Wajung

Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) is an important totem for our people, especially our women. Wajung gives us messages about relationships between our clan members, to our ancestors and the past, and also to particular places and sites in our Country. We have stories of our people and dolphins communicating and connecting with each other, including co-operative fishing, sharing resources from the ocean, and playing in the shallows. There are around 1000 resident and transient Bottlenose dolphins that use the waters surrounding Byron Bay to feed, play and breed.

They can live for over 50 years, so many of them know the sea country well! You can spot Wajung most days from Cape Byron Headland, The Pass and other beaches as they surf the waves of the Bay, and swim along the coast and into estuaries to feed and explore in their ‘pods’ or social groups.