Tag Archives: oceania

'Rare' sight off NSW coast delights lucky onlookers

A "rare" sight has been spotted off the southern New South Wales coast, delighting onlookers.

Victorian woman Vannessa James Estigarribia filmed a small pod of orcas, also known as killer whales, frolicking metres from shore on the Sapphire Coast.

In video uploaded to Facebook, Ms Estigarribia is heard asking "where is it" before a large orca breaks the ocean's surface, prompting shrieks of joy from onlookers.

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A small pod of orcas was spotted twice off the Saphire coast in southern NSW.

"That was huge," she added.

Another onlooker speculated the animals were feeding on bait fish.

Sapphire Coast NSW confirmed a pod was spotted twice, with the most recent sighting occurring last Friday off Eden.

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"What an incredibly special moment," they said.

"Whilst Eden's killer whale history is legendary, modern sightings are very rare.

"We can't help but wonder if this pod could be descendants of Eden's famous orcas like Old Tom, Hookey or Charlie, patrolling the east coast just like they did in those early days."

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Orcas

Despite their name, killers whales are actually the largest member of the dolphin family.

"These animals are serious meat eaters and one of the most efficient large predators of the ocean," Australian Museum says.

"A cooperative hunter, they often work in packs, and will take a broad range of vertebrates including whales, seals, penguins, fish, sea otters, and turtles."

Cold front predicted to slam into south-east

A cold front will slam into the country's south-east tomorrow bringing cool, wet and wintery weather to a number of states.

The front will hit South Australia "late Friday" and when it does it will bring the risk of storms, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) said.

The weather system will become more widespread across Tasmania, Victoria and southern New South Wales on Saturday.

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Satellite imaging shows the  cold front is currently swirling in the Great Australian Bight.

Bureau meteorologist Miriam Bradley said the front will bring gusty winds and heavy rain to the states.

"Winds will increase around this front, with the possibility of damaging wind gusts across elevated parts of Tasmania, Victoria and southern alpine NSW," she said.

"This system is also going to bring much cooler air in its wake, with temperatures dropping between 4 and 8C between Thursday and Saturday as that front moves through."

More than 50mm of rain could fall within 24 hours in some areas of NSW.

This has the potential to lead to flash flooding, Weatherzone warns.

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 Forecast accumulated rain during the 24 hours ending at 10pm AEST on Saturday, April 30, according to the ECMWF-HRES model.

"This weekend's rain has the potential to cause localised areas of flooding and road closures, particularly in areas that have already seen heavy falls during the past few days," the weather service said.

"Be sure to keep an eye on the latest forecasts and warnings across NSW during the next few days, particularly west of the ranges."

A separate system sitting off the north-west Queensland coast has been responsible for heavy falls seen across Queensland over the past few days.

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Here's what the weather is doing around the nation's capital cities today.

Brisbane

A "shower or two" will fall over Brisbane today, which has a maximum temperature of 27C forecast.

Rain is most likely during the morning and afternoon, BoM said. Up to 1 to 5 mm is forecast.

Sydney

Similar conditions will be felt across Sydney, with showers and a high of 25C forecast. The chance of rain will become less likely in the late morning.

Between one and four mm could fall.

Canberra

The nation's capital is also instore for a wet day with showers forecast. These will become less likely in the morning.

A maximum temperature of 19C is forecast after a chilly 11C morning.

Melbourne

It will be partly cloudy in Melbourne with a slight chance of showers. The mercury will climb to 23C.

Hobart

Morning showers will soak Hobart. The mercury will climb to 22C after a 14C start.

Adelaide

Cloud is clearing in the South Australian capital, giving way to a dry and mostly sunny afternoon.

A maximum temperature of 28C is forecast.

Darwin

Showers and a possible storm could lash Darwin today. The potential wet weather is most likely during the afternoon and evening.

The mercury will hit a high of 32C.

Perth

Rain will also hit Perth in the morning, the rain will start clearing in the afternoon.

The mercury will climb to a maximum temperature of 21C after a low of 13C.