For years, marine biologist Sheree Marris believed she had to travel overseas to witness the world’s most spectacular marine life. But now, the award-winning environmental communicator has come full circle, realising the magic she’d been searching for has been in her backyard all along: Western Port Bay.
Her latest project, Western Port Down Under, is not just a documentary and a book. It’s a full-scale social impact campaign designed to showcase the rarely seen underwater world of the bay she grew up in, and to inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.
“Western Port is like the poor cousin to Port Phillip and the even poorer cousin to the Great Barrier Reef because it’s really muddy, because at times it can be really cold. But that is actually a part of its charm and its magic that I’m discovering,” she said.
“There’s a lot of pressure on Western Port, and one of the greatest challenges is that while there are all these great champions of trying to protect Western Port, we don’t really have a compelling narrative about what’s under the water.
“We know a lot about on top, but we’re not doing so well when it comes to showing the magic that is in the mud, that is in the mangroves, that is in the rocky reefs or the sandy plains, and that’s something that I love and that’s something that I know I do well and I want to work with amazing people to show this story.
“Because if people don’t know, they can’t care.”
So what’s under the water?
The team recently filmed soldier crabs inside self-made “muddy igloos”—tiny air bubbles they create underground to breathe.
“These are the type of things that really excite me because people think mud’s really boring. It’s not. It’s so cool, these animals,” Sheree said.
With world-class cinematography and compelling storytelling, the film will explore everything from prehistoric marine creatures like elephant sharks and sevengill sharks, to vibrant nudibranchs, described by Sheree as “land slugs on acid.”
“It’s this nursery. It’s this environment that cultivates a habitat for all these animals to come and breed. It’s incredibly unique,” Sheree said.
“There are animals in the sea grass and in amongst the mangroves, and it’s just, anywhere you look, there is magic and there is wonder and there is still so much we don’t know.”
The Western Port Down Under social impact campaign, backed by the Unico Conservation Foundation, officially kicked off with the first community conversation set for Wednesday 13 August at Warneet Motor Yacht Club.
“I want the community to come along, but I want to learn from the community,” Sheree said.
“What do they know about Western Port that I don’t? Are there any secret little places? “I want to get the community to take ownership of that project because it’s not just my Western Port. It’s everyone’s Western Port, and I want them to become environmental stewards for this really unique place that we have.”
The centrepiece of the campaign is a documentary from the award-winning team behind Melbourne Down Under, which will be launched in the summer of 2026-27. But the team isn’t stopping at the film.
Sheree plans to host the footage, images, and research on a public online “legacy portal,” where students, scientists, and everyday nature lovers can explore the underwater world of Western Port.
The social impact campaign also includes other initiatives: a free school program, a discovery trail across key sites, a community screening roadshow, and a free marine media library to support local conservation.
While a teaser for the documentary has been completed with philanthropic support, Sheree and her team are now actively seeking additional funding to bring the full vision to life.
“It’s an underworld paradise and playground. People just do not realise the magic and how lucky we are to have it,” Sheree said.
To know more about the project, visit: westernportdownunder.com.au/
You can join the community conversation from 6pm to 8pm on Wednesday 13 August at Warneet Motor Yacht Club.
