Welcoming the Whales

Victor Harbor celebrated the start of the whale season on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

The Festival kicked off on Sunday 30 May with a day of fun on the newly rejuvenated Railway Plaza.

A feature of the 2021 event was a the welcoming of the whales and smoking ceremony that was held by the sea at the new amphitheatre, situated next to Soldiers Memorial Gardens on Flinders Parade.

Locals Mark Koolmatrie and Cedric Varcoe performed the welcome ceremony by the sea with Ngarindjerri and Ramindjeri elders and the community present.

Following the mornings ceremony, hundreds of patrons flooded through Railway Plaza and enjoyed an exciting range of Victor Harbor Artisan Market stalls, pop-up interactive stalls by SA Whale Centre, Marine Parks and Sea Shepherd, junior whale spotter training, ocean conservation talks, craft activities and Kondoli the inflatable whale.