Whale Watching in Australia: Where, When and How to See Them
Every winter, tens of thousands of humpback whales leave the Antarctic and swim north along both coasts of Australia to breed in warm water, then turn around and swim back with their calves. The east coast population alone is estimated at over 40,000 animals, recovered from a few hundred when whaling ended in the 1960s, and it passes within sight of the Sydney Opera House. For half the year, seeing a whale in Australia is not a matter of luck. It is a matter of turning up.
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The calendar
May to June: Humpbacks begin passing the southern capitals heading north. Sightings from Sydney, Wollongong and Eden headlands start in earnest in June.
July to August: Peak northbound migration on both coasts. Whales everywhere from Byron Bay to the Gold Coast, and off Perth and Exmouth in the west.
August to October: Mothers and calves rest in Hervey Bay, Queensland, before the journey south. This is the world's best whale watching.
September to November: Southbound migration, slower and closer to shore, with calves. Sydney and the NSW south coast are excellent.
June to October: Southern right whales calve in the shallow bays of South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia, visible from cliffs without a boat.
January to April: Orcas hunt off Bremer Bay, Western Australia, in one of the largest seasonal gatherings of killer whales on earth.
East coast: where to go
Hervey Bay, Queensland
Three and a half hours north of Brisbane, sheltered by Fraser Island (K'gari), Hervey Bay is where humpbacks stop to rest and socialise rather than simply pass through. They stay for days, they are curious, and they approach boats. Half-day cruises from A$120 to A$180 run from late July to early November, with the peak in August and September. If whales are the point of your trip, come here.
Sydney
The headlands at North Head (Manly), South Head (Watsons Bay) and Cape Solander in Kurnell are free viewing platforms where volunteers count passing whales all season. Take binoculars and patience; on a good day in July you will see several. Cruises run from Circular Quay and Darling Harbour from May to November, two to three hours, A$80 to A$120. The Manly ferry itself occasionally passes whales at the harbour mouth in June and July.
Byron Bay and the Gold Coast
Cape Byron, the most easterly point on the mainland, is one of the finest land-based whale lookouts anywhere, and the lighthouse walk is worth doing regardless. Cruises run from Byron, Ballina and the Gold Coast from June to November.
Eden and the Sapphire Coast, NSW
Six hours south of Sydney, Eden is where whales come close to shore on the southbound run in September to November, often into Twofold Bay itself. The Killer Whale Museum tells the extraordinary story of the orcas that once hunted alongside the town's whalers.
South coast: the southern right whales
Slower, blunter and rarer than humpbacks, southern rights come into shallow water to calve and stay for weeks, which means you can watch them from land for hours.
Head of Bight, South Australia. A cliff-top boardwalk on the Nullarbor where dozens of mothers and calves gather from June to October, often directly below you. Remote, and unforgettable.
Logans Beach, Warrnambool, Victoria. A whale nursery at the end of the Great Ocean Road with a viewing platform, June to September. Combine it with our Great Ocean Road itinerary.
Victor Harbor and Encounter Bay, SA. An hour from Adelaide, with a whale centre and regular sightings from the Bluff.
Albany, Western Australia. Both southern rights and humpbacks, and the fascinating former whaling station at Discovery Bay.
West coast: the ones you cannot see anywhere else
Ningaloo Reef: swim with humpbacks
From August to October, licensed operators out of Exmouth and Coral Bay run in-water humpback encounters, one of very few places in the world permitted to do so. It is strictly regulated, weather dependent and not cheap, at A$300 to A$450, and it is a life-defining experience for the people who do it. The same operators run whale shark swims from mid-March to July. Doing both in one season is possible in August.
Bremer Bay: orcas
Between January and April, a deep-sea canyon 50 kilometres off Bremer Bay, five hours south-east of Perth, hosts more than 100 killer whales, plus sperm whales, pilot whales and giant squid. Full-day expedition boats leave early and go far offshore into open ocean; it is rough, long and spectacular, and it books out months ahead.
Perth and Fremantle
Humpbacks pass Rottnest Island and the metropolitan coast heading north in June to August and south in September to November. Cruises run from Fremantle, Hillarys and Perth, and Rottnest's west end lookouts are excellent from land.
Choosing a cruise
Smaller boats get closer, bigger boats are steadier. If you are prone to seasickness, choose the catamaran and take a tablet an hour before departure.
Look for a sighting guarantee. Most reputable operators offer a free return trip if no whales are seen. In season this is rarely needed.
Morning is calmer. Winds usually rise through the afternoon on the east coast.
Two to three hours is enough from Sydney or Byron; a half-day is right for Hervey Bay, where the whales are further out but stay put.
Bring layers. Even a warm day is cold at speed on winter water.
Australian regulations keep boats 100 metres from whales, and further from calves. Whales can and do approach boats themselves. The good operators cut engines and let them.
From the land, for free
Australia has more good land-based whale watching than almost any country because the migration hugs the coast. Any headland on the east coast with height and a view south will produce sightings in season; look for the blow, a puff of spray that hangs for a second, then the back and, if you are lucky, a tail or a breach. Early morning light behind you helps. The volunteers at Cape Solander in Sydney have counted over 3,000 whales in a single season from a picnic bench.
If your trip falls between June and November, build a whale morning into it. It costs little or nothing, it fits around anything else, and there is no experience in Australia with a better ratio of effort to wonder.
Cover photo via Unsplash.
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