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William Saville-Kent's captivating illustrations of the reef

A brightly coloured sketch of sea life at the Great Barrier Reef from 1893
William Saville-Kent's book of illustrations and photographs was published in 1893.(Supplied: W. Saville-Kent)
A brightly coloured sketch of coral and a clown fish at the Great Barrier Reef from 1893
His book attracted worldwide attention and was for decades the definitive work on the reef.(Supplied: W. Saville-Kent)
A brightly coloured sketch of anemones of the Great Barrier Reef from 1893
Saville-Kent was spellbound by the reef's corals, polyps and life-forms.(Supplied: W. Saville-Kent)

The piercing blue eyes of Billy Dunn in a frontal portrait shot.
Billy Dunn is a coral trout fisherman from Bloomfield, north of Cape Tribulation, in Far North Queensland.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

Billy Dunn flicks through the pages of William Saville-Kent’s book.
Billy Dunn flicks through the pages of William Saville-Kent’s book.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

Billy Dunn stands inside his cluttered fishing shack.
Billy Dunn stands inside his cluttered fishing shack.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

The rough coastline of Far North Queensland as dark clouds approach.
The rough coastline of Far North Queensland.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)
Trees frame a small island off the coast of Ayton, in Far North Queensland, on a rainy day
Away from tourist brochures, the coastline is rugged and wild.(ABC: Chris Lewis)
A stack of small rocks on the coast of Ayton
It's a different kind of place for those who live and work in the area.(ABC: Chris Lewis)

Port Douglas Sugar Wharf jetty at twilight
The Port Douglas Sugar Wharf jetty is one of the main attractions of the tourist town(ABC: Chris Lewis)

A drone host of the tourboat out on the GBR.
The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on Earth.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)
Tourists on the back of the boat ready to dive the GBR.
Tourists on the back of a tour boat get ready for their dive.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)
Amy (1)
Amy Kok is visiting from Malaysia.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

A fish swarm traverses the coral forest, creating different shades of blue.
A fish swarm traverses the coral forest.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

A watercolour illustration of bleached coral on a reef, in muted colours.

A watercolour illustration of coral glowing bright blue next to bleached coral.

A couple stands arm in arm in front of a boat
Jenny and John Edmondson moved from Scotland and now run tours in Port Douglas.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

A close-up photo of purple and yellow coral
Purple and yellow Coral at the Great Barrier Reef.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

A giant clam at the bottom of the sea floor, at Opal Reef
A giant clam lives at the bottom of the sea floor at Opal Reef.(ABC: Chris Lewis)

A shot of Billy Dunn working in the kitchen through the cracks of the window of is shack.
A shot of Billy Dunn through the cracks of the window of is shack.(ABC News: Chris Lewis)

A watercolour illustration under the sea of coral and a sea monster with a long neck, turtle like shell and long tail.

A page of Saville Kent's book discussing and illustrating the moha-moha
Saville-Kent's original drawing of the moha-moha.(Supplied: W. Saville-Kent)

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