Benjamin Boyd’s Cottage, East Boyd.

Scarce colonial view of Boyd’s Cottage at East Boyd, Twofold Bay. 

Boyd town was established by the flamboyant English stockbroker Benjamin Boyd. He had established the East Boyd settlement in part to support a new enterprise in shore whaling, an industry which had been operating in the bay since 1828. 

The bay would later become known for the unique symbiotic relationship which developed between local whalers and wild killer whales (orcas) during the annual migration of Baleen whales from Antarctica. The orcas would alert the whalers to the presence of the Baleen in the area by swimming into the mouth of the Kiah River and thrashing the water loudly, making their presence known to the local Davidson whaling family. The orcas would then lead the hunters to the whales and aid in their kill.

From the original edition of the Illustrated Australian News.