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Just
three and a half hours driving from Brisbane is the city of
Hervey Bay, gateway to Fraser Island and now famous as the Whale
Watch Capital of the World. A trip amongst the Humpback whales
(Megaptera Novaeangliae) is indeed an experience of a lifetime.
Imagine the fifth largest of the families of whales on this
planet , 15 metres long , 45 tonnes in weight ( an equivalent
of 11 elephants or 600 persons) with pectoral fins of 10 metres
, leaping almost clear of the water in an awesome display of
power.
 They
may approach a vessel with incredible gentleness, just to check
us humans out, sometimes staying up to an hour.
Humpback
whales migrate between their feeding grounds of Antarctica and
the Great Barrier Reef, where they mate and breed. On their
return journey they enter Hervey Bay and spend between 3 and
5 days resting or feeding their new born calves, safe from pack-shark
attack and Killer Whales, before commencing the 5000 km trek
down south.
The
reason for this migration is simple: while their food supply
(krill) is in Antarctica, Humpback whales must give birth in
warm waters, as the calves are born without blubber, the layer
of fat that protects them from the icy waters.
When
feeding, a female whale can produce up to 600 litres of milk
a day and the calf gains weight at a rate of 45 to 60 kg per
day.
Whale
watching in Hervey Bay is unique.
The
waters are protected by Fraser Island, the largest sand Island
in the world and with clear sunny days with an average temperature
of 22 degrees ensure an entertaining yet educational day, as
all vessels offer commentary from experienced crews. They will
tell you that Humpback whales do not feed whilst on migration
(5 months) , but when they do they consume up to 1,500 kg of
krill each day , that they can sing without vocal cords and
a recording of their song is on board Voyager II, now on a billion
year journey to outer space.
But
the marine park of Hervey Bay offers more. Together with the
Humpbacks arrive hundreds of Bottlenose dolphins, busily leaping
in all directions or riding on the bow wave of charter vessels.
There are large turtles dugongs and even an occasional Minke
whale.
An
experience like this will force you to come back each year like
the Humpback whales in Hervey Bay. |
