WHALE TRAIL

WHALE TRAIL

Sapphire Coast Whale Trail

It is an understanding that spans centuries and a migration that re-unites us every year. This year, an expected 40,000 humpback whales will travel the Humpback Highway along the Sapphire Coast from August to November, as they make their way to Antarctica for the summer. Their lives are played out along our beaches, coves and bays, forever migrating between the warm equator to birth their young and the frozen pole to feed.


The Sapphire Coast is one of the few places that whales feed, rest and nurse their young as they complete this long journey, and we are named as Australia's premier whale watching destination by Australian Geographic. The number of whales visiting us continues to increase each year, and the season is getting longer.


 Our unspoilt coastline, rugged headlands, cliff tops and sheltered bays provide the perfect setting for whale watching from both land and sea. This season, embrace the migration by heading out on one of our award-winning charters, get out on the trails for some spring hiking and land based whale watching and soak up heritage and culture at our Whale Trail events and experiences.


Don't forget to tag us in your photos!

@sapphirecoastnsw #SapphireCoastNSW

CHARTERS

Our award-winning whale watching charters run from mid August until early November, departing from Eden, Merimbula and Bermagui. We are close to the action, and you can be among the pods within minutes of leaving port.

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on LAND

The Sapphire Coast is a sanctuary for migrating whales who come extremely close to shore with their calves each spring. This rare behaviour makes them easily visible from land, with great lookouts and walks to explore along our ancient coastline.

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WHALE TRAIL EXPERIENCES

Celebrate the annual migration beginning with Walawaani Muriyira-Waraga at Bermagui and culminating at the Eden Whale Festival, visit the famous Eden Killer Whale Museum, or venture out on the self-drive Killer Whale Trail along historic and scenic sites in Eden and Beowa National Park.

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  • Whale watching in Bermagui on the south coast NSW
  • Whale watching cruise in Eden, Sapphire Coast NSW
  • Whale Watching Charters

    Cruises depart several times a day from August to November and trip times vary from two hours to half-day adventures. Charters venture from sleepy ports to pristine bays, beaches and open ocean, framed beautifully by the stunning backdrop of our national parks. Whale watching trips depart from Eden, Merimbula and Bermagui and bookings are highly recommended in peak periods.

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    Whale Trail Experiences & Events

    Join us in celebrating the whale season at special Whale Trail experiences and events throughout the region. For all upcoming events during whale season, head to What's On.

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    Trip ideas and itineraries

    Best whale watching spots on the Sapphire Coast, NSW South Coast, whales, walking NSW
    01 Aug, 2023
    The Sapphire Coast is one of the best land-based whale watching locations in Australia, where thousands of whales choose to stop, feed and rest in our pristine bays and beaches on their way to Antarctica. We've put together our Top 10 land-based whale watching spots so can you have the best chance of encountering these magnificent creatures this spring.
    Walks, Sapphire Coast, NSW, South Coast, National Parks, Whale Watching
    31 May, 2023
    One of our favourite things to do in the spring is to head out on our hiking trails in search of sunshine, serenity and of course whales! From August to November, tens of thousands of whales travel the 'Humpback Highway' along our coast, on their way south to Antarctica. And lucky for us, our coastal walks and hikes offer up plenty of elevation, ocean views and beautiful scenery to watch the show!
    Whales, Humpback whales, whale watching, behaviour, moves, NSW, migration, south coast, charters
    30 Mar, 2022
    Humpback whales are the stars of the migration spectacle on the NSW South Coast, delighting audiences with their magnificent acrobatic displays of breaching, splashing and diving. Learn about their moves and behaviours, and tick them off as you observe them in the wild!
    Eden things to do, Sapphire Coast NSW, Killer Whales of Eden, Killer Whale Trail, National Parks
    01 Aug, 2021
    Take a day trip back in time, when boats were made of wood and men were made of steel! It’s a trail rich with whales and tales of adventure, a self-drive day tour that takes you to five historical sites set in breathtaking natural surrounds around Eden on the Sapphire Coast NSW. Journey around Twofold Bay and uncover the dramatic history of whaling from 1828-1930 and learn about the unique relationship between whalers and the wild killer whales (orcas).

    Up close & personal

    Looking eye to eye with these gentle giants of the sea is an experience that will stay with you for a lifetime.  Meet Simon and Jessica Millar, who have have operated  Sapphire Coastal Adventures  (Merimbula Marina) since 2008, one of NSW's premier whale watching charters.

    Get to know our gentle giants...

    SOUTHERN RIGHT WHALES

    Endangered southern right whales are usually the first to get here, arriving in early winter and resting behind the breakers on Sapphire Coast beaches. These slow-moving swimmers generally stay for a few days, sometimes with a calf in tow. They are easily recognisable by their smooth back (no dorsal fin), white markings (callosities) and bulky shape.


    Their callosity patterns are unique to each individual, and can be used like a fingerprint for scientists to track their migratory patterns, much of which still remains mysterious. There are only approximately 300 southern right whales in the south-east Australian population, and each mother and calf spotted along our coast represents a spark of new hope for this vulnerable species.

    HUMPBACK WHALES

    Humpback whales are the stars of the migration spectacle, delighting audiences with their magnificent acrobatic displays of breaching, splashing and diving. Groups of young male humpback whales arrive in August, followed by pregnant females and mothers with young ones from September to November.


    Humpback sightings along the Sapphire Coast are at their highest numbers in September and October. Feeding is more often at the beginning of the season in September, with adults and sub-adults, then mothers and calves as the season progresses. Unlike southern right whales, humpbacks have made an incredible recovery since the end of east coast whaling in 1963, when it was estimated that only 100 humpback whales remained.

    more marine visitors

    Encounters with humpbacks and southern rights are the most frequent, but other species of whales are too making a similar journey. Orcas (killer whales) are most likely to visit in October. Smaller whales like the pygmy right, minke and bryde’s are also among our visitors, as are the false killer whale and sperm whale.


    The mighty and endangered blue whale has also been documented, travelling in pods of up to six whales. These massive creatures have been recorded at 29 metres in length.


    The shearwater, a seabird no heavier than a plate of oysters, makes the longest migration of any animal and does so in flocks of thousands. If you look carefully among the waves, you might also spot a penguin or a seal. Bottlenose and common dolphins regularly patrol local beaches and often accompany boats as they make their way in and out of ports.

    FEEDING

    The Sapphire Coast is one of the few places in the world you can see whales feed during their migration. When humpbacks feed here, they lunge through the water with their mouths open to catch krill, plankton and even pilchards. It’s a sight seen only in the polar waters, and on the Sapphire Coast.


    Feeding is more often at the beginning of the season in September, with adults and sub-adults, then mothers and calves as the season progresses. A humpback can eat up to a tonne of food a day. Calves drink 450 litres of milk. It’s lucky our sea is rich, sometimes so thick with krill it is resembles soup.


    Here, the seas are rich because of the melding of the warm East Australian Current and the nutrient rich Arctic flow, known as the ‘Meeting of the Waters’.

    Bubble-net feeding

    In 2020, the Sapphire Coast received worldwide attention when a rare super-group ‘bubble-net’ feeding event occurred along our coast, being the first of its kind to ever be documented in Australia.

    Photo: Orcas in Merimbula 2023 by David Rogers Photography, on board Sapphire Coastal Adventures

    An ancient relationship


    The migration pattern has been long understood by the people and whales of the Sapphire Coast. First were the Yuin people whose relationship with the killer whales dates back centuries. The Yuin believed that when a whaler or warrior died, his spirit became a killer whale who continued to care and provide food for his people. Beach rituals were held to honour these intelligent and powerful predators and the killers would herd grampus (a dolphin-like cetacean), onto the shores of Twofold Bay, providing food for the people.


    Later when Europeans began shore based whaling, the killer whales competed for the whale carcass. The Aboriginal whalers protected them, and taught the Europeans that they could work together. An incredible relationship between orca and man was re-born and lasted this way for 100 years. The killers would alert the whalers to the presence of a whale, accompany them on the hunt, and even protect them if their boat was smashed in the hunt. Several books have been written about this relationship and whaling in Eden, and can be found at the Eden Killer Whale Museum.


    In Eden in the 1840s there were around 50 killer whales working together in three pods. One pod would be stationed outside of Twofold Bay, driving whales towards the coast where the other two pods were waiting. One would attack the whale, with the second pod ready to block any escape.


    Then, as now, orcas and humpbacks have been named, tracked, and are greeted like old friends by our charter operators and researchers. Killer Whales Australia has identified around 17 individual orca who have visited the Sapphire Coast.

    Photo: Orcas in Merimbula 2023 by David Rogers Photography, on board Sapphire Coastal Adventures

    Plan your trip

    If you're dreaming of your next holiday to the beautiful Sapphire Coast, now's the time to start planning. Check out our accommodation, maps & guides, visitor information, weather and more.

    PLAN YOUR TRIP
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