A 220-tonne crane has exhumed a humpback whale carcass buried at Nobbys Beach in Port Macquarie, amid fears from locals its decomposing body would attract sharks to the area.
Council workers began removing the 12-metre long, 18-tonne humpback this morning after it died after beaching itself on Nobbys Beach.
"There's no admission mistakes have been made, the council simply responded to a perception in the community and that's what we're dealing with," Port Macquarie-Hastings Council spokesperson Matt Rogers told ABC News.
Mr Rogers said that only liquid remains of the whale now remained, which would be transported to landfill with the help of $50,000 funding provided by the NSW State Government.
The whale died last week after dragging a fishing rope and trap after more than 1,700 kilometres from Tasmania.
Nobbys Beach will remain closed until the whale and any contaminated sand is removed.