Zombie worms, coffinfish and flesh-eating crustaceans are among the mysterious deep sea creatures scientists plucked from the depths of the mysterious abyss off Australia's east coast.

Among the haul of fish, starfish, shark and sea spiders recovered from the uncharted waters are species that are new to science and some which have been recorded in Australian waters for the first time.

"There are a handful of fish that are yet to be named and that's a big deal for fish, a group that generally speaking we know a lot about," said Museums Victoria's Tim O'Hara, the chief scientist on the "Sampling the Abyss" mission, which docked in Brisbane on Friday.

More than a third of the spineless marine creatures found during the 31-day voyage, including sea stars, small crustaceans, brittle stars, are also new to science.