Whale Of A Time
The Sun Herald
Saturday July 16, 1994
THE whales are heading this way. Every year thousands take to small boats and crowd our coastline hoping to catch a glimpse of the gentle giants as they make their way north from Antarctica.
"Look mum, a water spout," a child cries looking down from a Central Coast headland. "There it is, and it looks like it has a calf with it."
The child grins broadly, as does mum.
There's something terribly romantic about watching these magnificent animals rise, gently turn on their sides and fall back into the swell.
Even a hardened father cannot hold back a smile.
The two most prominent species making their way up our eastern and western shores are the Southern Right and the Humpback whales.
Both head north during winter as part of their breeding cycle said Lawrence Orel of the National Parks And Wildlife Service.
Humpbacks can be seen along the eastern seaboard as they head towards the Coral Sea. They are also seen along the western seaboard. The whales can tolerate the warmer waters because of their long fins which regulate body temperature.
According to Orel, the best time to see them heading north is through July and then on the way back down, from late August to September.
The Southern Right Whale is more prominent along the southern coastline of Australia including the Great Australian Bight and parts of the Western seaboard but does not migrate further north than Newcastle.
The best time to see the Southern Right is from July to August. During this time they tend to stay around the same area.
NEW SOUTH WALES
BOTH the Humpback and Southern Right are baleen whales, they don't have teeth as we know them, but instead "sift" krill from the water as they swim with their mouths open.
During their winter migration they do not eat. The whale watching hot spots in NSW include Eden, Merimbula, Wollongong and Montague Island on the South Coast and Cape Byron, Coffs Harbour and Seal Rocks on the North Coast.
Southern Right Whales don't usually venture far north.
According to Mr Orel they are slowly starting to move towards the Sydney/Newcastle areas, staying there for a few hours and then moving on. Humpbacks tend to keep moving.
This is a good time for Humpback spotting on the North Coast. During September and October you are more likely to see them on the South Coast as they make their way back to the Antarctic.
* The Lighthouse at Cape Byron Reserve is one of the best places to see the Humpback whale. For information on tours phone (066) 85 8565.
* Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse at Seal Rocks offers a champagne breakfast tour every Sunday until the end of August. The tour leaves at dawn - the best time to see the Humpback - so wear warm clothing. The price is $30 per adult and includes home-made fruit pancakes with honey and syrup and champagne. Phone (049) 97 6146.
* The Coffs Harbour Charter Boat Service operates three-hour whale-watching tours departing at 9am and 2pm. The tour is $30 for adults and$15 for children aged 5-15 and includes morning or afternoon tea. Phone (065)51 1434.
* Wollongong Boat Charter at Fairy Meadow operates a tour at $35 per adult until the end of July and then again from late September to early November. A maximum group of 23 people can hire the boat for $700. Phone (018) 42 3555.
* Cat Balou cruises at Eden offer 2 1/2 hour whale-watching cruises during October to November. Adults are $17, pensioners $15, children $11 and families are $55. Phone (064) 96 2027 or (064) 96 1778.
The NSW Tourism Commission will be able to help with any information you need. Phone (02) 931 1111.
QUEENSLAND
ON its journey north, the Humpback whale will visit the warmer waters of the Sunshine Coast. Places to see them include Moreton Island, Bundaberg and Hervey Bay. To coincide with the whale migration, there are a number of whale watch tours and package deals.
The Queensland Government Travel Centre has a leaflet listing a variety of whale watching options. You simply select your mode of transport and accommodation and match it with a cruise or tour.
Accommodation choices include the Hervey Bay Resort Motel which starts from$35 per person, per night on a twin share basis or the Reef Gateway Motor Inn at Bundaberg starting from $32 per person, per night, twin share.
* Stay for two nights for $115 per person, twin share, at the Kondari Resort at Hervey Bay and join the M.V. Islander cruise. This package is available from August to mid-October.
* At the Kingfisher Bay Resort, Fraser Island, two adults can enjoy two nights' accommodation, a full day's whale-watch cruise, fast catamaran transfers and hot buffet breakfast each morning for $280. The price is per person, twin share. Children under 3 are free and those 4-14 sharing with adults and using existing bedding are $54 each.
* Tangalooma Island Resort has whale-watching cruises on Wednesdays and Sundays and is offering two-day package deals to coincide with these. The deal includes a whale-watch cruise with a light lunch, two nights' accommodation, a tropical breakfast and fast catamaran transfers. The price per person, twin share is from $200, children under 2 are free and those 3-14 are $91.
For information phone the Queensland Government Travel Centre on 13-1801.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
ACCORDING to Mr Orel, the best, and safest, place to enjoy whale watching or taking photos is from headlands.
The higher the vantage point the better, but you will need a telephoto lens.
Following this theory, the Bunda Cliffs at the head of the Great Australian Bight are the perfect place to view Southern Right Whales. Victor Harbour south of Adelaide is another good vantage point.
* Nullarbor Whale Watch Adventure tours operate two and three-day package tours starting at $400 from May to October. Phone the South Australian Travel Centre on (02) 232 8388 or Nullarbor Adventure Tours on (086) 253 2447 for details.
The two-day tour from Ceduna leaves on Mondays and Thursdays and costs$400. This includes air fare from Ceduna , all meals, fees and permits, information kit, motel accommodation and transfers. The same tour departs Adelaide for $646.
The three-day tour from Ceduna costs $600 and includes air fare, transfers, all meals, fees and permits, information kit, swag and tent accommodation.
* The Hotel Victor at Victor Harbour has two whale-watch package deals available until August. Phone the South Australian Travel Centre or Hotel Victor on (085) 52 4411 for further information.
For $62 per person, per night, twin share, the deal includes accommodation, dinner and a continental breakfast, entry to Urimbirra Wild Life Park and return ride on the horsedrawn tram to Granite Island.
A minimum three nights' package costs $135 per double, twin or single. This includes accommodation and a continental breakfast.
* The Apollon Motor Inn at Victor Harbour also offers a whale-watch package deal until September 20. The deal costs $49 per person, per night, twin share and includes accommodation, full hot breakfast, a fruit platter and morning paper, pass to Urimbirra Wildlife Park, free horsetram return trip to Granite Island's Fairy Penguins and free use of motel facilities. Phone the South Australian Travel Centre or the Apollon Motor Inn on (085) 52 2777.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
THE Humpback and Southern Right whales are more active here after August. Because of this, tour and accommodation prices will be available from August 8. For information phone the Western Australia Tourist Centre on (02) 261 2031.
Frenchmen Bay in Albany was once one of the biggest whaling stations in the southern hemisphere. Now it is one of the biggest tourist attractions for whale watching each year.
Places to view the whales along the West Australian coastline include Denham and Kalbarri on the north coast and Perth, Fremantle, Rottnest Island, Albany and Bremer Bay in the south.
Both Humpback and Southern Right Whales can be spotted off the coast of Western Australia from August to November which also coincides with the WA Wildflower Blooming Festival.
There are a number of operators who run whale watching tours.
* Underwater World, at Hillary's Marina, Perth, operates cruises on their Blue Water craft. For information phone (09) 447 7500.
* Whaleworld at Albany, as well as being a place to view whales is also a museum that tells the history of the whale in the area.
* Tranby House River Cruise operates a whale-watching cruise from October to November. The tours take two hours and depart from Hillary's Marina and the Northport Terminal at Fremantle. If you pre-book, there is a return coach service available for those coming from Perth. Phone (09) 221 5844.
* Southern Ocean Charters at Albany offer chartered tours of King George Sound from July until mid October. For information phone them on (098) 41 7176.
VICTORIA
THE home of the Southern Right Whale and the best places to see them are Warrnambool and Port Phillip Bay.
The whale nursery at Logans Beach, Warrnambool is a great vantage point to view them.
One of the first signs that these whales are present is a burst from the blowhole. "What most people think is water is, in fact, condensed air," Mr Orel explained. "They will dive for five to ten minutes and the air in their lungs warms up. As they surface what comes out of the blowhole is actually condensed air."
* Moonraker Charters offer one day, optional diving, cruises at Port Phillip Bay. The cost is $85. Phone (059) 84 4211.
WHICH WHALE?
THE SOUTHERN RIGHT: So named because it was the "right" whale to hunt before it became a protected species. It is a slow swimmer, docile and found in shallow water - all features that made it perfect for hunters.
The Southern Right Whales have no dorsal fin and they have a black to brown skin which is sometimes mottled. On their throat and belly they have irregular white patches. They also have a series of growths called callosities on the top of their head.
THE HUMPBACK: This is the most energetic of whales. It will throw itself from the water. It also has long flippers compared to other whales.
It is a renowned "songster". Members of a pod will repeat a song for the duration of a season but each year it will be slightly changed. The human can't detect this song from above the water.
GUIDELINES FOR WATCHERS
BOTH the Humpback and Southern Right Whales are protected species.
Earlier this month a Bermagui man made headlines for joyriding on the back of a Southern Right. He faces a fine of up to $100,000 or two years jail.
Avoid the fines by adhering to the regulations and guidelines.
These include:
* Swim and dive no closer than 30 metres to a whale
* Keep Jetskis at 400 metres away
* If a whale is with calf do not come closer than 200 metres
* Avoid sudden or repeated changes in speed or direction
* Place your engine in neutral or idle for one minute before switching it off
* Move off slowly for at least 300 metres
* Abandon all contact if they become agitated.
* No more than three vessels should observe a whale at one time.
* Leaving whales an escape route by not boxing them in.
* Don't create loud noises
* Don't try to feed the whales
* Don't try to split groups of whales apart especially if it's a mother and her calf.
This legislation is designed to ensure the safety of both the whales and the people watching them.
© 1994 The Sun Herald