Floating with “the Whalers”, Huckleberry-Finn style

In the late 1980s, I photographed the “Whalers”, a family who lived on a houseboat and spent their days floating down the Murray River.

On slow news days in NSW, I would often scour Mitchell Library’s copies of the country’s newspapers for interesting photo opportunities. This is how I discovered new stories to chase across the state and how I encountered the Whalers.

Back then, before cell phones, it was difficult to communicate as the family was constantly on the move.

I stole the phone lock keepers Near Mildura, I asked them to give me my number if by chance the Whalers got through the locks. A few weeks later my family called me and we arranged to meet in Renmark, South Australia.

I flew to Mildura with a reporter, drove a rental car to Renmark, and waited by the river. It was a spectacular sight as the whalers finally came into view.

They welcomed me aboard and I had a wonderful time capturing their fascinating lifestyle as we floated along the Murray River.

**This photo is part of an IA. A series that looks at Australia through the eyes of award-winning photojournalist Bill McAuley.**

Bill McAuley’s 40-plus-year news career began in 1969 as a student photographer at ‘The Age’ in Melbourne.

He has several published collections including ‘Portraits of the Soul: A lifetime of images with Bill McAuley’ and ‘Last Light on Victoria Dock, 1999’. Click to see more from Bill Here.

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