MIGALOO the white whale has been given official mascot duties after wowing spectators at the Commonwealth Games’ opening ceremony.
The 24.7-metre art piece by Straddie artist Delvene Cockatoo-Collins will be displayed at the Gold Coast’s Home of the Arts facility and brought out at Glitter Strip events, which could include this year’s GLOW festival.
Ms Cockatoo-Collins said she was glad the whale, made for the Gold Coast, would stay there.
“It’s a perfect place for him to have guardianship under,” she said.
“He was intended to be on the Gold Coast and in real life, Migaloo passes by there.
“To know he is going to be shared, and the joy, the final outcome is much more than I expected.”
Ms Cockatoo-Collins previously said the design on Migaloo was aimed at capturing the wonder she experienced while waiting to see the whale pass Point Lookout on its annual migration four years ago.
“I wanted to try and capture some of the magic I experienced in 2014,” she said.
“I wanted to share with the athletes a special and joyful moment.”
About 33,000 humpbacks have begun their annual migration from Antarctic waters this year, with restrictions in place to protect rare white whales like Migaloo.
Boats and jet skis need to stay 500 metres away from leviathans identified as special interest and give between 100 to 300 metres clearance for other whales, depending how they are positioned near vessels.
For more whale distance information, see below:
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the Games’ opening whale would be looked after with care, just like the real Migaloo.
“My government introduced special laws to protect Migaloo while he travels off the coast of Queensland so it’s great to be able to honour him with an official position at the Home of the Arts,” she said.
“People flock to the Gold Coast every year in the hope of catching a glimpse of the real Migaloo during migration.
“Through this announcement, the Games whale will play an important role in promoting the legacy of the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.”
Ms Cockatoo-Collins was commissioned by the Games’ opening ceremony producers to create Migaloo’s visual design.
Her work was last showcased at the Home of the Arts three years ago.
Ms Cockatoo-Collins’ exhibition, The Search for Warrajamba, is at Redlands Art Gallery until May 27.
