Whales have been spotted off the south coast and Kangaroo Island since mid-May and this weekend will see Winter Whalefest start the season of cetacean celebration.

It begins with a Welcoming of the Whales ceremony in the Amphitheatre next to Soldiers Memorial Gardens in Victor Harbor on Saturday 11 June.

Cedric Varcoe and Mark Koolmatrie will lead a beautiful Ramindjeri Welcoming of the Whales and smoking ceremony at 9am.

This will be followed by a family friendly event on Warland Reserve, featuring live music, talks with marine experts, tours, interactive stalls, an Artisan Market and Kondoli the inflatable whale. 

Saturday kicks off Winter Whalefest - six weeks of informative, engaging and entertaining whale-related activities.

Running until 30 July, the festival includes Library sessions, art workshops, musical performance, a documentary and weaving sessions.

The historic Railway Goods Shed that formerly housed the SA Whale Centre will unfortunately not host any events.

The City of Victor Harbor closed the building in December 2020 for major renovations that will incorporate the Visitor Information Centre.

It was due to reopen in time for the 2021 whale season, but unforeseen difficulties associated with the redevelopment of a heritage building has delayed the upgrade for more than a year.

There has been no word from the council on when the project will be completed or when the new Visitor Centre will open.

Visitor services remain temporarily house in the Coral Street Art Space.

Whale sightings along the south coast are logged and can be accessed on the SA Whale Centre website.