The magical experience of whale watching has grown in popularity over the last decade and whale watch tours have popped up across Australia. But what sets Hervey Bay apart is the up-close and personal experience you can have with the whales here.

While whales will pass by many other locations, in Hervey Bay these humpback whales spend some time here taking a rest before continuing on to their destination. This obviously gives you a great chance of not only viewing the whales but you may see them playing and interacting with each other.

And as Humpbacks are incredibly playful and curious whales and they willingly approach to within feet of boats in an act called mugging. So you can expect to get up-close and personal to a humpback whale in Hervey Bay. Some of the boots even have portholes on the side and the bottom to view the wales.

This is also the place where the mothers will teach their new-born calves life skills. As the whales continue to migrate north, the new-borns will need to learn to survive in the deep, cold water of Antarctica.

You can see humpback whales in Hervey Bay from mid-July to mid-November. Most tours will operate from the end of August until the end of October since the first two weeks of the season are known as “whale searching.” Probably the best period is in the middle but every year is different.