Beachcombing is an activity that consists of an individual "combing" (or searching) the beach and the intertidal zone, looking for things of interest or value. Many modern beachcombers follow the "drift lines" or "tide lines" on the beach and are interested in the (mostly natural) objects that the sea casts up. For these people, "beachcombing" is the recreational activity of looking for and finding various curiosities that have washed in with the tide: seashells of every kind, fossils, pottery shards, historical artefacts, seeds, sea glass, driftwood, and the occasional message in a bottle. (Wikipedia 2021)
As an avid beach walker there are many beautiful natural objects and some interesting man-made objects to be seen, and occasionally collected. As it turns out, a love of the coast and being a geocacher complement each other perfectly. This series combines interesting collected objects and lovely coastal areas.
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If you walk along the rocky coastline around Eaglehawk Bay and Little Norfolk Bay you will often be able to find sea urchin shells washed up on the shore. There are two types of sea urchins in Tasmanian waters.
Short Spined Sea Urchin Heliocidaris erythrogramma The short spined sea urchin ids endemic to Tasmania and has shorter, solid spines. They have a number of colour variations all made up of purple, green and/or white which often differ between the spines and the teste (shell).
Long Spined Sea Urchin Centrostephanus rodgersii. The long spined sea urchin has spines longer than half its shell diameter. This urchin is dark brown to black with a turquoise-like sheen on the spines with red down their centre. However colours can vary.
The long spined urchin has become established in Tasmanian waters following changes to the East Australian Current which has allowed this invasive species to be transported from New South Wales to the east coast of Tasmania. The long spined sea urchin is a threat to Tasmanian ecosystems as it feeds on the marine algae leaving large barren areas on the sea floor and depriving abalone, rock lobster and other species of their feed and habitat.
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