To mark World Oceans Day, we spoke with ocean advocate and environmentalist Laura Wells about the places in Australia that have shaped her love for nature. From diving on the Great Barrier Reef to exploring the rainforests of Tasmania, Laura shares how scent, place, and experience have inspired her commitment to environmental advocacy. Her reflections remind us that protecting the ocean starts with paying attention—to the land, the climate, and the wild things around us.

What are some of your favourite Australian locations, and what makes them stand out to you in terms of their beauty and environmental significance?

Australia has such beautiful and diverse landscapes it’s hard to choose favourites. 
But the incredible colour spectrum of the Great Barrier Reef, to the white sands of Jervis Bay, the deep reds and vibrant blues of the Western Australian coastline and the lush rainforests of North west Tasmania are definitely some of my favourite places to visit. 

How has the Australian landscape influenced your journey as an environmentalist, and are there any particular places that inspired your passion for conservation

Immersing myself in nature, adventuring and exploring challenging landscapes and learning about the history and use of these places has influenced my journey as an environmentalist for sure. You can’t protect what you don’t love and you don’t love what you don’t know, so it’s crucial to form connections with biology and understand its importance to us and our impact on it in order to protect it. 
I think visiting the Great Barrier Reef and seeing first hand the damage of coral bleaching alongside healthy reef was a real eye opener for me, as was trekking through the Tarkine in North West Tasmania, our oldest temperate rainforest that is still proposed to be mined and deforested.

As someone deeply engaged in environmental issues, what do you believe is the most effective way to tackle the major environmental challenges facing Australia today?

Your vote counts. We need to vote with our values at all of our elections, especially federal and state elections. Vote for the Independent or the Party who will protect the environment, because at the end of the day they are protecting your home and health. 

Can you share a scent based memory from an Australian location that has shaped your connection to the environment.

The scent of jasmine reminds me of native bees and the first time I learnt that Australia has around 2000+ species of native bees. This fact blew my mind because we are so used to seeing images of the typical honey bee and rarely do people know that Australia has some of the most gorgeous bee species. 
This day on the jasmine bush I saw 3 different bee species, the blue-banded bee, the teddy bear bee and a domino cuckoo bee. All fantastically colourful and different and a great reminder that often in nature we don’t pay attention to what’s happening around us and the role that many individual insects play in our everyday life. 

We saw that you recently visited the beautiful Fleurieu Peninsula here  in South Australia. Can you share your favourite parts of that visit and somewhere in SA you'd like to visit next. (I highly recommend checking out the incredible Eyre Peninsula, Cactus is like nowhere I've ever been before!)

South Australia is incredibly beautiful and a fantastic place to explore. 

I really enjoyed visiting the Banrock Station Wines wetlands and seeing a diverse range of species. 

I would absolutely love to visit Kangaroo island for peak nature experiences and also Whyalla for the cuttlefish migration! I’m dying to dive with them. 

Laura’s journey through some of Australia’s most iconic landscapes reminds us that environmental action starts with connection. Whether it’s voting for leaders who will protect our planet, learning the names of our native species, or simply pausing to notice the bees in a jasmine bush—every moment of awareness matters.
This World Oceans Day, let’s celebrate the beauty that surrounds us and commit to protecting it—above and below the surface.