Albany resident Chris Holden makes call for volunteers to restore Leeuwin Way whale and sign at Eucla

At the border of Western Australia and South Australia, there is an aging whale and a sign promoting Albany — Chris Holden is on a mission to restore them both. Travelling across the border at least four times in the last seven years, the deteriorating whale and outdated sign always frustrated Mr Holden. He now wants to do something about it. “I thought ‘let’s do it’, it doesn’t need to be expensive but it is quite an important thing,” Mr Holden said. “When people get to that sign they can go north to Kalgoorlie on the way to Perth, but if you turn left you’ve got the whole of the south coast — Esperance, Albany, Denmark, Walpole, Manjimup, Margaret River, Busselton, Bunbury, Mandurah — all the way around it’s a much better route.” Mr Holden fears the aged sign, which suggests Albany’s whaling industry is still active, is a bad look for the region. His last trip past the dilapidated markers saw tourists stopping to take photos with the whale while deciding which route to take. Mr Holden envisions updating the sign to showcase the best of the south coast and giving the whale a fresh coat of bright blue paint, as well as patching a few holes up. He even suggests the addition of a QR code on the sign that would take tourists on a guided tour of the south coast. “The damage to the whale is only slight and you could get away with doing nothing, but it would be nice to just patch it up,” he said. “It’s a rather dull blue at the moment, and I think it should be a much brighter one, although I know it might not be the right colour for a whale.” He hopes eventually the idea will attract support from local businesses, the City of Albany and the Great Southern Development Commission. Mr Holden is asking for expressions of interest to travel to the border over four to five days — an experience he thinks might be good for high school students. Expressions of interest can be made to Mr Holden at cjsholden@gmail.com. Do you know more about the Leeuwin Way whale and its history? Get in touch by emailing news@albanyadvertiser.com.