Unseen history will come to life at Albany’s Historic Whaling Station as part of the Australian Heritage Festival commencing Friday 16 April.

Co-ordinated by the National Trust, this year celebrates the 40th Australian Heritage Festival with the theme ‘Our Heritage for the Future’. This theme highlights the importance of sharing stories to ensure culture and significant historical places are protected for future generations.

During the Festival period you will have an opportunity to view previously unseen footage from our current oral history project, Whaler’s Tales, which aims to capture and preserve a slice of Albany’s significant whaling history.

Our mission is to bring stories of Albany’s diverse past to life, and this oral history project will expand our current oral history collection for archival and exhibition development.

The compilation of short story segments on display for the Festival were taken from recent interviews and will provide an insight into interesting incidents, accidents and weird sightings retold on film by past whaling company workers. From seasickness to killer whales, these stories give you a sneak peek into the lives of the whalers and some of their very unique and previously untold experiences.

The Whaler’s Tales project has been made possible by the Maritime Museums of Australia Project Support Scheme (MMAPSS). The Scheme is administered by the Australian National Maritime Museum through funding from the Australian Government and provides grants and in-kind support to not-for-profit organisations to help display and conserve objects of national and historical maritime significance.

The Australian Heritage Festival runs through to Wednesday 19 May. For more information visit www.nationaltrust.org.au/ahf.