Schools

DISCOVER ALBANY'S INCREDIBLE WHALING HISTORY AT THE WORLD'S ONLY COMPLETE HISTORIC WHALING STATION EXPERIENCE!

Schools

Take your students on a journey through the site of Australia’s last operating whaling station where they have the freedom to explore an actual whaling ship, stand on the actual flensing deck and watch as actual cookers spin into action. An experience not to be missed!

For pre-booked school groups we provide exclusive 40 minute guided tours. Our tour guides effectively bring together the past with the present day through fully immersive technology, recreating the dramatic sounds and images of the old whaling station.

Discover the stories and artefacts from life as a whaler, see our jaw-dropping marine skeletons and marvel at our amazing scrimshaw display.

A gun blast followed by a cloud of smoke and the camaraderie between two whalers awakens students to the audio re-enactment of a whale chase upon the Cheynes IV, and the journey begins…

Take a cinematic journey in our whale oil tanks to discover ‘A Day in the Life of a Whaler’, plus the world’s first 3-D animated whale movie and additional multimedia shows.

With over 25 captivating exhibits, Albany’s Historic Whaling Station is a 2 to 3 hour plus enlightening experience and Albany’s number one attraction.

WANT TO EXPLORE AND DISCOVER MORE?

ADD OUR AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE PARK & REGIONAL WILDFLOWER GARDEN EXPERIENCE TO YOUR EXCURSION AT NO ADDITIONAL COST.

Our Australian Wildlife Park houses over 300 animals across 27 species of mostly rare, endangered and protected species of Australian Native Fauna.

Students are provided with an opportunity to get up close to these rare animals which they may never have seen in the wild. Species include the Woylie (which was just put back onto the Federal Protected Species list), Reptiles, Wombats, Bettongs, Kangaroos, birds and many more.

The Regional Wildflower Garden features thousands of stunning native plants and an enhanced wetland environment – all accessed by comfortable boardwalk paths suitable for wheelchairs. Interpretative signage along the boardwalk trail covers the amazing geology, biodiversity, history and unique features of the Albany region and the South West’s remarkable flora and fauna.

Allow at least 45 minutes to 1 hour to explore the Regional Wildflower Garden and Australian Wildlife Park. 


BOOK NOW

Book you school’s excursion today using our booking form below, or contact our Bookings Coordinator by email bookings@discoverybay.com.au or phone (08) 9844 4021.


TEACHING RESOURCES

We have a range of downloadable teaching resources available for use by school groups during, or after, your visit. These include three children’s activity books themed around our attractions (Historic Whaling Station, Australian Wildlife Park and Regional Wildflower Garden), and our historical End of an Era book.

If you would like access to our Education Resource Area, please let our Bookings Coordinator know when email through your booking form.


END OF AN ERA BOOK

Copies of End of an Era, by Anne Simpson, can be purchased from Albany’s Historic Whaling Station gift shop. Please call our team on (08) 9844 4021 or email if you have any queries.

This book was inspired by the extraordinary Ed Smidt Collection, which graphically portrays the period leading up to the closure, in 1978, of the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company’s operation at the Frenchman Bay station.

The late Ed Smidt was a remarkable photographer and, while working for the Albany Advertiser (1967-1987), captured the essence of the final eight years of Australia’s last whaling operation through 56 specially-selected and hand-framed images.

This collection was acquired by our Foundation, which has operated Albany’s Historic Whaling Station and its predecessor, Whale World, since 1980. It has been displayed in the whaling station’s Colin Green Heritage Gallery since 2001 and is the only true composite and representative photographic collection of the final years of Australia’s first industry.

The magnificent sepia images capture the people and the harsh conditions, both at sea and in the gruesome and dangerous processing factory. They also tell a pictorial story about a changing culture and an important chapter in the nation’s maritime history.

However, there have been constant requests for more information about the stories behind the photographs, which only feature scant narrative and the odd caption. This publication can now fill the gaps by providing the necessary interpretation, both from an historical and an educational perspective.

End of an Era has been researched and written by Anne Simpson and would not be complete without a snapshot of Albany’s early whaling history, plus a glimpse at the amazing man behind the camera.

This project has been funded by the Australian Government, through a grant from Maritime Museums Australia Project Support, and provides permanent documentation of a unique and nationally-significant part of whaling history.

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From garden walks, fun holiday activities and an art exhibition, to the return of our popular Nocturnal Wildlife Tours, there is something for everyone to enjoy this spring.

Spring has arrived on the South Coast and our Regional Wildflower Garden and Australian Wildlife Park are bursting to life with beautiful blooms, new animals, and a range of wonderful springtime activities for all ages.

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