The spot in Sydney where if you sing to whales, they sing back

An unintended effect of two new elevated whale-watching platforms at North Head in Sydney’s Manly has been the ability of visitors to speak whale, just like Dory in the hit film Finding Nemo.

Dr Shannon Foster, a Sydney D’harawal saltwater knowledge keeper, said wind, acoustics and Country had wrought magic on the popular tourist spot where Indigenous people had gathered for millennia to sing whales to safety.

CHROFI architects Steven Fighera and Luke Hannaford with D’harawal Eora knowledge keeper Dr Shannon Foster. The Yiningma and Burragula lookouts by CHROFI architects are nominated in the small projects category of the 2024 NSW Architecture Awards. Credit: Rhett Wyman

Foster encouraged members of the public to sing or talk in the middle of the small circle on the new south-facing lookout, named Burragula in a reference to the Indigenous words for sunset and the local bandicoots.

“Whoo,” she called, channelling Dory speaking whale. “There’s this amazing effect. My voice right now is echoing back to me in the most beautiful way. It’s creating these kinds of weird vibrations that go right through your whole body.”

A whale near the new viewing platforms at North Head, Manly. Credit: Rhiannon Brownbill of Bangawarra

American tourist Sarah Leonard erupted in laughter and shock after experiencing the effect. “You gotta hear it buddy,” Leonard said to her son. “You’ll love it.”

Surprising visitors and its architects, the vibrations and echo cannot be detected by anyone outside the circle. “When you step off the circle, you can’t hear it any more,” she said.

Foster said Country had a way of mixing magic and humour. “If you leave space for Country, Country will speak back to you. Even in whale. Country and culture have a great sense of humour.”

Eight-year-old Justin Devens from Minnesota learnt the Indigenous words of the song to call the whales.Credit: Rhett Wyman

Bushfires in 2020 and rock falls in 2016 resulted in the closure of the 40-year-old platforms perched on the precipice’s crumbling edge.

The new elevated sightseeing platforms by architects CHROFI with Foster’s company Bangawarra and National Parks and Wildlife Service have been shortlisted in the small projects category of the NSW Architecture Awards to be announced next Friday (June 28). Managed by architect Luke Hannaford, the project was also shortlisted in the Emerging Architects and Graduate Network (EmAGN) award.

Robert Newton, principal project officer at the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said the new viewing platforms were part of a $4 million project that aincluded landscaping, new carparks, wheelchair access, and safe and accessible cliff-edge viewing for whale watching and quiet contemplation.

He said the project had transformed a tired and worn precinct into a spectacular and vibrant destination, more aligned with the iconic setting. “References to Aboriginal country have been subtly placed throughout the structures to provide visitors with a sense of discovery.”

Architect Steven Fighera, a director of CHROFI, said the area looked run-down and the landscape blackened by bushfire when they first visited the site.

Realising the site’s importance to Indigenous people in Sydney, they sought advice from Foster’s company. The tender was to reimagine the area, and acknowledge its importance now and in the past to local Indigenous peoples.

Fighera said the weird vibrations at the southern site, and the whale-like whistling from wind through the fine stainless-steel balustrades at the northern outlook, had been unintended. The architects and builders noticed them during construction.

The words of the traditional call to the whales, including “gawura” (whale) and “gudahgah” (baby), are engraved on the northern lookout.

After speaking to Foster, eight-year-old Justin Devens, visiting from Minnesota with his grandmother Darcy Kies, circled the area, calling out to the whales in language. A spout appeared in the distance soon after.

Architect Sam Crawford is also shortlisted in the small projects category of the awards for an outdoor learning space and a community centre.

These small projects were threads in the tapestry of the city, he said. “They tie the city together.” At a time when costs were rising, they provided amenities so that the public could enjoy picnics or sports, or relax in comfortable natural environments.

Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.