Whale Watching
Humpbacks stay and play in Hervey Bay From late July until the end of October, there is no place like Hervey Bay on Australia’s east coast for breathtaking, up close and personal encounters with majestic humpback whales. The stunning intimacy of a rendezvous with these gentle giants will leave you with amazing memories you won’t capture anywhere else.
SOUTHERN PACIFIC OCEAN
Sandy Cape
Rooney Point Ex-HMAS Tobruk Dive Site
Marloo Bay Platypus Bay Wathumba Whale Watch Area
Burrum Heads
Great Sandy National Park
WORLD HERITAGE AREA BURR
TO
UM H EADS RD
RB
ANL
EA -
PI
AL
BA
Urangan Harbour
Moon Point
FRASER ISLAND
HERVEY BAY RD
BO O RA L
RD
Kingfisher Bay River Heads
D
20
MARYBOROUGH
Fraser Coast Holiday Planner
Central Station
Eurong
Have a close encounter When it comes to experiencing awe-inspiring interactions with humpbacks, the best advice we can give is – don’t just take our word for it. Come, pay us a visit and find out firsthand why whale watching in Hervey Bay is so special it draws visitors back day after day and year after year. The difference here is that the whales pause their migration journey when they reach Fraser Coast waters. Each year thousands of these 40-tonne mammals purposefully head to our marine backyard, breaking their journey from the breeding grounds in the tropics to the feeding grounds in Antarctica, to relax, play and socialise in the sheltered waters in the lee of Fraser Island’s western coast. Here the waters are warmer, shallower and predator free. Twenty years of scientific research has proven that Hervey Bay is the only genuine stopover in what is one of the longest mammal migration journeys on the planet – a 10,000km round trip from the southern ocean to the tropics and back again. In all other whale watching locations in the open ocean on Australia’s east coast, the whales are travelling either north or south – a difference which enables Hervey Bay operators to offer a premium whale watching experience.
Marvel at the humpback nursery
Studies have shown that humpback whales spend up to 10 days in Hervey Bay waters each year and they’re just as inquisitive about the boats and the people as we are about them. On many occasions, the whales come right up to the vessels which is why we can guarantee a whale watching experience with the Fraser Coast fleet will be like few other places in the world. September is the month when increasing numbers of mothers and calves glide into the region. Mums take the time to nurture and train their young, including teaching them to breach which is a sight to see!
