Dead humpback whale towed from Inskip Point, Rainbow Beach in Wide Bay Queensland

• A 12m whale was towed from a Queensland beach
• Washed up dead at Inskip Point Beach in Wide Bay area 

A small town’s local towing company was tasked with the disturbing job of hauling away an 18-tonne dead humpback whale that was discovered half-buried on the beach.

Clayton’s Towing shared photos from the challenging job on Wednesday after the whale had to be dug out of Inskip Point beach, near Rainbow Beach in Queensland’s Wide Bay region, and winched onto the back of a tow truck.

The whale was reported to authorities earlier in the week with beachgoers urged to stay away in case the animal was carrying disease.

The Queensland environment department enlisted the help of Clayton’s Towing and was able to move and bury the whale on Wednesday.

‘The whale had been there a couple of days and couldn’t stay there much longer, it was already starting to smell,’ Mike Clayton of the towing company told Daily Mail Australia.

‘The hardest part was trying to load the whale onto the back of the trailer in one piece. It was about 12 metres long so took up the whole deck.

‘We’ve towed animals before but this was a big job, it’s not like you can Google how to tow a whale.

‘Still, we were off the beach within five hours. It helped the whale was stuck near the entry to the beach so we had fairly easy access.’

Mr Clayton revealed the whale was towed ‘a fair way’ from the beach and properly buried to avoid smell as the whale carcass rots. 

Photos show the massive whale being removed from the beach and loaded onto the tow truck.

More than 1,000 commenters under Clayton’s Towing’s photos applauded the business for a job well-done.

‘Hat goes off to the momentous job to the crew, wow hope you get all the acknowledgement you deserve,’ one commenter wrote.

‘It’s sad the whale died but it’s also really cool to see it up close like this. Thanks for sharing,’ another said.

‘What a sad end for such a majestic animal! Good on you for getting the job done,’ a third person wrote.

Humpback whales are very active along Australia’s east coast from April through to November. 

At this time of year, heading into winter, the whales can be spotted as they migrate north towards sub-tropical waters for mating season.

Popular viewing spots include Eden and Byron Bay in NSW, and Hervey Bay in Queensland.