There has never been a better time to spot a flipping tail or a cascade of sea spray as humpback whales make their way up and down Australia’s East Coast.
An estimated 35,000 humpbacks have migrated from their homes in the Antarctic to tropical North Queensland to mate and give birth.
The majestic creatures are now travelling south with new-born calves in tow, delighting droves of Novocastrians at popular lookouts at King Edward Park and Nobbys Breakwall.
Whale-watching experts note the best time to view humpbacks from land occurs as they travel south, closer to shore to protect calves from predators.
The founder of Newcastle adventure tourism business CoastXP, Dominic May, said the southern migration appeared to have started early this year, providing excellent whale-watching conditions for Hunter residents.
“We don’t normally see the whales travelling south in quite decent numbers until September or October, and we have already started to see plenty heading south, which is a good thing; it means that there are probably more whales around,” May said.
It is an observation backed by science. The University of Queensland has found Australian humpback populations are growing by 10 to 11 per cent each year.
It is a long and remarkable tale of recovery, as whale populations were historically decimated from the time of Australia’s European colonisation until whaling was banned in the 1960s.
Dominic May said it was great to see that even with COVID restrictions, locals were able to get out walking and witness the migration phenomenon.
Photos supplied: Samuel Mackenzie @dronedoutphotography
“People like my parents or grandparents are not used to seeing humpback whales along the coastline when they were kids,” May said.
“In fact, it would probably be quite rare for them to spot one, because their numbers were down to the hundreds.
“Now with the numbers being between 30,000 and 35,000 each year alone, it’s an activity that people are able to participate in quite easily, just by walking along the coastline. It’s very exciting to see that change over a number of years.”
Despite the thriving humpback population, local tourism operators are struggling to stay afloat amid a huge loss of revenue induced by the Greater Sydney lockdown.
“It’s having a pretty enormous impact on businesses,” May said.
“Fortunately, we have been able to continue operating, being regional NSW, and we have been supported by a lot of locals, which has been fantastic, but we are missing out on those Sydney relatives and friends, or interstate holiday makers and international tourists.”
May said a silver lining was the NSW Government’s “terrific” Dine and Discover scheme, which he believes is drawing in local customers.
Honeysuckle-based business Nova Cruises has also been continuing weekend whale-watching tours for locals with a capacity of 40 customers on the boat at a time.
It has also enjoyed a good uptake of customers using Discover vouchers, and encourages those Novocastrians with vouchers remaining to use them before they expire on August 31.
Lauren Freemantle