Flinders Peninsula WA, Australia

Albany was the last place in Australia that conducted commercial whaling with the Cheynes Whaling Station not ceasing operation until 1978 and only after the Commonwealth Government banned whaling, not because the operation was non-profitable.

Today, after a short drive around the Amity Heritage Trail we returned to the Flinders Peninsula to go through the Cheynes Bay Whaling Station. Unlike the Fremantle Gaol the whaling station isn’t old, having only been established in 1952 but a more ramshackle bunch of buildings you’ve never seen. Operating right up until 1978 the station employed over 120 including those guys working the whale chasers, hunting humpback and sperm whales.

We followed the tour which lasted about three quarters of an hour and although very interesting, it was pretty graphic and to imagine this place in full production turns your stomach somewhat (Lyn wasn’t at all impressed) There’s an interesting mix of interactive and static displays, lots of old photos and heaps of rusty bits of equipment but all the same I think I have a new perspective on whaling now.

Is it really any different to any other meatworks? The only difference is that whales aren’t farmed…Hmmm, controversial maybe? Who knows…

Lunch in the cafe at the whale station overlooking the bay was great and then Matthew and I returned to watch another film and catch a few exhibits we’d missed. Lyn browsed through the gift shop, not wanting to return.

On the way home we stopped at the replica of the Amity, the brig which brought the first settlers to Albany from Sydney in 1826. Built with painstaking detail to replicate the original, it’s a fantastic experience to be able to walk the decks and go beneath deck to see how the sailors and passengers (all 60 of them) faired. Thankfully it wouldn’t have been too big a voyage from Sydney to Albany but big fellas like Patrick and I would have struggled. I think it was designed for very skinny midgets.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing before Lyn and I took a drive back up to the ANZAC memorial, the Amity and Melville Lokout to see what the sights looked like at night.