Beauty Beasts of the Ocean
Whales, Wisdom & the Warming Sea: A Meeting of Minds and Songlines
At a recent panel hosted by Ocean Lovers Festival, three powerful voices came together to explore the wonders - and the challenges - of whale conservation. What unfolded was more than a conversation; it was a moving intersection of Indigenous knowledge, marine science, and deep reverence for the ocean’s largest beings.
The panel featured:
Dr. Vanessa Pirotta – Marine scientist & science communicator
Dr. Jodi Edwards – Walbanga woman, cultural educator & storyteller
Dr. Olaf Meynecke – Whale researcher & program leader, Humpback Whale Migration Program
Together, they wove a story of research, culture, parenting, and protecting whales in a changing world.
Songlines, Sea-Kin & Spiritual Whales
Dr. Jodi Edwards brought a different kind of science: Aboriginal Cultural Ecological Knowledge.
“We are whales. We are related through our dreaming stories.”
To Jodi, whales are more than animals - they are kin, ancestors, and teachers. Where western science sees migration routes, she sees songlines - ancient paths across land, sea, and sky.
She warned against terms like “Humpback Highway”, saying they reflect the ongoing colonisation of language and Sea Country.
“There’s danger in commercialising our kin.”
Cruise ship tourism that feeds dolphins near Eden, she notes, risks distorting both cultural and ecological balance.
Whale Language & Culture - More Than Just Songs
Olaf Meynecke, who quite literally follows whales, explored the emerging science of whale culture - from vocal recognition and social bonds to the way migration routes are passed down.
“It starts with language. And that delivers a form of culture.”
For humpbacks, migration may involve magnetic fields, memory, communication, and the ancestral pathways Jodi described. Science and songlines may not be so far apart after all.
Are We Loving Whales to Death?
With whales now migrating along the east coast, the panel raised a difficult question:Are we protecting them - or harassing them with our love?
Drones, boats, cruise ships, swim tours… our fascination risks becoming intrusion.
“You don’t need to be a scientist to enjoy a whale. But we all need to be informed.” – Vanessa
This is where education becomes conservation, starting young - from Play School episodes to coastal school programs. Awareness drives change, and even small actions on land ripple out to sea.
A Climate in Flux, and the Whales Who Know
Climate change is shifting everything - and whales are noticing.
Migrations are arriving early or late. Antarctic feeding times are shortening. But Olaf noted their resilience: whales are adapting in ways we’re only beginning to understand.
Jodi added that Aboriginal knowledge systems have tracked and responded to environmental change for millennia.
Their stories, seasonal signs, and star maps are attuned to environmental shifts we are only just beginning to measure.
Integrating Knowledge Systems
Not Either/Or - But Together
Both Vanessa and Olaf emphasised that conservation is strongest when Western science and Indigenous knowledge work in partnership.
“Let Aboriginal people lead the cultural ecological knowledge part of the journey.” – Jodi “That’s when the real collaboration begins.”
As Olaf put it:
“Diversity of knowledge is resilience.”
In a warming, pressured world, shared understanding gives us the best chance to adapt - and to protect what we love.
Final Reflections: The Whales Are Here
Right now, humpback whales are migrating along Australia’s east coast, making their annual journey from Antarctica to the tropics. From June to November, they pass by our shores - a powerful reminder of the connections between ocean, culture, and climate.
This panel wasn’t just about whales. It was about listening - to science, to Country, and to the whales themselves.
“The coastal wattle going green? That means the whales are coming.” – Dr. Jodi Edwards
They’re here. And so is our opportunity to learn, respect, and protect.
Hosted by Robin Mellon, CEO Better Sydney, with panellists Dr Olaf Meynecke Griffith University, Dr Vanessa Pirotta, Macquarie University and Dr Jodi Edwards, Vice-Chancellor Indigenous Research Fellow University of Wollongong.
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