Sorrento Beach in Perth's northern suburbs has been closed after a whale carcass was sighted on Sunday morning. The City of Joondalup closed the beach, and beaches in the area remain closed. The carcass was removed by 10.40am, but a shark advice alert remains because the carcass may attract sharks close to shore. Officers from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are monitoring the situation. It follows a juvenile whale carcass that washed ashore at Dutch Inn Beach on Thursday, which was taken to the Red Hill Waste Management Facility.
A retired senior sergeant says Sorrento Police Station has had its resources removed and has not been fully operational for 18 months. Malcolm Davey, a former officer-in-charge at Sorrento and Rye, says the recording equipment for interviews has been taken out. He says the station appears open but is not attended, and he warns that policing in nearby towns would suffer. Victoria Police says the station remains operational and has not been permanently closed. It says daily patrols continue, and the closest 24-hour station is Rosebud.
A Joondalup councillor wants the city to assess whether a modern non-lethal shark barrier could be installed at Sorrento Beach. Cr Phillip Vinciullo's motion follows last month's fatal shark attack that killed 63-year-old Greg O'Neill. He says the aim is to gather current information, not to assign blame. The beach's previous Eco Shark Barrier was removed in 2020 after an assessment found structural damage. Mayor Daniel Kingston has also put forward a motion on beach safety, with a final council vote expected on October 27.
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More than a thousand people gathered on Perth's Sorrento Beach to pay tribute to Greg O'Neill, who was killed by a great white shark in September. His son, Keelan O'Neill, urged the crowd to return to the water and keep doing the things they love. His daughter, Bianca, said the ocean was her father's happy healing place. O'Neill was the third person killed by a shark in Western Australia this year. His swimming group, the Sorrento Squids, returned to the water on Sunday.
A modernist home designed by Perth architecture practice Hawkins, Sands and Aris is on the market in Sorrento, with an asking price from $2.6 million. The four-bedroom property at 33 Marine Terrace sits about 350 metres from Marmion Pool. Owner Phil Costello said his mother, Dorothy Costello, bought the home in 2007 and kept its original features. The listing agent, Alice Murray of Peard Real Estate, said interest has been strong, mostly from families. The home is open by private appointment.
