Danielle Norton follows the Warrnambool Winter Whale Trail to find the best places to see whales along the Great Ocean Road.
My kids, even the teenager, squeal with delight – they’ve never seen a whale this close. The sheer joy of witnessing an endangered southern right whale is awe-inspiring.
We’re on a road trip from Melbourne, traversing the twists and turns of the Great Ocean Road, one of the world’s most scenic coastal drives.
Logan’s Beach in Warrnambool is the beginning of the Winter Whale Trail. This Victorian whale watching drive will take us through Port Fairy and on to Portland. What an epic beginning it is.
The sea is rough in the Great Australian Bight this time of year. This is perfect because whales are more likely to breach in rough seas. We are standing in the sunshine, waiting to see either an adult or calf in the waters off the beach. This part of Logan’s Beach is called the ‘nursery’.
These whales return to this same breeding ground year after year. The southern right whale families will remain here for two or three months. The mothers are building their calves’ skills, strength and confidence in anticipation of their 5,000-kilometre journey to Antarctica.
There’s more than just whales to Warrnambool. Discover great galleries, a self-guided street-art tour and Cheese World tastings at Allanford. Plus a heritage museum adds to the coastal city charm.
For us, the main attraction is the historic Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village.
By day, we join a guided tour and wander the cobbled streets and explore an authentic blacksmith’s forge. Vast numbers of ships were destroyed on the Shipwreck Coast, we hear their stories in the village.
At night, we return to the 19th century for the Sound and Light Show Experience at the Wharf Theatre. The town is strikingly illuminated by old-world lanterns, and films are projected onto a wall of water.
The whales breed incredibly close to shore here. In fact, it’s the only place in the world that you’ll see them this close. We continue our whale spotting adventure here, driving just 25 minutes up the road to pretty Port Fairy.
On the way, a pit stop is in order for the spectacle of Tower Hill. The town has volcanic craters rimmed by beds of volcanic ash. Along with its tapered island hills and shimmering lakes, the inside of the crater is a nature reserve which is managed by the Worn Gundidj Aboriginal Cooperative. The reserve provides a home to substantial populations of native birds and wildlife. Interactive walks and shared indigenous storylines make it a fascinating stop for families.
Dinosaur World Live is bringing lifelike dinosaurs, prehistoric adventure and plenty of family fun to stages across Australia this summer.
A chilled-out tropical resort town in North Queensland.
In Port Fairy, we head for East Beach. Here, we keep our eyes peeled for humpback whales and southern right whales.
The still-active Port Fairy Lighthouse stands tall on Griffiths Island. Its red door and domed roof are just like a picturebook lighthouse.
Families should take the walking track from Martins Point over to the island. At certain times of year you can see the famous colonies of shearwater seabirds. They travel from Alaska in late Setpember to nest here until April.
To warm up, we head for The Wharf @ Port Fairy restaurant. There’s a fabulous modern Australian menu available, but we go for fish and chips and sit by the window, happy just watching people potter around on their boats, moored directly in front of us in the historic port.
We push on to Portland, another hour’s drive. Both Cape Bridgewater and Cape Nelson are renowned whale watching locations, and the locals tell us that if the whale flag is flying at the Portland Visitor Information Centre, there is an increased likelihood of seeing whales.
The Portland Maritime Discovery Centre is also here, with the skeleton of a sperm whale on display. Learning about the history of whaling and shipwrecks in the area proves a great precursor to our next spotting attempt at the whale viewing platform on Wade Street.
Architecturally, the town is a charming step back in time. Visitors should grab a map from the visitors centre and follow the Historical Buildings Walk.
The guide explores more than 50 buildings, but the kids get hungry, so head for the renowned Cape Bridgewater Cafe, about 15 minutes from town. Legend has it that you can see whales from the cafe within 100 metres of the shore, so we rug up and sit outside, eating salad wraps and hot chips while staring out at the water beyond.
We head down to the pristine beach and find we’re the only people here. In summer, there are lifeguards and the stretch of sand is dotted with families playing and swimming, but there is no chance of us tackling the ocean today.
We return home, leaving the whales to flap and slap their tails and fins as they enjoy their own extended breaks in this gorgeous part of the world.
Head for the south-west of Victoria between May and September and follow the Winter Whale Trail from Warrnambool to Port Fairy and Portland. You’ll have a whale of a time!
This article originally appeared in Holidays with Kids magazine. To subscribe to the latest issue, click here.
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