Warrnambool Whale Watching

South West Victoria's link with Blue Whales (Portland - Cape Nelson)
Each year between November and April, along the South West Coast of Victoria (and South Australia) an oceanographic phenomenon called ocean upwelling occurs. A combination of winds and currents cause cold, nutrient-rich bottom water to be forced to the surface of the ocean. When the nutrients reach the sunlit surface zone, there is an explosion of minute plant life which includes 'phytoplankton', the basis of the marine food chain, and also the primary food of the local species of krill. The vast numbers of krill form part of an ocean banquet which attracts large numbers of blue whales to this feeding ground off Victoria's coast. The event is called "The Bonney Upwelling" and is one of a handful of sites globally where Blue whales can be seen surface-feeding. Although the feeding site extends up to 30 - 50Kms off shore, they are often sighted closer to shore and between December and May blue whales are often visible from Cape Nelson, Cape Bridgewater and the Blowholes, all near Portland. The whales are often sighted within 10km of land, and sometimes within only a few hundred metres. Their tall straight blows and silvery backs can be seen from a great distance, and it likely that most whales seen blowing out at sea during this period are blue whales. This is one of the few places in the world where blue whales can be viewed from land, while they hunt for, and feed on the abundant swarms of krill which are nourished by the Bonney Upwelling.

The Real Whale Facts - an illustration of how tourism never lets the truth get in the way of a good story - this small sign is located at the Logan's beach whale lookout and without peering at the screen too closely it states "a visit to Flagstaff Hill will allow you see what life was like when present day Warrnambool stood at the centre of a large whaling, sealing and fishing industry". It all sounds very wonderful but the only problem is that there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that any whaling or sealing ever took place in Warrnambool.
Warrnambool was not settled until 1848 and by then the whaling and sealing industries in Port Fairy and Portland had all but ceased. Records kept from the time of the first settlement do not mention anything about whaling in the town and as there has never been any evidence of European occupancy prior to this date there is nothing to suggest that any whaling and sealing was ever conducted in Warrnambool.
The notion of Warrnambool's involvement in the whaling industry is only quite recent and dates back to the 1970's when the association between whales and tourism became popular and it became desirable to have some form of historic connection with the annual visit of the Southern Right whales. Local tourist advertising then started to imply that Warrnambool had been settled by whalers and sealers, which they thought sounded a lot more romantic than being settled by farmers and shopkeepers. The visitor information centres then repeated this misinformation in brochures and advertising, also a permanent display of whaling, whale boats and harpoons was set up in Flagstaff Hill Maritime village, however none of these artifact had any connection with Warrnambool. Then the local tourism body started to promote whale boat races, and over a period of several years, teams from America competed in an International challenge series, thus cementing the concept that Warrnambool was somehow the centre of the whaling industry.
The idea that Warrnambool had some connection while early whalers might be romantic to some, but it is totally incorrect.

Local Whale Watching

The two main species of baleen whales that migrate to Australian waters each winter are the Humpback and Southern Right whales, the Humpbacks are the faster swimmers and they usually arrive off the south west coast of Victoria in late April to early May.
They are on their way to Queensland so won't be stoping off on the way. At present there has been a few whales sightings off the coast but these will be Humpbacks whales and will typically be about 1 or 2 kilometers off shore.
Humpback whales can be seen from the whale lookout at Logans beach but you will need a lot of patience, a good pair of binoculars and a bit of expirience in identifying the whales spouting, also they rarely will come cloer than a kilometer to the shore so don't expect a very close view.

The Southern Right whales, however live their lives at a more pedestrian pace and swim a little more slowly and their arrival off the coast of the Victorian mainland will be about a month behind the humpbacks, with the first sightings typically in late May to early June.
The Southern Right whales will no go any further north and prefer a winter holiday in a slightly cooler climate, also the Southern Rights will come a lot closer to the shore and typically during the whale season they can often be seen within 100 metres of the shore.
Although the first sightings around Logans beach will occur in late May / early June it will probably be Mid June before any whales take up permanent residence for the winter months, and hopefully the birth of a calf (or calves) will occur shortly afterwards.

Other Articles
In This Issue

Best Autumn Holiday Destinations
We take a no holds barred look at the regions best accommodation deals and where you should look for this Autumn's holiday getaway

The Mahogany Ship Legend
The recent launch of a replica Portuguese Caravel built by local resident Graeme Wylie has sparked interest in the legend of the Mahogany ship. This week we take an in depth look at More..

Autumn Festivals
March to May is festival season in the South West with music,wine, wood, roses and Dahlis's and even eels featuring in these events.
Upcoming events include the Grampians wine and food festival, the Apollo Bay music festival and the Koroit Irish festival.

and walking distance to restaurants and cinema. We have winter weekend escape packages starting from $175 - For more information click here

Tips For Whale Watching

• Check with the Warrnambool Visitor Centre for daily sightings
• Take a good pair of binoculars or telescope
• Be prepared for long periods of waiting