Beaches on the New South Wales north coast have reopened despite the carcass of a beached 18-tonne humpback whale rotting nearby.
The 12-metre whale died on Sunday and its carcass was buried at Nobbys Beach in Port Macquarie on Monday because it was too big to be moved.
Between Sunday and Tuesday, the dead whale attracted at least 21 great white shark movements and caused all beaches in the area to be closed.
Beaches on the New South Wales north coast have reopened despite the carcass of a beached 18-tonne humpback whale (pictured) rotting nearby
Port Macquarie beaches will reopen on Saturday after a NSW shark expert indicated shark activity in the area had returned to normal levels.
The mammal will be moved on Monday after Port Macquarie-Hastings Council copped community backlash over its decision to bury it ahead of beach season.
An excavator will start digging the whale up along with the contaminated clay and sand.
If needed, chainsaws will break up the whale carcass before it is loaded into skip bins, with a 220-tonne crane helping in the removal to a nearby tip.
The 12-metre whale (pictured) died on Sunday and its carcass was buried at Nobbys Beach in Port Macquarie on Monday because it was too big to be moved
It’s unknown what will happen to the whale once it reaches landfill, but a decision is expected to be made on Monday.
Unhappy residents started a petition earlier in the week which gathered 3000 signatures, Port Macquarie News reported.
Corey Enfield, owner of surf school Soul Surfing, presented the petition to council on Wednesday.
‘The whole community has come together, worked together to solve the problem after a quick decision to bury it was made, but now it’s getting done,’ he said.
‘The job [exhuming the whale] won’t be easy, with all the fat on the 20-tonne whale it was putrid and could still possibly attract sharks even though it’s buried.’
Nobbys Beach, Kenny Drive and the whole of Kenny Walk will be completely closed to access from Sunday evening while the whale carcass is removed.
Council has asked members of the public to avoid the site.
Nobbys Beach (pictured), Kenny Drive and the whole of Kenny Walk will be completely closed to access from Sunday evening while the whale carcass is removed