The Weird World of Sea Urchins

Director/Producer/Editor: Angela Heathcote

Cinematographer/Producer: Patrick Wiecks

Run time: 21:54

Synopsis: The small Blue Mountains town of Kurrajong seems an odd place for a sea urchin museum; being almost 80 kilometres from any Sydney beach, but here, at the end of an unassuming cul-de-sac, you’ll find a collection of over 20,000 expertly curated specimens, painstakingly prepared and displayed by local sea urchin expert Ashley Miskelly. Childhood photographs of Ashley are replete with the tiny, spiky sea creatures, pointing to a lifetime of passion. Since then, Ashley has become an international expert on urchins, discovering new species, publishing books, contributing to scientific papers, all while running one of the world’s only dedicated sea urchin museums; all without ever undertaking any formal study.

Published for the ABC