Whaling Gear - The Trypot

The huge ‘witches cauldron’ you see here is a whaler’s trypot. Whaling has been practiced since time immemorial with people hunting whales, firstly offshore, then on the open seas, for meat, oil and all the other products which these huge animals produce; nothing was wasted. Whalers were visiting the coast of WA well before colonization. Whalers’ camps have been located on the islands of WA’s south coast with a whole range of artefacts found that give a glimpse into a life which has been described as ‘nasty, rough, brutal and short’. When a whaling ship left its port in western Europe or the USA, chances were it would be away for many months, or even years; any length of time until a full cargo of whale produce was collected. In the display here you can see several items of whaling gear, including the trypot. The pot was used to render down, which is a nice way of saying ‘boiled down’ whale blubber into oil. The oil was used to make a whole range of products but especially lamp oil and tallow candles. Whilst some vessels had a rendering plant set up on board, many whalers set up camp on shore, where the risk of setting fire to your ship was eliminated.  A whaling station operated in Fremantle from 1837 to 1860. The Whalers Tunnel, that lies beneath the Round House, is a well-loved Freo landmark, connecting High Street to Bathers Beach.  It’s well worth a visit!