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Laboratories

The Station's main "laboratory" is the reef and that is where most of the work takes place. With a small staff in a relatively remote location, the Research Station has chosen not to provide and maintain a wide range of analytical equipment. Instead, the Station provides a full range of facilities to observe and maintain living organisms and to process samples to a stage suitable for transport to laboratories with more sophisticated facilities.

Main items of laboratory equipment are:

• Olympus dissecting microscope with high resolution Camedia digital camera and Sony monitor
• Leitz Dialux 22 compound microscope with normal and fluorescence light sources
• Wild M400 dissecting microscope
• Wild photoautomat and camera bodies for use with each of the above microscopes
• Seven other dissecting microscopes of varying vintages and quality
• Cold fibre-optic light sources for microscopy
• Large capacity freeze dryer
• Autoclave
• Laboratory oven
• Laboratory incubator
• Electronic balance weighing to 0.0001 g
• Electronic balance weighing to 0.1 g
• Electronic balance weighing to 1 g
• various centrifuges, none refrigerated
• 20 litre dewar for liquid nitrogen that can be filled in Cairns by prior arrangement
• domestic refrigerators and freezers
• ice-making machine

All laboratories are equipped with 240V power and some have 110V outlets as well. Most laboratory areas can be air conditioned as required.

The Griffin Laboratory comprises three rooms: a chemical room with fume hood; a low-humidity microscope room that permanently houses the two photmicroscopes and provides storage space for other microscopes when not in use; and a room with tables, benches and a freshwater sink. This lab is named for Dr Des Griffin who was Director of the Australian Museum for 22 years to 1998 and remains a champion for the Station.

The Old Lab has two large rooms with tables, benches and a freshwater sink. The larger of these is used as a classroom by educational groups and both provide work space for researchers. Adjoining the larger room is a small photographic dark room and a computer room containing a PC and printer for visitors' use. The computer has current versions of Microsoft Office software and provides email but not web-browsing access for visitors.

The Live Lab is supplied with freshwater and seawater. Fixatives and other chemicals that may be harmful to living organisms must not be used in this lab. A small culture room adjoins the Live Lab. It has compressed air on tap, banks of daylight fluorescent lamps and glass shelves.

The Raymond E. Purves Laboratory has several spaces with different functions. There is a large area that is under roof but open on one side and protected from wind on the other by banks of louvred windows. This space is used for setting up bulky items of field equipment and for sediment work. The large wet lab also has good ventilation and running seawater with new stainless steel wet benches. This is the place for dissecting fish and sorting marine samples: formalin and preserving alcohol may be used in this area. Two additional rooms provide air-conditioned work space. The Raymond E. Purves Laboratory is named after the Raymond E. Purves Foundation which has provided substantial funding for the Research Station over many years, including funds for construction and development of the lab itself. The Foundation's most recent contribution was in 2003 to refurbish to interior of the wet lab and to add the second air-conditioned room.

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