Old whale carcass washes up on NSW beach in massive swells caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred

A whale carcass that was buried months ago on a beach in northern New South Wales has been unearthed amid massive swells and a significant storm surge caused by Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

Lara Kempnich told 9News she filmed the dead whale remains in the whitewash on the southern side of the creek mouth at Pottsville earlier today.

Kempnich posted the footage to the town's community Facebook page today.

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"It took me a second to figure out what it was but then when we got closer it was obvious it was the baby whale," Kempnich told 9News.

She said she couldn't smell the carcass but that may have been due to the wind.

Locals took to the Facebook post commenting that it was "only a matter of time".

The 15-tonne whale, which was already significantly decomposed, was buried in dunes behind Mooball Beach - several kilometres south of where it washed up today - at the direction of the National Parks and Wildlife Service in October 2024.

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The location for burial was chosen in consultation with Tweed Shire Council, the EPA and Tweed Byron Local Aboriginal Land Council Rangers

The community response was mixed, with many locals believing the carcass should have been towed to sea.

Tweed Shire Council's Manager of Sustainability and Environment Jane Lofthouse said in a statement the decision to bury the whale was based on the "best information available at the time".

"National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) decided to bury the carcass in accordance with NSW Environment Protection Agency guidelines which include being above the water table, away from drainage lines or watercourses and in free draining, oxygen-rich soils (beach sand).

"No one could not have anticipated the astronomical surf conditions that have come as a result of the cyclone and, like the community, we are very concerned about the exposure of the carcass."

She said council would liaise with NPWS on how to dispose of the carcass once the cyclone has passed.

Community members are asked to avoid the area and not touch the carcass for health and safety reasons.

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