But the throng of holiday makers who watched from the shoreline at Sussex Inlet, on the south coast, soon realised the shark had been hooked by a fisherman on one of the boats and was being fought to a standstill.

Minutes later, the shark, a protected baby great white, was hauled on to the nearby boat ramp and bludgeoned to death in front of crying children, despite the pleas of their horrified parents.

The great white shark is fully protected in all Australian waters and the authorities are now investigating the matter. Killing a great white can attract a fine of up to $11,000 and a two-year jail sentence.