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21 Yokanup Road
Albany 6330
Australia

08 98449417

Albany is a stunning place and a photographers dream. Stretching from West Cape Howe National Park in the West through the City of Albany and beyond to the East the Albany Region is a wonderful place to explore and photograph. We will claim Denmark through to Bremer Bay as in our region.

 

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Whaling History

The Cheynes II Wreck lies about 290 m  off the coast of Western Australia in the Southern Ocean.

Thank you SKYPRINTS

 

Cheynes II in the Albany Region

The 440 ton steam whale chaser Cheynes II was built by Smiths Dock and Engine Company in, Middlesbrough. It was originally named Thorbryn and operated by a Norwegian based whaling company. Between 1962-63 it was owned by Whale Products Co. of Queensland and named Looma II. In 1963 it was bought by the Cheynes Beach Whaling Co, renamed Cheynes II and was engaged in whaling operations in Albany until the company ceased operations in 1978. In 1992 after having been stripped of fittings and lying derelict at the Albany Town Jetty, the Cheynes II broke loose from its moorings in a gale, and grounded on a sandbank in Princess Royal Harbour in 3-4 metres depth. The wreck is clearly visible from Albany. 

Cheynes III in the Albany Region

A nice wreck to do some scuba diving on. This ship was built in 1947 in England and was a sister ship to the Cheynes II. The ship was sold in 1962 to Whale Products Pty. Ltd. in Queensland. The ship was named Looma III. The next year Cheynes Beach Whaling Company purchased the Looma III and renamed it to the Cheynes III. In 1978 whaling was banned and the Cheynes III was out of work.

In 1982 this whale chaser was scuttled just off the western side of Michaelmas Island in King George Sound. This artificial reef lies in about 23 meters of water and although the hull is breaking up these days it’s still possible to explore the engine room and the wheelhouse. The engine itself is on display at Whale World and is still working. 

Thank you to Simply Britt Photography  for your photo of Cheynes IV

Thank you to Simply Britt Photography for your photo of Cheynes IV

The Cheynes IV in the Albany Region

is Australia’s only accessible whale chaser giving visitors the opportunity to explore the whole vessel and experience a whale hunt through audio re-enactment and can be found at Whaleworld.  It was built in Norway in 1948 and given the name W Fearnhead.  In 1970 it was sold the the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company where it was renamed.In 1981 it was towed to its present position at Whale World where it is on display.  

  

Cheynes I in the Albany Region

Built in Oslo, Norway in 1921 was given the name Toern. •Was used by a Norwegian Whaling Company and by 1938 was sold to the Thor Dhal Group.  From 1942 to 1946 the Toern was used by the Royal Navy as a Mine Sweeper. Between 1952 to 1961 it served as a Whale Chaser for the Cheynes Beach Whaling Company. In 1961 was sold to a scrap dealer and subsequently sunk between Michaelmas Island and the north shore of the King George Sound, in the Albany Region, Western Australia. 

Whale World in the Albany Region

Whaling was a huge industry of the town for many years but in 1978 Albany’s whaling station ceased its operations. 

Step back in time and take a journey through Whale World, the site of the last operating whaling station in Australia.

Confronting, emotional and thought provoking, it is also wonderful to see how far we have progressed, that the whales are back and we are able to enjoy them in their territory in the Albany Region.  The whale season is from June to October and you can see these magnificent Humpback and Southern Right whales cruising along our coastline with their calves as they head off to the cooler Antarctic waters.