The 1946 Mass Stranding in Gippsland, Australia

1946, March 21-24. Victoria, Gippsland. Localized "booms" and gales. 'Thunder on a Clear Day" Possible meteor airburst or atmospheric shock. There were multiple reports across regional Victoria of "unexplained booms." These are often recorded in local gazettes as: "Subterranean Rumbles" Residents in the Gippsland Hills and near Port Albert reported sounds like "heavy artillery wagons" or "distant thunder" despite clear blue skies. There were reports of "distant thudding" or "heavy vibrations" felt in the coastal regions. Unlike an earthquake, which vibrates the ground first, these were described as aerial concussions—the classic signature of a high-altitude meteor airburst. "Acoustic Overload", linked to the event below.

1946, March 25. Victoria, Gippsland, off Port Albert. Manns Beach. A mass stranding of between 150 to 200 pilot whales. Split mass stranding (Fragmented or stochastic mass stranding, where the pod doesn't hit the beach all at once). The "Pre-Stranding". On March 25, three individuals came ashore near Manns Beach approximately three days before the main pod. This is often seen in pilot whale strandings where a "scout" or sick leader drifts shoreward first, followed later by the social group. On March 28. 150+ Black Dolphins + Dolphin, at Dog Leg, Ninety Mile Beach near Green Hummock Point. The whales were about six feet long. The Geographic Spread: The stranding was "split" because of the complex coastline of the Nooramunga Marine & Coastal Park. Manns Beach: The primary site near Port Albert. Dog Leg & Green Hummock Point: These are specific sections of Ninety Mile Beach. The "Dog Leg" refers to a sharp bend in the coastal channel/sandbank structure near the entrance to the Port Albert inlet.

Also leading up to this event was a significant meteor storm in NSW.

January 6 (Albury, 3:30 a.m.): This event was reported as a "brilliant flash" that exploded over the region. With only 7 hours between the previous report and this one, it suggests the Earth was passing through a dense stream of debris.

January 26 (Tumut-Adelong): Described as a "violent" airburst. Created a sonic boom that was heard, in some locations, ten minutes after the event. This region is geographically "upstream" from Gippsland in terms of common meteor trajectories (which often move northwest to southeast across the continent).