Untold stories from Albany’s whaling station revealed in history project offer insight into lives of whalers

Unseen footage and untold stories are being revealed at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station through Whaler’s Tales — an oral history project celebrating the 40th Australian Heritage Festival. Visitors to the whaling station can view a compilation of short story segments taken from 25 recent interviews with ex-whalers. The audio-visual presentation will give insight into interesting incidents, accidents and sightings as told by the people who were there. “From seasickness to killer whales, these stories give viewers a sneak peek into the lives of the whalers and some of their very unique and previously untold experiences,” Albany’s Historic Whaling Station curator Katelyn Weinert said. “The incidents and accidents are things visitors really like listening to. Some of the stories are great — they really grab your attention.” Some of the stories Ms Weinert found most interesting involved orcas, and the behaviours whaling crews observed from them while they were searching for whales. She said the museum’s oral history project aimed to preserve Albany’s whaling history before it was too late. The Australian Heritage Festival and exhibit at the whaling station runs until May 19.