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Not called the Sapphire Coast for nothing. That is the colour of the water, ranging from the lightest shade to the darkest. Stunning coastline.
Well, here we are in Merimbulah Wednesday 24th February, a smaller caravan park with not much room to maneouvre. That gives the guys already installed, the licence to come out of their vans in throngs and 'assist' Bill with backing the van into position. All done with the best intentions and some hilarity. Like Bill needs assistance! He can maneouvre this van into any position, first or second attempt! But he takes it well and I noticed him, a couple of times, emerge from the van to observe others in their attempts, although he doesn't assist unless it is really necessary.
Next day we decided on a day trip south, following the ‘Whale Trail’from Eden, some 40 minutes drive south. To this day this part of the coast becomes part of the ‘Humpback Highway’ where, for 3 months of the year, the migrating humpbacks pass so close to the coast, the locals reckon you can almost reach out and touch them!
First stop was the Eden Killer Whale museum.
Suddenly I was thrust back to my early school days when we learnt of whaling in the 1800’s; the excitement of the chase, the capture, killing and then the removal of the blubber. It never seemed to faze me, the inhumanity of it all back then, or even the probability of extinction of a species in later years when the industry became mechanised.
Walking through this incredible museum I was again drawn into this fascinating world of extraordinary hard manual labour in the early 1800’s,. But there was much more than that here in Eden. There were several land-based whaling stations around this area of Twofold Bay and one that, incredibly, depended upon the help of pods of killer whales. Truth being stranger than fiction!
Over hundreds of years the Aborigine has formed a partnership with killer whales where both animal and human would benefit.
From the 1820’s until 1930, Aboriginal and European whalers would man various lookouts and when a humpback was spotted, they would row out in open wooden boats to it. Pods of killer whales would encircle the humpback and harass and herd it back to the whaling boat where the harpoonist was ready and waiting for the kill. Once the harpoon struck home, the humpback would start towing the boat around, whilst the killer whales harassed and harangued it further, wearing it down until it succumbed. This is when the killer whale/human partnership would pay off.
The carcass was anchored allowing the killer whales to feast on the lips and tongue of the humpback. They didn’t eat any other part of the carcass which left their human partners to keep and process the remains. When the feast wad done, the whalers towed the humpback to the station for processing.
The pods of killer whales was led at times by ‘Old Tom’. The aboriginal whalers gave the killers names and Old Tom, the most renowned and loved often led the pods in the capture of the humpbacks, for their human partners.
Incredibly, when Old Tom died in 1930, so too did the whaling operations. His skeleton remains in the museum.
Australia’s longest operating shore-based station is Davidson’s – some 35km south of Eden. Built in 1857 it was run by 4 generations of the family until 1929. Nobody else was on the gravel road leading to the property, or at the site of the homestead, nestled high on a cliff above Kiah Inlet where remnants and artefacts of the tryworks remain on the foreshore as they did when it was operational.
The tryworks was where the blubber was processed and turned into oil. The adjacent waters were very dangerous due to the many sharks attracted to the operation going on.
We also visited Boydtown, named by Benjamin Boyd, a rich Londoner who came to Australia in 1842 to make his fortune ….. not!
He had grandiose plans including a bank, a paddle steamer and soon owned 2 ½ million acres of the region together with thousands of cattle and sheep. He also undertook whaling enterprises but didn't believe in paying much to his workers.
He started to build the Seahorse Inn on the shores of Twofold Bay, with convict labour but what with trying to build a town and be the kingpin around the place, his money started to run out and by 1849 the liquidators were called in and he left for California. A couple of years letter he disappeared in Guadalcanal, never to be seen again!
The Seahorse Inn was never finished and left to ruin. In 1936 it was bought and restoredin 1936 with all restoration completed in the 1980’s. What an amazing building and grounds! More restoration surely has been done, but this is all that remains of Boydtown, although there is a big national park named after Boyd.
Late, late lunch at Snug Cove Wharf in Eden and then back to the van. What a big day!
- comments
Renae & Dan Great pics....and blog! Keep it coming! Luv u two crazies xx
Pauline & Mick Once again all very interesting. You are going to be tested on all of this when you get home!!!! Keep enjoying. Lots of love - P & M xxx
Alice Hicks Good stuff SandyNice to hear from you againX xxxxx
Jayne Fab photos and blog. However I knew you were old but......... "being thrust back to my early school days when we learnt of whaling in the 1800s" didn't think you were THAT old lol. Love to you both from us 3 xxxx
Col & Sonia What's cooking boss?
Grant & Kim Awesome photos enjoying every one. Take care
Cheryl Great pics & storytelling