Whale Festival Gold Coast: Celebration of all things whale at Burleigh
Whale, whale, whale — the Gold Coast finally has its own festival celebrating the world’s largest mammal passing through our waters.
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A NEW festival on the Gold Coast celebrating the world’s largest mammals swimming past our shores will also offer the chance for locals to become citizen scientists.
The Gold Coast Whale Festival will celebrate all things whale, bringing together whale watching tour operators, volunteers groups and marine experts to Justins Park in Burleigh.
Residents will also get the chance to take part in a survey using a special instrument called a theodolite.
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Humpbacks and Highrises CEO and festival co-organiser Dr Olaf Meynecke said other parts of Australia already celebrated the whales when they visited and that it was time the Gold Coast was part of the action.
“August is the perfect time for it,” he said.
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“It’s in the middle of the peak season of their migration. The main focus is to celebrate the whales coming into our bay.
“We realise it’s a special area, they’re not randomly coming into the Gold Coast bay, they use it as a resting area. Sometimes they get just 100m offshore.”
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The latest research by Griffith University scholars has also shown that whales appear to be using the Gold Coast’s water warmers to birth calves more often the past few years.
Marine mammal ecologist and Humpbacks and Highrises president Sarah McCulloch said she had always been fascinated with whales.
“I love all whales, but there’s something special about humpbacks,” she said.
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“There’s been a few times where whales have some up to our boat and we can look into their eyes, there’s a recognition there.
“There’s things we don’t know about them … that’s exciting.”
On the day there will be live music by The Lost Knights, Amber and Bligh, food trucks, storytelling for children and a whale documentary being screened.
The Whale Festival will run from 9am to 4pm on Saturday.
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