Tiger shark caught during an Embury expedition
Date1928 - 1934
Object numberANMS0850[083]
NamePhotograph
MediumPaper
Dimensions103 x 81 mm
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineANMM Collection Gift from McIlwraith McEacharn Limited
Collections
DescriptionA black and white image showing a man standing next to a dead tiger shark suspended from a tree. It was taken on a Embury Expedition to the Great Barrier Reef where fishing was a popular activity.HistoryIn 1928 Edwin 'Mont' Embury and Albert Hayter organised their first Embury Expedition to the Great Barrier Reef. The base was on Lindeman Island where expedition guests stayed in tents but provided their own bedding g and eating utensils. Despite the simplicity of the endeavour, there were about 100 guests - a mixture of holiday makers and scientists and these Embury Expeditions became some of the first organised group trips to the Reef intended especially for holiday makers.
In addition to the traditional holiday activities of boat cruises, fishing and beach time, the Embury Expeditions had a particular scientific element to it. Researchers and scientists accompanied the guests and provided lectures on marine life and guided people around the Reef.
Of particular note is the presence on the expeditions of professional photographers who took photographs of visitors and surrounding scenery which were later published in various magazines and journals. As a result of this photographic element was the foray into underwater photography, a previously unthought-of of forum. It was on one of these earliest Embury Expeditions that the first underwater image of a diver was taken.
SignificanceEarly tourism to the Great Barrier Reef and surrounding islands often included fishing as a recreation activity as well as a source of scientific enquiry. By the end of the 1930's the Reef had established itself as a location for big game fishing and angling.
