Nothing is more amazing than the enormity and grace of a whale, and to then encounter these creatures in considerable numbers is astounding.
Almost hunted to extinction, the population has recovered to such a level that an estimated 35,000 whales migrate from the Antarctic to our warmer waters. With a 6-month season, from June to early December, Your Margaret River Region is one of the best places to whale watch in Australia.
Humpback, southern right, minke and blue whales all make the epic journey. Their first port of call is Flinders Bay in Augusta, where the best time to see them is June to August. Augusta is one of the few places where you’ll see the southern right and humpback whales interact. Humpbacks, renowned for their agility, gather in groups of males and engage in breaching, spy-hopping, lob-tailing and tail-slapping. Acrobatics play out during courtship. Southern right whales will often calve in the bay and sometimes can be seen doing so in the shallows.
The humpback whales then head directly up north, where the pregnant females who mated last year have their calves (babies). They then return to Geographe Bay near Busselton and Dunsborough where they rest and nurse their young from September to early December.
You can watch the action unfold on the horizon from the shore or get up close on a whale watching cruise that departs from Augusta, Dunsborough and Busselton.
