Our next day and half is spent around Hervey Bay - self proclaimed "Whale Watching" capital of Australia. Having been disappointed with our lack of dolphins and given how much we all enjoyed the whale watch at Kaikoura in NZ ( Tiegan particularly - she now wants to study marine biology!) We catch up on some beach time in the sun and do the laundry which is much needed. We have met some amazing folk on our travels and this town is no exception. Bombarded with the choice of "whale watch" tours we stumble upon the petrol station/chandelry in the marina and a super helpful chap. He sorts the wheat from the chaff and helps us narrow down our options given the time we have available and the weather conditions - the costs for all tours are pretty much identical as the companies have an agreement not to undercut one another. Our decisions come down to the length of time on the water (4,6 or 7 hours) the type and size of boat - yacht, catamaran or single hull. After much deliberation in the van sitting in the marina car park (and a fairly heated discussion - tensions running high all around today!) we make our choice and go back inside to book our trip for the next morning - the man offers us the use of his phone to do this and the use of his car park to camp in overnight.
We board the Tasman Venture and spend the next 4 hours in the waters around Hervey Bay watching the most magnificent humpback whales almost within touching distance. Unlike in NZ where the sperm whales surfaced for 10 minutes or so before diving down again for 45 minutes and were solitary - humpback whales stay on the surface for prolonged periods and get extremely close to us - almost within touching distance and are social creatures. Humpback Whales are regular visitors to the coastal waters off southern Queensland. Each year, during winter, whales migrate from Antarctic waters, pass through South Island New Zealand , to the warm waters of the tropics for calving.
They swim as single animals, in pairs and in pods of up to six. We were treated to the full range of behaviours - tail slaps, breaching and pectoral fin waves. They were so close... the pictures speak volumes but dont really give a sense of how magical this experience was.
On the way back to the van the girls spot the lifesize model and pose for the obligatory photo!
WOW AMAZING..very jealous xx
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