By Danielle Davey
Between now and September, if you stand on the high, wind-swept vantage points of Cape Schanck or the rugged Flinders coast, you might catch a glimpse of the barnacle-crusted fluke of a southern right whale or the glistening back of a humpback. For some lucky school children, however, the opportunity to see a whale is guaranteed year-round.
“What did you do at school today?” is a question usually met with a shrug. But thousands of students on the Peninsula and across Greater Melbourne have surprised their parents with the response: “We walked inside a whale.”
In its 35th year, Hastings’ Dolphin Research Institute takes immersive learning to the next level, bringing a life-size inflatable whale into schools as part of its popular Whale Out of Water program. After a captivating video presentation and the rare opportunity to handle real whale bones, students move to the school auditorium or gymnasium for the big reveal: Wirake, a 19m inflatable humpback students can walk through. Its name, meaning ‘friend’, was chosen by the late Dame Elisabeth Murdoch.
The institute has long been a passionate advocate for the marine education of next generations. Headed by Jeff Weir OAM, a founding board member and now full-time director, the small team includes a dedicated education manager with a Bachelor of Science specialising in zoology, ecology, and conservation biology.
For the past 25 years, its award-winning program i Sea, i Care has developed more than 10,000 ambassadors from more than 200 primary schools into environmental stewards.
It’s not just about school kids, though. The institute also runs education sessions for seniors, bringing them to community theatre spaces for groups including Rotary, Probus, and Lions clubs.
Sharing knowledge is a two-way street, with the institute also gaining information about whales from the public. In 2015, the Two Bays Whale Project was introduced, a citizen science initiative encouraging whale watchers to record their sightings of humpback and southern right whales: their presence, movement and behaviour. You don’t need to be a scientist to use its PodWatch app; anyone can document details and submit photos.
A surprising revelation last year proved there’s always something new to discover. A long-held belief that the whales passing our shores were feeding only in Antarctica and snacking along the way before heading north to breed was blown out of the water with the publication of a white paper providing evidence of whales feeding and calving in Bass Strait.
The community will have a prime opportunity to connect with the institute’s team this winter. From July 3-5, the Dolphin Research Institute hosts live presentations at the Cape Woolamai Surf Club as part of the annual Island Whale Festival.
For those looking to make a lasting impact beyond the festival, there’s always the opportunity to adopt a whale and help pay for the vital research, education and leadership programs needed to protect these fascinating marine creatures for years to come. To learn more, visit dolphinresearch.org.au
