• Help arrives too late!

The death of a whale on the day of Fraser Island vehicular access closures highlights the risks that these closures pose, according to some FOF members. They say there will be less public observation in restricted areas and less opportunity for the community to offer help in any situations which might arise.

Tin Can Bay resident Andrew Bibby had heard that Platypus Bay was a "great place for kids".

On September 3rd he set out early with his wife and two of his children for a drive to the northwest beach. Mr Bibby said he believed" it was the last day to see it, not the first day of the closure" and that when they went at 8am there were no rangers, gates or signs to stop them. On arriving at the beach they found a beached Minke whale about 500 metres from the access road. He said it appeared the whale had managed to turn itself around and was pointing back out to sea. it was only about a metre from the water's edge.

Having previous experience with beached whales on the central coast of NSW, Mr Bibby said he and his family got buckets from the car to keep the whale wet. He also covered it with a wet bed sheet and erected a makeshift tarpaulin. He said there was no one else in sight apart from whale watching boats which they tried unsuccessfully to signal.

After about two hours no one had arrived so, after doing what they could for the whale, they decided to go back about 12km along Platypus Bay Road to Orchid Beach to get help. He said about half way along the track he was stopped by a ranger coming from the other direction. We informed him that there was a beached whale in distress near the beach access and that we were heading back to Orchid Beach to raise the alarm.

He said the ranger told him and his family they should go back to Platypus Bay to be with the whale. Mr Bibby said he firmly told the ranger that he was going back to Orchid Beach to get a machine and people to help get the whale back into the water. He then drove his 4WD around the ranger's 4WD and continued towards Orchid Beach.

He said he was about 2km from Orchid Beach township when he was stopped by a newly erected gate at which two rangers were waiting. After negotiating for about 15 minutes they were told by the rangers that the matter was in hand and they should return to Platypus Bay and get their possessions.

Arriving back at the whale at about 11.30am they found the first ranger they had encountered talking on his two-way radio. Mr Bibby said the whale, which was now about 10 metres from the water was "still alive and kicking and trying to get back in the water". The ranger told them that a vet from Maryborough and other help was on its way. The two rangers that he had encountered at the gate arrived about an hour later.

Mr Bibby said he was getting "more and more upset" because he believed had he been allowed to return to Orchid Beach he would have had help there at that time. He said during the next two to three hours more rangers had arrived by boat and truck. When the vet arrived he conducted an examination and decided that there was no point in attempting to save the whale because it had fluid in its lungs.

The Bibby family then watched the whale being "euthanased" by the vet. Mr Bibby said it took about an hour for the whale to die, during and after which a variety of scientific samples were taken. The whales carcass was then buried.

Mr Bibby is still distressed about the events that took place on that day. He said at no stage was any attempt made to get the whale back into the water. he still believed that had he been allowed to get help from the Orchid Beach community, the whale could have been saved. However, for that to happen the rangers would have had to give permission for access on the day the closures were imposed. Mr Bibby said he believed it was unfortunate for the whale that it beached itself on that particular day.