Oct 6 ... Hervey Bay

It was a pretty uneventful drive from Tannum Sands south except for a few crazy semi trailer drivers. Not until we reached the east coast did we encounter the "bully" mentality of some drivers who assume that a campervan is "slow" regardless of the fact its cruise control is set at 100kph, therefore it has to be overtaken whether it is safe to do so or not.
We did stop at the Gin Gin bakery for a delicious morning tea and will try to remember that for future reference.
It was only 300kms so we had plenty of time to look around the seaside parks in Hervey Bay before choosing the one at Torquay. A nice coincidence is that it is directly opposite the units we used to stay in when we came here on holidays with the kids and various friends.
We got a perfect site with views of the Bay, close to the amenities and a track to the beach. 

Our site at Torquay

Hervey Bay

As soon as we were set up we went for a long walk on the beach and it was so restful. I really love it here.

A few days ago we had carefully consulted weather forecasts and booked a whale cruise on the Spirit of Hervey Bay @ $115 ea. These predictions all changed the night before but we still enjoyed a calm, if overcast and cool, day.

Pick up was at 7.45am and there were only about 40 people in total on quite a big boat so there was no problem getting a good look at all the action. The cruise was for all morning until 2pm and it included morning tea and lunch.

The Spirit of Hervey Bay

Leaving Hervey Bay

The cruise took us up the bay alongside Fraser Island. We had no idea this island was so big, and the water was a gorgeous green colour with white sand beaches. At the moment there is a big bushfire on the island but we plan to come back and explore it more at a later date. On the way home we went in even closer to the shore but the sky had certainly changed colour. The dark clouds added a very dramatic touch.

Fraser Island

Essentially, we then spent the next 4 hours cruising around the bay zooming in on any prolonged "surface activity". Most of the whales we saw were mothers with their calves, and in most cases, it was the calf that was frolicking about.

During the course of the morning we saw some wonderful sights. In all we estimate we saw over 70 whales but this is the end of the season and we want to come back in August next time when the more inquisitive young whales are about. In general, most of these mother whales were fairly protective and as the boat approached they kept some distance or shepherded the calf away.
We saw a wide range of whale behaviours including slapping the water with their pectoral fin, tail slapping, lots of rolling about and swimming upside down, diving, popping up for a look about, and breaching. They looked to be having lots of fun ... in fact, having "a whale of a time"!

Tail slapping

Diving

What can I see?

This is fun!

Hello.o.o

During all of this the Captain of the boat kept up an interesting commentary and constantly alerted us as to where the action was. In reality, we were surrounded by whales and there was plenty to see all morning. Garry and I braved the cold wind on the topmost deck as we felt we could see better from there, but there were other enclosed decks and one even below water level with large glass windows for when the whales came up close to the boat. This did happen a couple of times but there was no way we could have gotten down there quickly enough to see anything.
We were also given an excellent DVD which we enjoyed watching last night.

By far the most spectacular sight was when the whales breached. Again, we only saw the calves doing this up close but even so, it was wonderful to see.

It was a really great day. We had a tasty morning tea and lunch and we felt it was very good value. Both of us are keen to do it again, perhaps next year if we are about ... I am sure the whales will be !
The trip back was made all the more impressive by the grey / blue clouds and all the smoke about. There are still a lot of fires burning in the area so we were very fortunate with the visibility today.

This afternoon we went for a walk along the Esplanade and we have decided to stay here for the next two days because it is so perfect. We had delicious fish and chips for tea and an early night as we were both surprisingly tired, but the "last word" must go to the whales ...