History of Moreton Island Whaling, Queensland
In the 1950’s Tangalooma, Australia, was a Humpback Whaling Station
Sep 26, 2009
Moreton Island is a 200 square kilometre sand island that, with Stradbroke Island, is the protective buffer that forms Moreton Bay, in southern Queensland, Australia.
History of Moreton Island European Settlement
In the 1840s, ships coming to Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, used the passage between Moreton and Stradbroke Islands. In 1847 the paddle-steamer Sovereign came to grief on the southern end of Moreton Island.
After the wreck of the Sovereign ships entered Moreton Bay by the safer northerly route past the tip of Moreton Island. A lighthouse was established on the northern tip of Moreton Island to warn shipping of the hazardous shoals and reefs in the area.
During World War Two a jetty and naval station were constructed at Tangalooma, a point on the western side of the island. After the war the island reverted back to its peaceful state with the pilots and a few fishermen.
Moreton Island and Tangalooma Whaling History
In the 1950s, Moreton Island earned a place in infamy when a whaling station was built at Tangalooma. Following World War Two the price of whale oil and products skyrocketed. This compelled the Commonwealth Government to investigate the possibility of exploiting the resources in the country’s oceans.
In 1952, a small company, Whale Industries, obtained a licence to catch 500 humpback whales during the season from May to the end of October. Their area of operation was a 240 kilometre radius around Tangalooma.
Whaling started in June 1952 when the whale chaser, Kos VII, caught two whales, a male & female about 13.7 metres long. Two days later the KOS I and KOS II joined the Kos VII. The three ships soon came across a pod of 30 humpbacks about three kilometres south of Cape Moreton. Within two hours eight whales were being towed back to Tangalooma, enough to keep the new factory operating throughout the night.
Humpback Whales at Tangalooma
The humpback whales were easy prey for the chasers. Slow moving, they follow a regular pattern in their annual migration from the Antarctic feeding grounds to breed in the warmer waters of the reef. The humpback is unusual in its migration as it passes close to land over the continental shelf while other whales keep well out to sea. They cruise along at about four to five knots with a top speed of 10 knots; easily caught by the 15 knot chasers.
Operation of the Tangalooma Whaling Station
In the 124 days of the first season the station processed 600 whales. This was above its limit because the station at Byron Bay hadn't commenced operations so their quota was transferred to Tangalooma.
In 1954 a Blue Whale was sighted, the first in the three years of operation. Blue Whales are the largest animal in the world, growing to 30 metres and weighing 190 tons. They migrate in winter but usually well out to sea so are rarely seen.
After a three hour chase the KOS II harpooned the 20 metre female Blue Whale, the largest whale processed at Tangalooma. However, it was under the legal limit for Blue Whales set by the International Whaling Commission. Adverse media attention made the catch an embarrassment for the company.
Through the 1950s, the whaling was good. The skippers of the chasers were selective by taking two males to every female and leaving the youngsters.
In the 1961 season whales suddenly became scarce, the station couldn't fill its quota at the season end. Search areas increased and aircraft were used for spotting. Because whales were hard to find the chasers ceased being selective and took any whales they could find.
The End of the Tangalooma Whaling Station
Thinking that 1961 was just a bad year, the company bought two new whalers to replace the 30-year-old boats. This season was a disaster as fewer whales were caught. Only 68 had been caught to August 5, compared to 253 the previous season. The management of the company realised the inevitable: the whale stocks had been depleted.
Tangalooma whaling station closed on August 5, 1962. In 1963 the remains of the station were sold to a syndicate of Brisbane businessmen who turned it into the tourist resort: Tangalooma Island Resort.
In 1971 the old whale chasers, KOS I and KOS II, were sunk on the nearby Curtin Artificial Reef, about seven kilometres north of the Tangalooma Island Resort. This artificial reef is now a popular spot for scuba divers and fishing.
This final resting place is an ironic spot for the end of these two whale chasers that were an infamous part of the whaling history of Queensland’s humpback whales. They now lie rusting in the pristine waters of Moreton Bay as whaling watching tour boats taking tourist to view the humpback whales cruise overhead.
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