A couple of weeks ago we visited Moreton Island, near Brisbane, just off the Queensland coast. During a guided tour of the island, we were told a few “yarns” about the island’s history, including one about how this beautiful island was once an Australian whale hunting station.

You might think this was during the 1800’s? Nope. In fact, the Tangalooma whaling station was run from 1952 through to 1962.

The pictures below illustrate some of the relics of the whaling industry days at Tangalooma (which is now a popular island resort, mainly due to it’s wild dolphin feeding sessions). To the credit of the resort’s management, they chose not to hide the island’s grim past, but instead reveal it to their guests with informative displays dotted throughout the property.

I found the bent harpoon particularly unsettling… Having enjoyed a close encounter with these magnificent giants of the open ocean, during a whale watching cruise off Sydney Heads last year, you realize what a truly remarkable, unforgettable and almost spiritual experience this can be (for those who don’t get seasick ;-) The humpback whales we saw that day, clearly demonstrated that whales are very intelligent and sensitive animals. So I also find it very upsetting that in recent years certain countries have increasingly been “exercising their right” to continue hunting whales, simply by exploiting various loopholes in international treaties. Their so-called “scientific”, “economic” or “cultural” reasons are absolute, bloody nonsense.

Australian blogger, Les Scammell (myradicalblogs.com), has started a “1000 blogs against whaling” campaign. Not sure what Les plans to do once he gets to that number, but he definitely has my vote! ;-)

rusted whale hunting harpoon, bent by the force of impact with the animal - Tangalooma Resort, Moreton Island, Queensland Australia

The plaque reads:
This harpoon is a relic from the Tangalooma whaling days. The shaft of the harpoon was often bent over from the impact of the strike, and the struggle of the wounded animal.

Plaque in front of the former flensing deck of the Tangalooma whaling station, now a tourist resort, Moreton Island, Queensland, Australia

The plaque reads:
Flensing Deck - The concrete structure before you is the remnants of the flensing deck of the Tangalooma whaling station. This was the processing area for the humpback whales (Megapetera Novaeangliae), captured for their by products such as oil. The Tangalooma whaling station operated between 1952 and 1962, where a total of 6277 humpbacks and one blue whale were caught for processing. Due to the dramatic reduction in the east coast humpback population, 68 of the 660 whale quota for the season 1962 were caught and for economic reasons the whaling station closed.

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