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Australia’s Finest Whale Watching Location
I'd been to Hervey Bay in the summer month of February and was disappointed to have missed Hervey Bay 's premier attraction. But even in the summer, whales dominate the town. Signs advertise whale watching tours and photos of whales dominate most stores and restaurants. There's a good reason that Hervey Bay is known as the whale watching capital of Australia ; the quiet waters of the bay act as a resting point for whales heading south. Around two thousand whales stop in the bay between August and November, frolicking and relaxing in the calm waters. This makes it the ideal spot to go whale watching – the whales are easily located in the smaller bay and the protected water makes for smoother sailing. The whales here are not in transit on the open sea like everywhere else; they come into the bay to rest and play.
We board the Blue Dolphin on a perfectly clear day in August, but don't be fooled; Australia can be cold. Although the sun shines all day, I'm grateful for my warm jacket, hat and scarf, which provide protection against the biting wind on the open sea. After a leisurely cruise out to sea, we start the exciting act of searching for signs of the whales. Not long afterwards, one of the crew members spots a stream of air jutting out of the water to our left. Whales! Our whale watching starts off with a bang as one of the huge animals propels itself from the water in a breach. Only 50 metres from the boat, we can see the whale's entire body as it hurls itself completely out of the water and lands with a giant splash. No one breathes. I'm not ashamed to admit that witnessing this spectacular behaviour brought tears to my eyes. The power of nature has never been closer. And the mystery; no one is sure why the huge mammals propel themselves from the water, twist and crash majestically back into the ocean.
Just before we had to leave to go back, four whales decide to frolic on the starboard side of the boat. We see plenty of tail flukes and round outs, and they amuse us even more by slapping their pectoral fins on the water over and over. As a finale, we're treated to a behaviour we hadn't been lucky enough to see until then; spy hopping. One of the whales rises straight out of the water, enabling its eyes to clear the surface. I'm pretty sure he was saying good-bye! The whale watching tours leave from Urangan Harbour, a ten minute drive from the centre of Hervey Bay . The Great Sandy Straits Marina Resort, www.greatsandystraits.com.au, is located only minutes away from the Harbour and offers the perfect place to relax after an exciting day of whale watching. Complete luxury apartments, most with ensuite spas, The Great Sandy Straits Marina Resort also boasts a lap pool, sauna and a waterfront location. You'll never want to leave. I didn't!
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JustSayGO Travel Show
Every winter, thousands of humpback whales migrate north from the chilly waters of Antarctica to the tropical waters of the Great Barrier Reef . Here, they mate and give birth in the warmer waters before making the return journey home. Almost anywhere along Australia 's East Coast is a good place to see the whales on their annual migration, but one place stands out from the rest; Hervey Bay in southern Queensland.
There are over twenty whale watching tour operators to choose from, but only one offers a full day trip and smaller numbers. Blue Dolphin Marine Tours, 
Although humpback whales are the fifth largest animal on the planet, they are also one of the most acrobatic species of whale. Over the course of the day, the most common behaviour that we see are tail flukes, when the tail is lifted into the air before a deep dive, and tail slapping. We also see plenty of round outs, where the whale exhales through its blowhole and arches its back to roll down into a dive. This is where the humpback whale gets its name – as it arches its back, a distinct hump is visible above the waterline.
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