The Walawaani Muriya-Waraga launch event on Saturday, August 13, marks the official opening of the 2022 whale migration season. The announcement of the launch event on Thursday, July 14, coincides with the first sighting of whales earlier this week.
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Between August and November whales with their calves are a breath-taking spectacle heading south along the NSW Far South Coast. They make the trip annually to feed on krill in the waters of Antarctica during the summer months.
Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga, which translates from the local Dhurga language as "safe journey whale - many", is a truly local affair to connect people to place and celebrate the relationship between whales, Yuin culture and community of Bermagui.
Rhys Treloar, Tourism Manager at Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing, said "we are excited to see this event come to life this year as a celebration of Aboriginal culture and connection to our rich history with whales.
"It will be an amazing event and the perfect way to open the whale season."
Member of the organising committee and local Yuin man Gordon Campbell, said, "I look forward to seeing the community and engaging as we share our local Aboriginal culture, language and watch the whales."
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It is the first event in the three-month Sapphire Coast Whale Trail 2022 program to celebrate the whales and the connections that the human inhabitants of the Far South Coast have formed over thousands of years.
The program comes to a close with the final Headland Cultural event on Sunday, October 9, in conjunction with the Eden Whale Festival.
Whale Trail 2022 involves, and is supported by, the business community along the Sapphire Coast and the area's Aboriginal land councils.
Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga was conceived by Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing, South East Arts and the Bermagui community. They then drew in local operators.
Camel Rock Surf School, for example, will run the morning's Community Paddle Out to welcome the whales as they pass Bermagui, and Sapphire Coastal Adventures is responsible for the Community Whale Watching Charter in the afternoon.
Highlights of the day will be captured by drones.
All the morning's events are free thanks to a grant from Bega Valley Shire Council and funding from the Federal Government's National Recovery and Resilience Agency.
It is the first of what the tourism industry hopes will be an annual community event.
The day's program:
- 10-11am Official Opening Ceremony at Bermagui Surf Club. There will be a Welcome to Country, a Smoking Ceremony, a dance performance and talks about the coast and Yuin's cultural connection to whales
- 11-11.30am Community Paddle Out to welcome the whales
- 11.30am-12.30pm Whale Tales at Bermagui Surf Club. Sharing their specialist knowledge will be local whale experts Simon and Jess Millar from Sapphire Coastal Adventures and Bermagui Historical Society's Alan Douch.
- 1pm and 3.30pm Community Whale Watching Charters at a special price of $50.
The event was originally planned to debut in August 2021 but had to be pulled at short notice when regional NSW went into lockdown.
For full details, to register for the charters or paddle out, and to learn more, visit sapphirecoast.com.au/walawaani-muriyira-waraga .
