The dead adult male sperm whale washed ashore at Fairhaven Beach on the Great Ocean Road on Tuesday, after being spotted offshore a day earlier.Work to remove the massive mammal, estimated to weigh about 65 tonnes, began on Tuesday afternoon.The clean-up was finished by late Wednesday morning, allowing beachgoers to return.
“The scale of this operation required the involvement of numerous stakeholders and we thank them and the community for their co-operation and support over the last three days,” incident controller Barry James said.The Department of Environment worked closely with traditional owners to respect the cultural significance of a whale coming ashore on country.
The tribute included burying small fragments of the whale at the beach to respect where its journey ended. Eastern Maar citizen Ebony Hickey said often cultural values were overlooked in emergency responses but the ceremony was proof of a mutual respect. “Being able to practice our traditional beliefs alongside the response crew and the onlookers proved to be a powerful send-off for this splendiferous deep ocean creature,” she said.It’s not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Victorian coast, however a whale carcass can attract them, meaning they venture closer to the shore than normal.