View source for Cheyne Beach Whaling Station

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2015}}
{{Use Australian English|date=August 2015}}
{{Infobox building
| name               = Cheyne Beach Whaling Station
| image              = File:CHEYNE BEACH WHALING STATION.jpg
| image_size         =
| caption            = The station in 2013
| map_type            =
| map_alt             =
| map_caption         =
| map_size            =
| map_dot_label       = Cheyne Beach Whaling Station
| map_dot_mark        =
| relief              =
| former_names        =
| alternate_names     =
| start_date         =
| completion_date    =
| building_type      = Historic Whaling Station
| location           = [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]], [[Western Australia]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|35|05|41|S|117|57|35|E|type:landmark_region:AU|name=Cheyne Beach Whaling Station|display=inline,title}}
| embedded               =
{{Infobox designation list
| embed                   = yes
| designation1            = State Register of Heritage Places
| designation1_offname    =
| designation1_type       = State Registered Place
| designation1_criteria   =
| designation1_date       = 15 May 1998
| delisted1_date          =
| designation1_partof     =
| designation1_number     = {{SRHP|3644}}
}}
}}
[[File:Cheynes whale.jpg|thumb|Cheynes Beach Whaling Station in the early 1950s]]
[[File:1977.07,08- 8 -42,43aS Sperm whale,whaling Albany,Western Australia,AU sat23-tue26jul1977.jpg|thumb|Sperm whale at the station in 1977]]
[[File:King George Sound from Whaleworld.JPG|thumb|King George Sound from the station]]
[[File:Cheynes IV Whale Chaser.JPG|thumb|''Cheynes IV'' whale chaser]]
'''Cheyne Beach Whaling Station''' is a defunct [[whaling]] station located in [[Albany, Western Australia|Albany]], [[Western Australia]]. It now operates as a tourist park known as '''Albany's Historic Whaling Station''', and has previously also been known as '''Whaleworld''' or '''Whale World'''. The station is situated in Frenchman Bay in [[King George Sound]] and was built in the 1950s, operating until 1978.<ref name=DB>{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverybay.com.au/historic-whaling-station|title=Historic Whaling Station|accessdate=8 August 2015|publisher=Discovery Bay}}</ref>
The station takes its name from Cheynes Beach, a small coastal community located approximately {{convert|65|km|mi|0}} east of Albany and is surrounded by [[Waychinicup National Park]].<ref name=CB>{{cite web|url=http://www.albanygateway.com.au/towns/cheynes-beach/|title=Cheynes Beach|accessdate=8 August 2015|publisher=albanygateway.com.au}}</ref>
==History==
Whalers had been recorded at Cheynes Beach in the 1840s with a commercial fishing operation being established there in 1920.<ref name=CB/> Whaling recommenced there in the early 1950s and the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company was formed by a family syndicate of eight fishermen. The syndicate was headed by two Albany men, G. R. Birss and C. Westerberg, who expected to outlay £20,000 on the venture.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article147605280 |title=Cheyne Beach Whaling Station |newspaper=[[Great Southern Herald]]|location=Katanning, Western Australia|date=12 May 1950 |accessdate=23 August 2015 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The business was relocated to the Frenchman Bay site shortly afterward.<ref name=CB/>
Quotas were set for [[humpback whale]]s in 1951,<ref name=Arch/> but the station was established at the Frenchman Bay site in 1952.<ref name=Her>{{cite web|url=http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Places/AggregateDetails?IsCurrentlyStateRegistered=False&SearchToken=31ac006a-7187-4604-bbb3-872a9ba49e09&placeNo=3644|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304082145/http://inherit.stateheritage.wa.gov.au/Public/Places/AggregateDetails?IsCurrentlyStateRegistered=False&SearchToken=31ac006a-7187-4604-bbb3-872a9ba49e09&placeNo=3644|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2016|title=Cheyne Beach Whaling Station|work=inHerit|accessdate=9 August 2015|date=8 February 2015|publisher=[[Heritage Council of Western Australia]]}}</ref> The industrial facility was built to process whales caught in the area and is composed of a number of large steel and concrete sheds and workshops, smaller timber-framed offices and amenities buildings along with tanks and boilers.<ref name=Her/> Much of the station was constructed from old mining equipment along with an [[alcohol distillation]] plant from [[Collie, Western Australia|Collie]].<ref name=Garden>{{cite book|title=Albany|author=Donald S. Garden|year=1977|publisher=Nelson|ISBN=0170051676}}</ref> The [[flensing]] deck was built over a natural rock slipway with steam winches installed further up the shore to haul the carcasses onto the deck. The initial quota for the first year was 50 humpback whales.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article49016259 |title=Whaling firm aims to start in May |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Perth |date=19 February 1952 |accessdate=23 August 2015 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
The station produced a total of {{convert|500|LT|MT|0}} of [[whale oil]] during the 1953 season. The oil was loaded aboard the Norwegian boat ''Toulouse'' ferried by the chaser ''Cheynes'' from the station to the boat.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article52931086 |title=Whale Oil Line Repaired. |newspaper=[[The West Australian]] |location=Perth |date=28 September 1953 |accessdate=23 August 2015 |page=14 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
In 1954 the station loaded over {{convert|1000|LT|MT|0}} of whale oil, product of 120 whales or the entire season, directly onto the Norwegian ship ''Tiber'' using the station chaser ''Cheynes'' again. The oil had an estimated worth of £100,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article163997214 |title=Whale Oil from Albany |newspaper=[[Daily Commercial News and Shipping List]] |location=Sydney |date=6 October 1954 |accessdate=23 August 2015 |page=1 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
The company slowly continued to grow and in 1957 purchased a second chaser ''Kos VII''.<ref name=Garden/>
Following a disastrous season in 1962 with record low catches the [[International Whaling Commission]] ended whaling of humpbacks from Antarctic stocks so the company commenced hunting [[sperm whale]]s instead. The enterprise remained profitable with the company recording a net profit of {{AUD}}100,362 in 1969 that grew to {{AUD}}304,329 in 1970. The higher profits were due to a record catch of sperm whales at the station, 764 in total, and unprecedented world demand for oil.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article110448505 |title=Whaling profit trebled. |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |date=12 January 1971 |accessdate=23 August 2015 |page=13 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref> The company employed over 100 staff, and the oil was being used by [[NASA]] and to make Swiss watches.<ref name=insight/> Whaling continued from the station until 1978 when the last whale was legally caught in Australian waters.<ref name=Arch>{{cite web|url=http://yourmemento.naa.gov.au/2013/07/australian-whaling-history-preserved-in-the-archives/|title=Australian whaling history preserved in the Archives|date=11 July 2013|accessdate=8 August 2015|publisher=[[National Archives of Australia]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150919212016/http://yourmemento.naa.gov.au/2013/07/australian-whaling-history-preserved-in-the-archives/|archive-date=19 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.environment.gov.au/marine/marine-species/cetaceans/whaling|title=History of whaling in Australia|accessdate=8 August 2015|publisher=[[Commonwealth of Australia]]}}</ref>
A total of 1136 humpbacks and 14,695 sperm whales were caught from the station between 1952 and 1978.<ref name=insight>{{cite web|url=http://www.whales.com.au/AlbanyHistory2005.pdf|title=An insight into Albany's history|accessdate=24 August 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150228162807/http://whales.com.au/AlbanyHistory2005.pdf|archive-date=28 February 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
The Cheynes Beach Whaling Company closed in 1978 and the site was given to Jaycees Community Foundation in 1980. The Foundation converted the station to a museum named ''Whaleworld'' using government and private funding.<ref name=Her/> Whaleworld was officially opened in May 1985.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.discoverybay.com.au/historic-whaling-station/jaycees-community-foundation-inc/|title=The Jaycees Community Foundation Inc.|accessdate=9 August 2015|publisher=Discovery Bay|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150815051220/http://www.discoverybay.com.au/historic-whaling-station/jaycees-community-foundation-inc/|archivedate=15 August 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The current name of the museum is Albany's Historic Whaling Station.<ref name=DB/>
==See also==
*''[[The Last Whale]]''
*[[Whaling in Australia]]
*[[Whaling in Western Australia]]
==Australian Wildlife Park Albany==
The Australian Wildlife Park Albany located adjacent to the Cheyne Beach Whaling Station Museum is a {{convert|1.3|hectare|acre|adj=on}} wildlife park which offer close up experiences with native animals such as: Southern Hairy-nosed wombat, Koalas, Brushtail possums (including rare golden-coated individuals), Quenda bandicoots, Spotted-tailed quoll, Red kangaroos, Western grey kangaroos (including rare albino individuals), Euro wallaroos, Tammar wallabies, Bennet wallabies, Tasmanian pademelons, Long-nose potoroos, Rufus bettongs, Brush-tail bettongs (Woylie), Stimson's python, Lizards, Tawny frog mouth, Brush tone curlew, Owls, Rufus night heron and Major Mitchell cockatoos.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://discoverybay.com.au/blog/category/australian-wildlife-park/|title=Albany's Australian Wildlife Park at Discovery Bay|access-date=12 October 2021}}</ref>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Albany's Historic Whaling Station}}
[[Category:Whaling stations in Australia]]
[[Category:Whaling in Australia]]
[[Category:Heritage places in Albany, Western Australia]]
[[Category:1952 establishments in Australia]]
[[Category:1978 disestablishments in Australia]]
[[Category:Maritime museums in Australia]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Western Australia]]
[[Category:State Register of Heritage Places in the City of Albany]]