Bronte Claussen’s story is the type you only read about in picture books. From her toddler to her teenage years, Bronte grew up on a remote island where fresh milk was a special occasion, but snorkelling with whale sharks was a regular Tuesday.

It sounds like a Disney princess tale, and it just so happens that Bronte – a Marine and Coastal Scientist at the Reef Authority - bears a striking resemblance to Ariel, aka The Little Mermaid. And like Ariel, Bronte grew up in the water, so it’s no real surprise that she is so passionate about protecting the ecosystems under her fins.

“I think it had a lot to do with my upbringing on Christmas Island. It was awesome – I’d go back in a heartbeat,” she said.

Nestled in the Indian Ocean, 1,400 kilometres northwest of Australia, Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia, known to be a naturalist’s paradise.

“Growing up in environments with such enchanting nature – which I took for granted at the time - made me want to spend my career working to protect that,” Bronte said.

Bronte had yet to experience her first birthday, when her father accepted a job as a Botanist with Parks Australia and moved the family from tropical North Queensland to the remote paradise of Christmas Island.

“My dad did a PhD in botany and ecology and was working as a university lecturer before getting the job on Christmas Island. His work was to rehabilitate the rainforest that had been cut down from phosphate mining.

“The community of Christmas Island was very passionate about the environment, and that shaped my perspective on it.

“I fell in love with the reef on Christmas Island.” 

If you’re a fan of Sir David Attenborough, you’d be all too familiar with where she grew up. Hailed as one of Attenborough’s greatest TV moments, the Christmas Island annual red crab migration was just part of growing up for Bronte.

It was so normal, that in primary school, red crabs would find their way into classrooms.

“The red crab migration was pretty special – people die to go to it, but it was such a normal thing on Christmas Island.

“A few weeks of the year – someone had to be out the front of the bus stops with a broom brushing the red crabs out of the way.

“Thousands of them would come through the school.

“Lots of the new teachers from Perth would be so scared of them and would have to get the students to get them out of the classroom,” Bronte said with a laugh.

While Christmas Island is revered for its natural beauty, the reality of living on an island which was home to an offshore processing centre was also sobering at times.

“We sometimes had refugees join our class… that was really eye opening, and it made you feel very grateful to grow up in Australia. A lot of them didn’t know what age they were. That was a very impactful experience for me.

“In reflection it was quite surreal, the navy would evacuate people off refugee boats at the main cove on Christmas Island.

“There’d be news reporters videoing too – it was so normal at the time, but I know it now not to be normal.” 

Perhaps that’s why if you look beneath the fairytale façade, there’s a grit and determination to Bronte that’s seen her attain a senior position in her early career.

Bronte has been many things:  fish vaccinator, heavy machinery driver, environmental consultant, marine researcher, rescue diver, honours graduate, and the list goes on. As a kid, she would have told you she wanted to join the circus, or be an air hostess, or a spy.

“Growing up there were a lot of things I wanted to be that weren’t realistic.

“The boring jobs didn’t really appeal to me, I needed to do something really interesting.

“I wanted to be a spy. I watched a lot of James Bond, it looked exciting and versatile.” 

With an ambition to be something great in her career, Bronte pursued the often highly competitive field of Marine Science.

Receiving an honours in Coral Reef Geomorphology, Bronte said it’s the interconnectedness between the Reef and surrounding landscapes that piques her curiosity. 

“What interests me is how the large and small-scale ecosystem processes interact to make everything function.

“During my honours I studied how Reef islands are formed and maintained.

“Coral Reef Geomorphology is the study of the morphological development of coral reefs and associated landforms. It combines ecological, physical and geological information to understand coral reef formation, diversity and change. All the different processes, even the ones people perceive as negative – such as destructive processes, like erosion – play a key role in the overall functioning of the Reef.”

Bronte’s honours project focused on the Southern Great Barrier Reef’s crown jewel, Lady Elliot Island. 

She’s taken her deeply personal connection to the Reef and applies it in her role as a Senior Permits Assessor at the Reef Authority.

“In my day to day work I assess research permits – so any research people want to conduct on the reef – we assess the risks to the Reef.

“I really love going out to the Reef in my spare time and I have a strong connection to it – it’s my favourite thing to do in my off time.
 

“That’s what really motivates me in my job every day.” 

While the Senior Permits Assessor remains humble about her achievements, Bronte shared some words of wisdom that have helped shape her early career:

“Stick to it and take all the opportunities you can, it’s worth it in the end when you get where you need to be.”