Protect Whale Songline Country held at Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative on

The Protect Whale Songline Country event was held at Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooperative's Harris Street Reserve community building.

Custodian of the Eastern Maar Gunditjmara nation Yaraan Couzens-Bundle said normally the men and women would hold separate ceremonies - with the women gathered at Logan's Beach and the men along the Hopkins River.

"The women's role through the ceremony is to help bring the midwives to the baby whales," she said.

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Ms Couzens-Bundle said sharing the stories with the wider public was part of the present time magic.

"A lot of people have lots of different ideas of what an Aboriginal cultural ceremony is," she said.

"The Dreaming stories are the connector to that - that's the foundation of who we are as First Nations people - paying respects to Country and looking after family.

"We look after visitors on our country including the wider community.

"I've had the most happy tears being surrounding by community and the wider community embracing us to hear our story."

Ms Couzens-Bundle said the message of the whale story was Koorroondee.

"That is to behave properly in nature," she said.

"You know that feeling when you see a whale and there's ultimate awe, that's part of the language of Koontapool (Southern Right Whale) - that's the effect of the vibration."

"When they're coming to breach in the surface, they're not just shaking off their parasites but coming up to greet us and say hello."

The day included a whale cleansing dance, Welcome to Country and whale story.

A Citizens' Protection Declaration was read out to protect the Southern Right Whale in response to seismic testing, gas drilling and the continued industrialisation of marine environments along the south-west coast.

Another gathering will be held in September when the whales leave the region.

World Environment Day is held on June 5 as the biggest international day for the environment with more than 150 countries participating.

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