Chasing Giants: Whale Watching at Wilsons Promontory
The one thing I’ve been looking forward to the most about spending the colder months down under has to be the chance to witness the migration of whales and to get up close with the gentle giants of the sea. Although we missed out on seeing them at Philip Island this winter, we jumped at the chance to catch their return in spring at Wilsons Promontory, another beautiful destination about a 2.5-hour drive from Melbourne.
To make the most of our weekend, we decided to split the journey and book an Airbnb nearby for an overnight stay. On Saturday, we hiked up Mount Oberon, enjoying the view all by ourselves with the most beautiful weather conditions. On our descent, we spotted an echidna—our first encounter with one of these little ones in the wild. After our hike, we headed towards the exit of the national park but not before making a stop at the wild life walk where we spotted numerous kangaroos, wombats, and even a couple of emus. As the sun set, we headed to our Airbnb to prepare for the main event happening the next day.
We woke up to clear skies and calm seas, and made our way to the jetty where our whale-watching tour would begin. As with all wildlife tours you cannot predict up front what you will see, but we held out good hopes. As the boat departed from Welshpool harbour, we kept our eyes peeled, hoping for a glimpse of wildlife, particularly the humpback whale.
Luck was on our side and after about an hour and a half our patience was rewarded. The spout of a humpback whale pierced the horizon, followed by the arch of its massive back as it surfaced. I don’t think words can express my excitement seeing a whale right in for of me for the very first time. As we watched in wonder, another humpback surfaced. It turned out to be a mother and calf and we spend about an hour watching the two.
For lunch we went closer to a rocky island covered in seals. They were basking in the sun and playing in the water. After our meal, the captain spotted another pod of whales so we set off to go watch these four. While we were watching them a pod of dolphins approached the whales seemingly playing with them. As we came close to another hour spend with this pod we could see another whale in the distance, repeatedly slapping its fin on the water.
As we made our way towards it we were super excited to see it breach twice, its powerful tail crashing back into the water with a massive splash. When we got closer, it lay on its side, flapping its pectoral fin. Another one showed up and these two decided to come up real close to the boat and circle it for a while. The experience was more than we could have hoped for.
As our hour was up and we returned to the shores of Welshpool, we all agreed the excursion exceeded all our expectations. As for me, I already want to get back out there!
