Devastating day for Whale City: 10 humpbacks wash up on beach

More than 50 years have passed since the day a pod of whales were discovered beached at Dundowran

Fraser Coast residents have shared their memories of the day in 1969 when 10 humpback whales were found beached at Dundowran.

More than 50 years have passed since the day a pod of whales were discovered beached at Dundowran.

But a post on social media this week revealed the sad event was far from forgotten.

The post, on the Maryborough – Remember When Facebook page, quickly attracted dozens of reactions and comments as people shared their memories of the loss of 10 humpback whales on Dundowran Beach in October, 1969.

The largest of the whales was 11.89m long, while the smallest was 10.36m in length.

Their weight was estimated at 13 tonnes.

One of the whales that washed up on Dundowran Beach in 1969.

The carcasses became a sad tourist attraction, and traffic backed up for 3.2km as people travelled to see the beached whales.

On Saturday, October 18, 1969, The Age reported Burrum Shire Council health inspector Mr J. Stevenson’s plans to dispose of whales.

“We will cut them up with chainsaws, pull them up the beach behind a bulldozer and try and burn them,” Mr Stevenson said.

“Failing this we will have to try and bury them.”

A sad sight on Dundowran Beach in 1969.

At the time, Queensland Museum director Mr A. Bartholomai said the whales had probably found themselves at the beach because Hervey Bay and the inner side of Fraser Island formed a trap for whales, “a sort of funnel”.

The Department of Harbours and Marine sent an engineer to supervise the disposal of the whales.

A large hole was dozed above high water and nine carcasses were dumped.

One whale was buried separately and the complete skeleton was later dug up for the Queensland University.

A more recent whale rescue in Hervey Bay.

About 163kg of timber, four truckloads of old tyres, 1514 litres of diesel, 1324 litres of kerosene and 166 litres of petrol were used to create a pyre.

Flames leapt 15m into the air and smoke mushroomed 350m into the air during the fire.

Other beachings have sadly followed at the same spot.

In September 2017, a newborn humpback calf was euthanised after it became stranded.

Wildlife authorities said the whale would not have been able to survive without its mother became the animals needed to learn behaviour from other whales.