Whale Watching in Magnificent Merimbula
Whale Watching in Magnificent Merimbula is your guide to spotting whales. Where to see them, on land and water, how to get there and where to stay. Plus tips on how to avoid seasickness.
Merimbula is a delightful coastal town of 3,800 people located on the shores of Lake Merimbula on the Sapphire Coast (far south coast) of NSW. It’s a great little spot with great beaches, fantastic fishing and of course whales. Spend the weekend or a week and feel refreshed.
Humpback whales travel 10,000kms up the East Coast of Australia from their feeding grounds in Antarctica to the breeding grounds in sub-tropical waters. Whales can swim up to 8km/hr but during the migration cruise at an average leisurely 1.6km/hr. This is affectionately known as the humpback highway.
Humpback whales measure 16-17m in length and weigh up to 40 tonnes. That’s a bit bigger than a bus! So, when they breach, that is when they throw their entire body out of the water, in an action of pure joy, it’s truly impressive. Humpback whales can live up to 50 years. They eat krill and small fish and practice the techique called bubble netting where they swim in circles blowing bubbles which compress the krill or fish together, then they will swim up through the bubble net and open their enormous mouths to engulf their meal. Humpback whales can eat 1360kg of krill per day during feeding season.
The trip south later in the year is slower as the new mums swim with their 4-5m long, 2 tonne calves. Humpback whales are the most playful whale species. Look out for spouts, spyhops, pectoral slaps, body rolls and if you are lucky, breath-taking breaches where the 40 tonne mammals launch themselves skyward in a display of pure power and joy.
If you are lucky, you might even see Migaloo, the famous white whale.
When do the whales visit?
Humpback whales visit Merimbula from May to November.
Getting there
Merimbula is located on the south coast of NSW, 460 kms south of Sydney.
Drive
From Sydney – 460kms, 5 hrs 45mins. It is the same time along the coast road or via Canberra. Personally I prefer the coast road as it is more picturesque and more places to explore on the way.
From Canberra – 245kms, 3 hours
From Melbourne – 580kms, 7 hours. This route passes through a massive expanse of untouched forest. There is almost nothing, including phone reception, except the trees from Lakes Entrance to Eden.
Fly
Sydney to Merimbula. It will take 3 1/2 hours with Rex.
Melbourne to Merimbula will take 1 hr 20 mins with Rex.
Public Transportation
You can catch a bus down the south coast from Sydney. This will take you 9 1/2 hours.
Alternatively, catch a train to Canberra then catch a bus. This will take just over 9 hours and is the cheapest option. The bus ride from Canberra takes 4 hours.
Use this link for public transport to Merimbula.
Trip Planner | transportnsw.info
Where to stay
Luxurious – Sybella
Mid range –Nautilus Apartments Merimbula
Budget – Pambula Beach Discovery Park
Whale watching tours
Embark on an exhilarating 2 hour whale watching adventure with Sapphire Coastal Adventures that will bring you eye to eye with whales in the wild. With waterline viewing, be amazed at their size and learn about how incredible these creatures are. These guys are so confident that you will see whales that they offer a whale sighting guarantee.
Merimbula Whale Watching Tour | Sapphire Coastal Adventures
Land based whale watching
- Short Point Beach complete with wooden deck chairs that overlook the sea, sand and sky.
- Green Cape Lookout, Ben Boyd National Park is located 70km south of Merimbula.
- Kangarutha Walking Track, Bournda National Park is a challenging coastal walk with many whale watching vantage points is located 30 mins north of Merimbula.
- Wajurda Point Lookout in the Mimosa Rocks National Park is a wheel chair accessible lookout with one of the best ocean views in the region (35 mins north of Merimbula).
Tips to avoid sea sickness
- Eat a good breakfast – not too fatty
- Stay hydrated – nothing worse than heading out to sea with a hangover!
- Take seasickness tablets before you leave. They take 15 minutes to start working. There are 2 types of Travacalm available from the chemist. (They are not sold in supermarkets. Grrrrr.) The original blue one, I find works best. There is also a ginger based one, but this doesn’t work so good in my opinion. The cruise operators should also have sea sickness tablets available on board.
- Stand outside with the breeze in your face. Front of the boat is the best spot anyway for spotting wildlife.
- Look out to the horizon and look for whales and dolphins. This will help you brain, eyes and ears to figure out which way is up.
So what are you waiting for? Book your winter whale watching holiday now, or if you are a local, take a day off and spend the day with these gentle giants. You won’t regret it.
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