The lifecycle of the Southern Humpback whale brings them into Hervey Bay on Queensland’s Fraser Coast. They leave the rich feeding grounds of Antarctica in May and make the annual 6000 kilometre journey to the breeding grounds in the warm waters of the Whitsundays, north of Fraser Island. Some of the females will give birth, while the others will mate.

After spending a short period of time in the Whitsunday area the whales start the long journey south, many of them coming into Platypus Bay, on the sheltered lee side of Fraser Island, for as long as five days, some staying for only a day – and some within coo-ee of Wathumba and Awinya.

Really early on pre-season, we spotted migrating whales along the east coast of Fraser Island (from Indian Head and the beach) and breaching off the Kingfisher Bay jetty. The dedicated whale watching season on the lee side of Fraser Island kicks off on 1 August with 1/2 day tours running daily from Kingfisher Bay Resort. You can follow all the action on our dedicated Facebook page.

For holidaymakers travelling to the Fraser Coast from August to October to whale watch, there is the added bonus of visiting World Heritage-listed Fraser Island and combining the best nature has to offer in one very convenient nature escape.

Why not check out Kingfisher Bay's blog for their Humpback updates and to find out more about the very exciting 'swimming with the Humpbacks' trial?