Whales seem to be the talk of the town with Humpbacks breaching left right and centre, Orcas visiting Lennards Island and the Eden Whale Festival make a splash in town. On top of all this the local students of the Bega Valley Shire have become Whale Wise through participating in fun hands on workshops in the lead up to the whale festival.

The Sapphire Coast Marine Discovery Centre along with NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Australian National University travelled around visiting various schools in the region with a selection of interactive whale activities, hands-on games and exciting stories. The students had the chance to feel whale bones, have a go at eating like a whale, discover how to identify whales and maybe even sing like one.

The workshop reached over 350 students across the shire. The schools visited were:

• Towamba Public school
• Wyndham Public School
• Wolumla Public School
• Mallacoota P-12 College
• St Josephs School – Bombala
• Eden Public School
• Mumbulla School – Bega