Southern Right and Humpback whales are out in full force near WA's Southern Beaches. The whales are delighting locals with their antic, during their Northern breeding season migration.
Head of Bight whale-watching lookout
The whale sightings are close to shore close and almost 100 were counted in one 10 hour viewing this week off Cheynes Beach, near Albany.
At Augusta, south of Margaret River, whales were observed beaching every 10 seconds for a full minute.
We recall being fascinated by these magnificent creatures, close into the Bunda cliff-faces at Head of Bight a few years ago, during the breeding season, Their harmonious whale-song, resonating throughout the serene location surrounding the Head of Bight Whale-Watching Lookout, 11 km from the Nullarbor Highway.
Southern Right Whales visit the Head of Bight each year to give birth, mate and socialise. They arrive in May and depart around October. They spend the rest of the time travelling to or feeding well offshore in the Southern Ocean. In June and July most of the whales you will see are adults.
We were lucky enough to observe these 70 tonne mammals mating during a consultancy engagement for Indigenous Business Australia and the Government of South Australia to provide tourist accommodation concepts for the Aboriginal Land Trust on the Yalata land.
By late August you can commonly see the mothers swimming along the cliffs with their young calves at their side. At this time there are often up to 100 whales in the area and visible from the platform. By the time the whales leave in October the calves have grown and have become strong enough to join their mothers on the long migration south.