Dendronephthya australis, an endangered soft coral primarily found in the central coast region of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, is in rapid decline. The largest known aggregations are located within the Port Stephens estuary, where mapping has showed that the areal extent decreased by over 90% since 2011. Without intervention to help this soft coral recover, at the current rate of decline, there is a high likelihood that the species could become extinct within the Port Stephens estuary in the next few years. Methods have been developed for aquaria-rearing of soft coral nubbins and the transplantation back into the wild. In 2022, whilst working with D. australis nubbins in aquaria, a major breakthrough occurred with the first observations of sexual reproduction for this species. We now have some understanding of the life cycle of this unique and ecologically important temperate soft coral, including: spawning; larval development; settlement; and metamorphosis. These findings may just be the breakthrough this species needed, as it opens a world of new possibilities for future restoration work.