Parara Whale Memorial

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Posted 2022-07-03 by Audrey ⇒ follow

Approximately five kilometres south of Ardrossan, a memorial has been established to remind us of the seven sperm whales that stranded and died at Parara Beach. There were no signs of a boat strike or entanglement, but somehow, these deep-sea inhabitants found themselves in the shallow waters of Gulf St Vincent and became disorientated. They beached on Monday the 8th of December 2014. Being out of the waters, they must have suffered some internal damage and that most probably led to their death.

As word of the tragic mass stranding spread, the Ardrossan community was not only shocked but also saddened by what had occurred. People from across South Australia came to see the whales too. I remember the sombre expression on everyone's faces. Later, after museum staff had done all the necessary, the 165-or-so-tonne carcasses were moved and buried in graves.

The now stands as a reminder of this historic event. It consists of dolomite boulders which were donated by local industry Arrium Mining. Each boulder has a plaque detailing the name, length and sex of each whale. Students from the Ardrossan Area School were involved in naming the whales.

You'll notice that there are only six boulders at the memorial although seven whales had stranded and died. No, it isn't a mistake in counting. The seventh whale was washed up onto the rocks north of Ardrossan Jetty, hence, its boulder has been placed near it at the top of the cliffs towards the no-through end of the Esplanade not far from Park Terrace. It took me a while to find this seventh boulder after going down to the rocky beach at the cliff base and discovering none there. Rest assured you'll know exactly where to go now.

The other six whales were spread over approximately half a kilometre along Parara Beach and their boulders have been placed here in the pattern they beached. The memorial is free for all to visit at any time. There's even a picnic table if you wish to have your morning tea or lunch by the boulders. From Ardrossan, simply head south on Yorke Highway and turn left onto the unsealed Parara Road. You'll see the memorial in front of you after a few hundred metres.

Ardrossan is famous for its imposing red cliffs, blue swimmer crabs and bakery. So, why not also wander down the jetty at sunrise, drop a net for a catch or savour delicious baked treats while you're there. The Yorke Peninsula township is just a 90-minute drive from Adelaide.