Whale oil

Animal or animal product
Whale oil

Today, the annual humpback whale migration lures tourists keen for a sighting of these gentle giants. But in 1912 it enticed Norwegian whalers to the area to hunt whales at nearby Point Cloates. Aboard steam-driven whale chasers and factory ships, the Norwegians would launch grenade harpoons to capture and kill the ocean giants. Onshore, they’d process the whales’ offal into fertiliser and blubber into oil to be stored in bottles like this one. By 1916 the whalers had decimated the whale population and abandoned the whaling station. Various other whalers followed in the Norwegians’ wake until World War II, after which the Australian North West Whaling Company took on the station from 1949 until 1957. Whaling was banned in Australia in 1978 and whale populations are now bouncing back.

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Ningaloo Centre

A world of natural and cultural discovery

The large, modern and stylish Ningaloo Discovery Centre includes the Ningaloo Visitor Centre, function centre and adjoining aquarium. Inside the discovery centre you’ll find the region’s cultural and...

Address:

2 Truscott Cres
Exmouth WA 6707
Australia

Open Hours
Mon to Fri 8.30am - 5pm; Sat to Sun 9am - 1pm

More from the Ningaloo Centre

Top-secret clandestine craft

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If there’s any one creature for which Ningaloo is famed, it’s the mighty whale shark. These gentle and giant sharks visit the region each autumn. They were also the inspiration for this giant wire...

While you're in the area

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