Whale watching a must-do winter activity

A surfer rides a wave as a whale slaps its tail in the distance off the coast of Warrnambool in Victoria. Photo courtesy of Mark Williams Photography

If you’ve booked a winter holiday at a Holiday Village park or property, whale watching is a must-do activity while you’re in south-west Victoria.

With a reputation for attracting Southern Right and Blue Whales, the Southern Ocean off Warrnambool, Portland and Cape Bridgewater are perfect locations to spot one of our biggest and most beautiful ocean creatures.

Whale sightings are announced in Portland with a yellow flag that is flown at the Visitor Information Centre on Lee Breakwater Road when a whale is spotted in Portland Bay. Head down to the foreshore with your binoculars and keep an eye out for the majestic creatures – the Visitor Information Centre will be able to point you in the right direction.

You can also join Whale Mail email list, which reports on and distributes all the whale action happening around Portland (web link below for more information).

According to the Portland Tourism Association Website, the best winter Southern Right Whale viewing spots in Portland are:

• Out on the breakwater – closest you will get to the whales, who sometimes come right into the harbour.
• On the clifftop overlooking the bay – locals on their morning walks often report the day’s first sightings along here. Great spots include at the lighthouse at Whalers Bluff and from the ploughed field overlooking Nuns Beach.
• Cape Bridgewater Bay – there are many great spots for viewing the Southern Right Whales, along with dolphins and killer whales.

In Warrnambool between late May and early October, Southern Right Whales return to their nursery at Logan’s Beach to give birth and raise their calves. A special whale-viewing platform sits above the sand dunes to give people a birds-eye view of the whale action, and mothers and calves can often be seen lolling and even jumping around in the water.

Directions to the platform, on Logans Beach Road off Hopkins Point Road, are clearly signed, and you can obtain more information via the links below. Check in at the Warrnambool Visitor Information Centre for a map and directions on how to get to Logan’s Beach.

More information:
• Visit Portland website
• Portland Whale Mail website
• Visit Warrnambool website
• Warrnambool whale sighting reports