Where is the best place for whale watching: Hervey Bay/Fraser Island (from Brisbane) or Jervis Bay (from Sydney)? My spouse and I would like to choose a place with the best likelihood of seeing whales up close and personal in late August 2012. We won't have a car, so access via public transportation or a recommended tour group is necessary.

I haven't been to either, but we have done a cruise from Merimbula, which is further south than Jervis Bay. It is a popular tourist town so should be well serviced by public transport.

Several cruises operate from there. It is a long time since we went so can't recommend any in particular.

PS - of the two you mentioned I have heard of Hervey Bay being THE place to see whales. This could just be good advertising.

Hervey Bay has the reputation for the best viewings, because a great number of whales use that as a spot for giving birth, and resting before the long return trip to the antarctic.

If you don't plan to be in Hervey Bay, then I'd recommend Port Stephens over Jervis Bay.

PS has an excellent reputation for sightings of passing whales. You can take a coach from Sydney, but would need to stay 2 nights to be able to do the whale cruise. Coaches from Sydney leave early afternoon, and return from Port Stephens early morning. This trip takes around 3 hours each way.

You could also do the trip by train and local bus service, but still couldn't do this return trip plus whale cruise in a single day. Di

Moreton Bay is a good whale watching location close to Brisbane. We took a boat from Brisbane out to Tangalooma, a former whaling station, now a resort, for a few nights. Although we could spot whales from the beach, we took a boat out into the bay to get a closer look. We saw several whales breaching - a spectacular sight. I believe our trip was in the month of July. You'd have to research what to expect in August whale-wise.

Cape Byron, about 90 mins south of Brisbane is another good whale watching spot during migration. It has a gorgeous view up and down the coast and, being quite high up a cliff you can look down on the whales as they come close to shore getting around the headland.

I went to Port Stephens late October/ early November and we saw a mother and her baby as well as a few humpbacks here and there. I think PS is a great place to whalewatch... I'm unsure about which season is optimal to be honest, but we were there for a few days and we whale watched for an entire day! I found it to be much more exciting to Jervis Bay (though I've only spent half the day there)...

To add more detail:

Whale watching season is May to the end of August to see them migrating north; then October and November to see them returning to the southern ocean.

On the northern trip they tend to travel closer in to the shore; on the southern migration they have the calves with them.

One of the reasons that Port Stephens whale cruises are so successful at whale sightings is that the natural land formations protrude into the ocean, and whales seem to like hugging the coast line here. Di

Hervey Bay is sheltered from the prevailing winds by Fraser Island so unless there is a strong northerly wind the sea conditions are much more favourable than in open ocean. The humpback whales come into Hervey Bay on their migration south so the season doesn't kick off till late July but it lasts till early November. Close encounters are common as the whales rest and play and teach their calves survival skills while visiting the bay. There are 9 boats to choose from for tours from 3 to 7 hours. Visitors to Hervey Bay tell us it is the best whale watching they have ever seen on their world travels.