said to rival the best of The Red Sea.

Like a modern-day Matthew Flinders, Wally Muller explored these remote reefs in Australian territory and further east to the Chesterfield Reefs in French territory of The Pacific where he collected live rare Voluta thatcheri sea shells (for the Yeppoon Shell Club charter) and was subsequently threatened with arrest if he returned.

Other diving charters took Coralita to New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, New Guinea and the Celebes – where pirates were a serious concern.

Another corporate project was for Ok Tedi mining company up the Fly River in New Guinea – passing wreckage of previous large charter boats grounded by tidal bores (three meter waves from tropical downpours that suddenly appear running upstream against the current on an otherwise calm river ). Crocodiles were a problem for divers making tidal flow measurements. Eldest son, Roy Muller had narrow escapes underwater with crocodiles - unseen in the murky conditions made worse when a face mask was knocked off by one.

When a former fisherman accustomed to a solitary life at sea is thrown into the world of charter boats, a variety of high-paying guests requiring entertainment combined with daylight rum consumption caught up with Wally.

Running aground on bommies became frequent (without sustaining serious damage – apart from a busted propeller. More seriously, leaving four divers on a reef (when they had slipped back for a snorkel swim without permission). Wally had up-anchored and moved to the intended anchorage for the night kilometers away. The the missing divers were discovered and Coralita returned in the twilight to collect them, now standing waist-deep on a reef as the tide rose. Another near-mutiny followed.

These were the pioneer days of scuba dive charters preceding today’s stricter regulations and head counts in the past Port Douglas incident highlighted by a feature film titled Open Water.

We were the divers entering and exiting the water subjected to small sharks taking live struggling fish from lines when charters contained non-diving fishermen.
An unimaginable scenario today, not quite as serious as it sounds.

Wally’s major near-miss was a back-firing .303 powerhead reverse-propelled spear which smashed his face mask entered 5cm into his face below an eye and almost killed him. He lay on his bunk for two or more days unable move or run the ship, while the group of divers aboard must have become annoyed - 250 miles offshore at Marion Reef.

Other adventures saw Coralita sailing to an erupting undersea volcano in the Solomon Islands with great lumps of lava raining down around and beyond the ship. Wally Muller’s own photograph of this was later published in a National Geographic Magazine.

WALLY MULLER - HIS BOATS

First was Riversong Built of Tasmanian timbers along the lines of a pearling lugger the 42 foot long commercial fishing boat Riversong worked the Swain Reefs at a time when maybe just one or two, vessels went there. With a beam of 12 foot 6 inches she had a 48 HP Gardiner engine which delivered 8 knots. Planks were 6″ thick, deck planks were 1.5″ thick.
Construction
Riversong was built in 1947 at Mackay, Queensland from spotted gum timber (maybe with an Oregon pole), by W.Beatie a ship builder formerly from Tasmania. Twin freezer could hold 4500 pounds of fish fillets.
A gypsy anchor winch used a WW2 aircraft starter engine.

#2 Careelah (native word meaning south wind). Former name was the Norman R. Wright. 66 feet in length, 15 foot beam, hardwood construction with Hueon Pine from waterline to deck. Deck was of beech. Built in 1949 by Norman R Wright.

#3 Coralita which was the premier dive boat during the 1970’s which hosted scuba diving Prime Minister’s. 79 feet in length with 19.5 foot beam she was built of beech timbers. Twin 190 HP Caterpillar diesels 160 KVA and 125 KVA generator sets. Built by Norman R. Wright of Brisbane and launched in 1969 for Wally and partner Ed Hancock who envisaged regular charter cruises among the local Capricorn and Bunker Group of islands..

Coralita planks were of 8″ and 2″ Spotted Gum each plank with a length of 40 feet or more and requiring five men to handle each one. Launched in 1969

RON TAYLOR REEF
(Lat 21.137°S, Long 152.528°E).

21-284

Zone: Marine National Park (Green) Zone

Management Area: Mackay / Capricorn Management Area

Managed by: the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

This Reef was named in recognition of the late Ron Taylor AO, one of Australia’s first marine conservationists. Both Ron and his wife Valerie Taylor spent 40 years sharing their shark and marine conservation message all over the world. Together they changed the perception of sharks, educating others on the species importance in maintaining a balance in healthy ocean ecosystems.

Ron Taylor, who captured marine life through the lens of a camera and shared his passion with the world, will be remembered with a reef named in his honour.

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority general manager Bruce Elliot said it was a fitting way to recognise Ron’s work as one of the country’s first marine conservationists.
“Ron lived an amazingly full life, ironically starting off as a champion spear fisherman and eventually becoming a world renowned marine conservationist,” he said.
“Survived by his equally passionate wife Valerie, together the two shared a life of wonderful adventures spreading their enthusiasm for marine conservation and educating others on the virtues of sharks.”
The couple spent 40 years sharing their shark and marine conservation message while filming animals of the deep in different locations all over the world.
“Together they changed the perception of sharks, educating others on the species’ importance in maintaining a balance in healthy ocean ecosystems,” said Mr Elliot.
The Taylors’ conservation work not only encompassed sharks. They also contributed greatly to garnering support for the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef and its animals.
Valerie Taylor said filming on the Great Barrier Reef launched their careers as cinema-photographers and conservationists.
“Together, we both directed and filmed a series about the Great Barrier Reef which was distributed and played worldwide. We did this project with the aim of capturing audiences’ attention to inspire a love of the Great Barrier Reef,” she said.
“Ron would be thrilled to have a reef named after him — we were always both very passionate about protecting the Great Barrier Reef.”
As part of their Reef conservation work, the couple were successful in their fight to have the rare and friendly Potato Cod of Cormorant Pass on the Great Barrier Reef protected from harvesting by sports fishers.
Their careers saw both of the Taylor's awarded many accolades for their marine conservation work.
In 1982, Prince Bernhardt of the Netherlands presented Valerie with the insignia Knight of the Order of the Golden Ark at Soestdijk Palace, while Ron was awarded a Member of the Order of Australia in 2003.
At the age of 78, Ron Taylor lost his battle with acute myeloid leukaemia on 9 September 2012. He will always be remembered for his amazing contribution to marine conservation.
Ron Taylor Reef (21-284) is located in the Swains Reefs region, approximately 350km east of Mackay
It was officially named through a formal process in conjunction with the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Royal Australian Navy–Australian Hydrographic Office and the Queensland Government.

Name: GBRMPA Media
Contact: 07 4750 0846

Ron Taylor in 1967

RON ISBEL REEF

On 1 August 2009, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority named a reef in the Mackay/Capricorn Management Area of the Marine Park "Ron Isbel Reef".

Ron Isbel was a well respected charter boat operator focusing mainly on the southern Great Barrier Reef. Naming a reef in the Swains Reefs is a fitting tribute to his contribution of knowledge, passion and ability to foster world-wide recognition of the Great Barrier Reef.

22-108

Size: 527 ha
Zone: Habitat Protection (Dark Blue) Zone
Management Area: Mackay / Capricorn Management Area
Managed by: the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority

The name was agreed to under Memorandum of Understanding between Australian Hydrographic Office, Department of Environment and Resource Management and theGreat Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority who named the reef on 1 August 2009.

Ron Isbel passed away on 10 November 2008, aged 79.

Captain Ron Isbell

Ron Isbell's second boat was Tropic Rover - pictured at Great Keppel Island 1988

(Above) from 16mm film frame

Fathom magazine 1971 48 pages

Courtesy Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville, Queensland.

Naming of reefs and undersea geographic features

How are reefs named?

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the Royal Australian Navy–Australian Hydrographic Office and the Queensland Department of Environment and Heritage Protection have an agreed process for naming reefs and other undersea geographic features within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.

The tripartite agreement was made in the 1980s because of the often ambiguous and overlapping roles between state and Commonwealth agencies in the naming of undersea geographic features within the Marine Park.

A memorandum of understanding formalised the process and principles involved in reef naming.

Each state and territory has legislative or regulatory procedures for approving and recording place names or features within their jurisdiction.

At the Commonwealth level, the recording of place names is the responsibility of the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping and more particularly its subcommittee, the Permanent Committee on Place Names.

Both committees have members representing the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, the Australian Defence Force, including the Australian Hydrographic Office, and relevant New Zealand agencies.

The Permanent Committee on Place Names, with the assistance of the National Mapping Division of Geoscience Australia, produces the Gazetteer of Australia. This contains place names derived from the official place name gazetteers in each state and territory and offshore undersea feature names maintained by the Australian Hydrographic Office.

Within the Gazetteer of Australia, unapproved place and feature names are also maintained – reef names occur within this category.

What is the Permanent Committee on Place Names?

The Permanent Committee on Place Names was formed in 1984 to coordinate Australian place-naming activities.

Representatives come from the Australian Geographical Names Boards for each state and territory, New Zealand and other individuals and institutions with an interest on nomenclature.

Who to contact to propose a reef name

To propose a name for an individual reef, contact:

Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Phone: +61 7 4750 0700
Email: gis@gbrmpa.gov.au

Summary of names accepted under the tripartite agreement

Name	Number	Zoning Map	Date of Approval
Bob Endean Reef	17-065	MPZ 6	8 December 2014
Ron Taylor Reef	21-284	MPZ 16	1 October 2013
Patricia Mather Reef	21-148	MPZ 13	4 October 2012
Virginia Chadwick Reef	18-016	MPZ 7	23 April 2010
Vicki Harriott Reef	15-070	MPZ 5	1 August 2009
Ron Isbel Reef	22-108	MPZ 14	1 August 2009
Isobel Bennett Reef	21-505	MPZ 14	13 October 2008
Perkins Reef	21-274	MPZ 14	1 November 2007
Mullers Reef	21-173	MPZ 13	1 November 2007
Callum Shoal	20-1271	MPZ 10 & MPZ 11	1 November 2007
Peter Reef	13-055	MPZ 3	1 November 2007
Cowboys Reef	18-082	MPZ 9	6 October 2005
Nancy Foster Reef	21-131	MPZ 13	2 February 2005
Walker Reef	18-026	MPZ 7 & MPZ 8	14 July 2003
Reimer Reef	19-152	MPZ 11	14 July 2003
Anniversary Reefs	(Banfield Reef (South)18-105, Saville- Kent Reef 18-099 and Judith Wright Reef 18-101)	MPZ 9	18 April 2001
Bandjin Reefs	(Barnett Patches 18-019, Duncan Reef 18-020, Moss Reef 17-068, Reg Ward Reef 18-017 and 4 unnamed reefs)	MPZ 7 & MPZ 8	20 February 2001
Muirhead Reef	20-187	MPZ 13	6 December 2000
Newell Reef	20-396	MPZ 14	6 December 2000
Olympic Reef	20-377	MPZ 13	29 August 2000
Fitzalan Passage		MPZ 10 (not shown on map)	25 November 1999
Kupuntutu Passage		MPZ 3	22 July 1999
Osborn Passage		MPZ 3	1 June 1999
Lads Passage		MPZ 3	1 June 1999
Rachel Carson Reef