Wildlife authorities have begun the disposal of hundreds of dead pilot whales following the country's largest mass beaching ever recorded.
Officials began the disposal in the state of Tasmania on Saturday, concluding a five-day rescue effort involving dozens of volunteers.
In one of the worst mass strandings on record, 470 marooned whales were spotted on a wide, remote sandbank during an aerial reconnaissance of rugged Macquarie Harbour on Monday.
After days of difficult and dangerous rescue attempts, officials managed to save 108 of the whales, with the rest now believed to have died.
Fifteen whales have already been disposed of at sea, but efforts to remove the remaining bodies are expected to take at least several days, said Rob Buck, incident controller and Parks and Wildlife Service manager.
"Collection and disposal is being undertaken with the assistance of aquaculture companies whose equipment and expertise on the harbour is essential for a timely and effective outcome," Buck said in an emailed statement.
The bodies of the dead whales are being separated and enclosed with water booms to keep them grouped and isolated from sharks and other predators.
Most of the rescued whales - a gregarious, highly social species - are expected to "regroup" and recover from the traumatic event, officials said.
Tasmania has long been considered a hot-spot for whale strandings.
Reuters / Newshub.
