Jervis Bay. Kiama. Shellharbour.
These are some of the places where whales have popped up over the past few days. If you’re a whale tragic, you’ve probably had your eyes either fixed on local whale spotting pages or on the ocean itself, waiting for confirmation that the northern migration has started. If you’re new to whale watching, then this is it. This is your sign.
From mid-May, humpbacks start travelling north from the food-rich but extremely cold waters off Antartica to the warmer breeding and calving grounds off Queensland. For the first week or two the Humpback Highway is generally pretty quiet with young males leading the charge. The peak is in June/July – winter, so rug up!
The most exciting part of the migration (aside from spotting a whale itself) are the behaviours you might see. There’s a fair amount of argy bargy as young males full of teenage energy spend their time breaching, showing off to one another and any females nearby. This often turns into a ‘competition pod’ where the young males push and shove one another, leaping out of the water at a cracking pace, even occasionally trumpeting like an elephant, to be the one to get closet to the female and escort her the rest of the way.
Here are our favourite spots to watch the migration get underway:
Bass Point Reserve – Fisherman’s Walk
- This is the perfect spot for close encounters as whales sometimes come in close to the rocks. Parking is in the small carpark at Bushranger’s Bay (or you can use the larger one and walk up). ONLY park in designated spots as the rangers are very active and a parking fine is guaranteed to ruin your day. There’s no shade here and rock scrambling is required.
Waniora Point – Bulli
- It’s not just the nearby Bulli Beach Cafe, toilets and easy parking that make this one of our favourite spots but the views up and down the coast here are breathtaking. There’s a log you can perch on, a couple of picnic tables further back, but bring a chair or head into the cafe for uninterrupted views.
Hill 60 – Port Kembla
- On a sunny day, the ocean spreads out before you in turquoise and aqua, glistening around the Five Islands. On a cold and wet day, you can hunker down and watch for the gentle giants from the comfort of your car. Bonus points if you bring your own snacks. Keep your eyes peeled for sea eagles and pelicans and even a cheeky seal or two while you’re waiting.
Read more about the local photographer who captured the breathtaking shot above in last week's article, Ashley Sykes: a bird’s eye view of the wonders of the ocean
