Whaling was one of colonial Australia’s first primary industries, starting in the late 18th century and continuing all the way until 1979. Initially, the southern right whale and sperm whale were primary targets for the industry, until the southern right whale received protection in 1935 after a staggering 26,000 right whales had been hunted and killed to near extinction in Australia and New Zealand between 1822 and 1930.

Humpback whales were also significant victims of this brutal industry, with approximately 40,000 taken from their migrations right up until 1963. The whaling station that once operated on the Tangalooma resort site was the largest land-based whaling station in the southern hemisphere and was responsible for 6,277 of these deaths alone in just ten years of operation.

When humpbacks received worldwide protection in 1965 after dramatic population declines were finally recognised, the industry moved on to hunt over 16,000 sperm whales in 20 years until operations ceased nationwide.

Australia’s whaling industry operated across the entire eastern coast, from Queensland to Tasmania, and across Western Australia’s vast coastline – with one of the first commercial operations established just south of Eden, NSW.

Whales were primarily hunted for their blubber and baleen, with blubber rendered down into a fatty oil that was used for soaps and perfumes, candles, and oil lamp fuel, and baleen for items such as corsets and umbrellas.

While efforts from conservationists to end whaling helped push the government into protecting species as it became clear that populations were being hunted to near extinction, the primary reason for the end to the whaling industry was in fact commercial. The development of vegetable oil in the late 1950’s played a significant role in reducing the appeal and market value of whale oil, and by the 1960’s whale populations had been so severely decimated that companies were struggling to find enough whales to make their operations commercially viable.

Thankfully, whale watching has proved to be not only more sustainable and friendlier to the planet, but also much more economically appealing and profitable industry. Whale watching brings approximately $70 million into the Australian economy annually compared to the $35 million annually that the whaling industry brought in.

In June 1963 the Tangalooma Whaling Station was sold and has since been turned into a beautiful resort. Since whaling ended in 1962, the whales have made a remarkable recovery, and today, Tangalooma is one of Queensland’s leading whale watching destinations during the winter migration.