"Dead 10m whale lures sharks to Newport Beach" [updts]

Update I: Got pics.

Just a few miles down the road. Going to see it right now. Yay! (Yay for possibly seeing sharks, I mean.)

"AUTHORITIES are considering cutting up the carcass of a 10m sperm whale, which is attracting sharks to Sydney's Newport Beach.

The body of the wedged amphibian has drawn schools of sharks to the popular surfing spot, forcing the beach to be closed.

Local residents are flocking to the scene, but not for long, as the smell of rotting flesh wafts throughout nearby Newport village."

Back now. Got some pics. There were about 50 people down there, an air of excitement. The whale is at the  end of the rock.

The young whale. They say it's about four years old, thirty feet long—weighs twelve tons.

No sharks in sight. Tomorrow at low tide they'll try to cut it up with chainsaws, load it in trucks and bury it somewhere.

Update II: As of Saturday the whale has been cut up with chainsaws and trucked away. The beach is still closed, as more sharks have been seen in the area, drawn in by the whale blood.