A humpback whale and 27 pilot whales have stranded themselves on a remote beach in a Victorian national park.

Most of the beached animals have died, according to authorities.

A member of the public reported the beaching at Croajingolong national park more than 400km east of Melbourne at about 4pm on Tuesday afternoon.

“We have flown in experienced staff including a wildlife expert by helicopter to conduct an initial assessment late this afternoon and they have found that unfortunately most of the whales have died, with the few remaining not expected to survive,” said Michael Turner of the state’s environment department.

“More crews will again head out on site in the morning to conduct more thorough assessments and testing on the whales.”

The whales are on a beach only accessible by foot and the public are being advised to stay away from the area.

The stranding comes days after more than 140 pilot whales died on a remote beach on on Stewart Island in New Zealand.

Marine strandings are common in New Zealand, with the country a “hotspot”. The Department of Conservation respond to about 85 incidents a year, usually of single animals.