Popular Cambridge beaches finally open as council seeks funding assistance

Key points

• Popular beaches in the Town of Cambridge reopened on Wednesday after a week-long closure due to a whale carcass. The 31-tonne humpback whale was removed from South City Beach, with clean-up costs estimated between $60,000 and $100,000.
• The council is seeking state assistance to cover the expenses, while an alert remains for potential shark activity due to leached whale remains. The beaches were closed after high bacteria levels were detected, but recent tests showed acceptable water quality.
• The state government has allocated $5 million for shark mitigation, including increased patrols and tagging efforts.