Watching Whales on Moreton Island

On the last Monday of August, my sister and I took the early ferry to Moreton Island to spend a day on and off the beach. 

We caught an Uber to the ferry terminal. Our booking instructed us to be there an hour before departure, but as we were only going for the day and had no checked baggage, we figured this was a bit excessive, and aimed to be there about 30 minutes before. This proved to be plenty of time. We even managed to buy our morning coffees before boarding.

The journey took over an hour, so we napped. When we arrived at the island, the waters were sparkling and beautifully clear. Lush, tropical foliage reached the beach. It felt miles away from the city – of course, it literally was. 

We had hoped to use our morning on the island for some kayaking, snorkelling, or at least walking, but after we found a spot on the soft sand to put our towels down, we were both very soon asleep. Grace had been here for ten days and in that time we’d barely slowed down, let alone stopped. We were both pretty tired, and nothing says holiday like a sleep on the beach...

As midday crept around, we made our way back to the jetty, where the boat for the whale watching tour was waiting. When we arrived, there was no longer any space on the top of the boat, so we found seats inside. And we were off!

A packed lunch was included in the tour price – and they even managed to cater to my dietaries! I had a tandoori sandwich and Mexican style salad, with an apple and fruit salad. The sandwich was the highlight – full of flavour, and different from the usual hummus and falafel that many vegan options can’t think beyond (no disrespect for the classic though!). We ate as the boat made its way further out to sea towards what they call the ‘humpback highway’.

Out there, we heard about the whales before we saw them. A guide was letting us know where to look, and teaching us about their behaviour. The first one we saw was slapping its fins on the water’s surface. Whales use movements to communicate, and it seemed this one was, because more whales could be seen in another direction. Two pods were having a conversation in movements. 

We learnt that humpback whales are social creatures, but some pods are only formed for a short while, mere hours. This fact reminded me of travel friendships – sometimes they are only for a short time period, but they're still meaningful and valuable connections.

We caught glimpses of them from inside the boat, and even more from out the back, where we stood and watched different groups dive and slap their tails. My favourite though, was when they breached. The breaching was just fantastic, like the whales were dancing through the waves. We kept a distance from them, but at the same time, they felt so close. 

As we sailed back towards Moreton Island, some dolphins joined the whales we were watching, their fins poking above the water as they played. It was magic to see these creatures interacting.

Our ferry back to Brisbane was due not long after we arrived back to the jetty, so we hung out nearby until it docked. On board again we shut our eyes, images of whales still dancing inside.