Whales
Top Notch Operators The Hervey Bay whale fleet is the most professional and advanced in Australia, helped by its location, operating in the Great Sandy Marine Park. Hervey Bay became the first location in the country to offer commercial whale watching from boats, in 1986, and this leadership position was maintained in the years that followed with operators playing a key role in firstly setting up the marine park in 1989 and then establishing rules for whale-human interactions to protect the migrating humpbacks. The humpback population had diminished because of large-scale whaling and poor conservation practices and pioneer Hervey Bay whale watch operators were at the forefront of the recovery campaign, working with stakeholders, including the Government. The sustainable code of practice for boat operators and their passengers has stood the test of 30 years of whale watching and been copied by other whale watching destinations around the globe.
Today’s Hervey Bay whale fleet operates under strict regulations, aimed at ensuring the thousands of whales that come into Hervey Bay each year are protected – and that they keep coming back in greater numbers. The Fraser Coast is identified as one of the most important destinations in Australia for migrating whales, because unlike all other areas of the coast, it is a place where whales break their 10,000km migration journey between the Tropics and Antarctica to rest for up to 10 days, supporting their young calves. In 2019 this area, covering about 20 percent of the 6,000 square kilometre Great Sandy Marine Park, in a line from Rooney Point to Burrum Heads and south to below Big Woody Island, was declared the world’s first Whale Heritage Site.
Whales +Tour + Fraser EXCLUSIVE ISLAND ESCAPES FOR NATURE LOVERS
It’s the most wonderful time of year on K’gari (Fraser Island), when we say HELLO to the humpbacks! Prepare for the adventure of a lifetime as you marvel at these majestic creatures from just metres away, PLUS ticking off the island’s most iconic sights on a guided 4WD tour.
$ FROM
759
*
PER PERSON, TWIN SHARE
3 nights' resort hotel accommodation Daily breakfast Return passenger ferry ex River Heads Half-day whale watch cruise Beauty Spots Tour
PACKAGES AVAILABLE FROM AUGUST TO OCTOBER
Call 1800 FRASER
kingfisherbay.com
*Conditions apply. Subject to availability. See the website for details.
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Fraser Coast Holiday Planner
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