Killers in Eden
Now an award-winning television documentary
For a century, the killer whales of Twofold Bay herded baleen whales towards the harpoons of local whalers, helping them hunt and sharing the rewards. It was a life of industry, adventure and strange and unique partnership between whale and man.
As fewer baleen whales frequented the Australian east coast, the killer whales and the whaling industry they supported slowly disappeared. The body of the last killer whale, Old Tom, was retrieved in 1930 – marking the end of an era in Australian history. Killers in Eden explores how this relationship between whaler and killer whale developed, using our modern knowledge of killer whales to untangle fact from myth.
The new and updated edition identifies new Eden killer whales not previously recognised, and provides the latest research in whale evolution and killer whale behaviour.
Find out more
- Read a sample from this book
- Read The Last Whale, a short story inspired by the Eden whalers
- Listen to interviews about the book on and ABC RN Conversations with Richard Fidler
- Watch the award winning TV documentary, Killers in Eden, based on the book.
- Visit the Eden Killer Whale Museum
Reviews
- ‘natural history classic’ Canberra Times
- ‘rip-roaring yarn’ Courier Mail
- ‘fascinating’ Northern Rivers Echo
- ‘driven by boundless enthusiasm and scrupulous knowledge of science and place’ Herald Sun
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