Whale Watching in Port Stephens

Cast your eyes on the ocean between mid May and mid November… you just never know when you might see a mighty Humpback whale propelling itself skyward and crashing back into the sea.

Approximately 25,000 Humpback whalesset out on an annual migration from the cool waters of Antarctica, where they feed, to the warm waters of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, where they mate and calve.

Port Stephens is the perfect destination for viewing these incredible creatures with a great choice of land and water based whale watching experiences on offer. If you take a look at the East Coast of Australia you will notice Port Stephens juts out and locals will tell you it sits right on the ‘Humpback Highway.’

For land based whale watching, set out with your binoculars to locations like Tomaree Headland, Barry Park at Fingal Bay, Fishermans Bay, Birubi Point and Stockton Beach (but our favourite spot that offers great whale sightings is the Boat Harbour headland, off Noamunga Street). Look for a ‘V’ shaped puff of spray as the whale surfaces. Humpbacks are the most surface active of all the whales, so you might even see tail slaps, pectoral fin waves, body rolls and the mighty ‘breach.’ You won’t forget the sight of a 15 metre, 40 tonne whale as it breaks the surface of the water!