MORETON OFFERS WHALE OF TIME
Migrating giants of sea delight adoring crowds
THERE aren’t many places on Australia’s east coast where you can watch the sun set over the ocean, but on Moreton Island you can.
Tangalooma Island Resort, a 75-minute ferry ride from Brisbane, seems like a perfect place to spend your summer.
The ocean is only metres from your room, there are multiple pools to splash about in and an entire island to explore.
But visit between June and October and you’ll share this slice of paradise with another crowd.
Just a short cruise from the resort are some of the best whale watching spots you may ever visit.
It is estimated 33,000 humpbacks will make the annual migration north this year and Tangalooma Whale Watching, Brisbane’s closest whale cruise operator, expects to spot 800 whales this season - up 10 per cent on last year.
On the eastern side of Moreton Island, Tangalooma Jet takes whale watchers to the hot spots, where some days you can expect to see upwards of 10 humpback and blue whales.
Laws protect boats from getting too close to the giants of the deep, but that doesn’t stop the whales coming in closer.
On a magical trip in July, one pod swam only metres from the front deck. If you’re lucky, they might breach and jump high into the sky.
Humpbacks can measure up to 13.5m in length and weigh up to 45 tonnes, with the females often larger than the males.
In Tangalooma’s whaling days, according to our guides, the largest caught was 18m long.
The island was once the home of the largest land-based whaling station in the southern hemisphere. In the 1950s, at the height of the station’s operation, up to 600 whales were killed in the 124-day season.
The station closed in 1962 after the season yielded only 68 whales. Populations were decimated, with about 500 left in the wild.
The former Flensing Deck still stands on the island and has become an important part of sharing history while educating tourists and locals about preserving wildlife.
At its peak the whaling industry in Australia was worth $32 million a year.
Today the whale watching industry earns about $70 million per annum nationally.
Crowds cheer loudly each time the graceful yet playful giants “perform” for them.
Tangalooma Jet guides tell us the whales are often more spirited on their way back south later in the year when mothers bring their young back to the colder waters of Antarctica and, along the way, teach them a few tricks.
Tangalooma Island Resort operates whale watching tours until October.
Prices vary depending on if you’re departing from Moreton Island or Brisbane.
For details and accommodation packages, visit tangalooma.com.
Photo: Blond Nomads
Photo: Paul Giggle