Hamilton island is lucky enough to have the humpback whales come and visit them every year. Peak season pricing official hamilton island holiday homes. Following the australian governments announcement restricting all nonessential travel, hamilton island will no longer be able to welcome guests from march 23. The whitsunday islands are known as a whale watching hot spot. A forum to interact, engage and inform the staff, concessionaires and residents of hamilton island. Hawaii big island whale watching tours hawaii discount. Both these operators have regular sales to hamilton island during the rainy season to encourage travellers to visit out of season. Get the monthly weather forecast for hamilton island, queensland, australia, including daily highlow, historical averages, to help you plan ahead. Hamilton island whales, dolphins, seals and penguins directory.
H umpback whales make an annual migration during winter from the cold antarctic waters to the warm subtropical waters of eastern australia. Whale season in 2019 was a good season for the whitsundays with just slightly below average numbers this year. Id love to go out to watch the whales while i am on heron island in early august. During hawaiis whale season you can go on a whale watching cruise along the big island s hilo, kona or kohala coast. The consistently warm weather coupled with the protection of the whitsundays makes it the perfect nursery for whale babies. We chose hamilton island because we had 3 days to fill in before returning to sydney and we could fly direct from there to sydney. Charterers can book a berth at hamilton island marina and use the resort facilities, dine in. Whale season in the whitsundays 2020 sailing whitsundays. But whale watching season differs throughout the country and so do the kinds of whales youll see. When cruise vacations go wrong, you have to admit sometimes its your fault.
The long whale season in australia between may and november no doubt contributes to its growing popularity. While most of sydney and the east coast was drenched in rain over the weekend and into the working week, racegoers on hamilton island were. During their epic journey they delight tourists and locals in the whale watching hotspots of eden in new south wales, hervey bay and of course the whitsundays. If you dont mind getting wet, swimming with the whales or dolphins may be an option.
Whales are coming to hamilton island whale watching season is here. Get that christmas feeling on the island and book for hamilton island family accommodation as locals and visitors alike prepare for the festive season. A busy time for families, the christmas holidays are a great time to visit hamilton island and the region is buzzing with excitement over the christmasnew years period. Winter is whitsunday whale season whitsunday escape. Day 3 saw no racing for any of the 252 entries at audi hamilton island race week, but there was plenty of people and whale watching to be done for the media. These include great barrier reef cruises, water skiing, catamaran and yacht sailing, tennis gymnasium, game fishing, nature walks, whale watching midjulyseptember, scenic flights or simply just relaxing by one of the resort pools, bougainvillea pool. Every year over 1200 humpback whales make the 5000km voyage along the east coast of australia. Sample the best of the whitsunday islands with flexibility and ease by using the island hopper pass, a oneday ferry ticket for travel between airlie beach, daydream island and hamilton island. Sunreef mooloolaba is the largest dive centre in south east queensland. In may, whale groups including humpbacks and southern right whales migrate from the waters of the antarctic to the tropical. Hamilton island was the first stop for oprah winfrey on her ultimate australian adventure in december. Everyone enjoys an escape to the warmer parts of our country and our friends from deep blue seas are no exception. Experience a unique eco tourism encounter in hamilton island with a world famous whale watching or dolphin watching cruise.
Hamilton island holidays 2020 new deals cheap hamilton. We love all our guests but were whale y excited by these super sized visitors, who we know will be dropping by for whale video hamilton island humpback whale whales australia baby instagram infant whale. A visit to the whitsundays is a feast of the senses, surrounded by natural beauty, dotted with secluded beaches and friendly towns from which to explore. With the festive season drawing upon us, the end of the year brings a warm, more humid climate with longer sunny days. So, hamilton island s range of privately owned selfcatering holiday homes are ideal. It is the largest inhabited island in the whitsunday islands and it is the perfect place to relax and unwind. The hamilton island race week occurs during the migratory season for humpback whales so its important that racegoers take extra caution. Whale watching in the whitsundays is a beautiful experience, and something you can do almost every day when you charter a bareboat between june and august. It is positioned approximately 887 kilometres 551 mi north of brisbane and 512 kilometres 318 mi south of cairns. Hamilton island february weather hamilton island forum. The first whales start arriving to the big island in late november, and more arrive as the season continues, until their numbers peak in the months of january, february, and march. Brisbane is a recordbreaking kind of place, although you might never guess from its laidback attitude. Hamilton island tours and attractions great barrier reef.
Whale watching, hamilton island ticket price timings. Whale watching boat tours and diy guide big island. What is the best way to see whales when visiting hamilton island. Best time to visit hamilton island when to travel to. January events in the very middle of summer, youd be crazy to miss exploring the great barrier reef or a day trip to the beautiful whitehaven beach. Whale watching on the big island offers more than just humpback sightings, too. I read the historical forecasts and its the record month for rain. Hamilton island was the holiday location in the 1999 movie sabrina, down under, sequel movie of sabrina goes to rome, both movies extending from the popular tv series sabrina, the teenage witch. The best way to see whales is to hop on any of the day tours around the whitsunday waters, as whale sightings occur almost daily for most of the boats in the. Each year, hamilton island plays host to numerous events of world renown not including the one off events that are always going on. Snorkeling and diving tours hamilton island luxury accommodation. There are many ways to see the whales amongst the whitsunday islands, with many tours operating from airlie beach and hamilton island.
It is also one of the only islands in the great barrier reef with its own commercial airport, with short direct flights from sydney, melbourne, brisbane and cairns. Hamilton island amazing hamilton island, australia. You might also spot some of the other whale species that make their home in these waters yearround sperm whales, pilot whales, pygmy killer whales and rare beaked whales as well as dolphin pods and curious sea turtles. Inside the whale protection area, boats and people must not approach within 300 meters of a whale. Hamilton island is the largest inhabited island of the whitsunday islands in queensland, australia. If youre lucky, you will spot one while youre out snorkelling or cruising along on a boat, as they are never far away from the trained eye. Whitsundays whale watching and whitehaven beach tour.
Hamilton island is a holiday hotspot for local and international visitors with wonderful attractions tours departing from the hamilton island. During hawaiis whale season you can go on a whale watching cruise along the big islands hilo, kona or kohala coast. But if you ask us, the best place to whale watch, its from a private charter yacht. Is it possible, or will i need to go on a separate. Annual events on hamilton island whitsunday holidays. Hamilton island is situated in the heart of the whitsundays and is one of 74 tropical islands that lie between the queensland coast and the great barrier reef.
Hamilton island whale and dolphin watching, swim with whales. Visit wild life hamilton island on your trip to hamilton island. Cruise and snorkel tour at the great barrier reef from redballoon. A whale and calf seen off hamilton island during audi hamilton island race week in 2016. Scattered throughout the island with a variety of styles including studio, splitlevel and twostorey properties, sleeping one to twelve people in one to five bedroom configurations, theres something to suit any hamilton island holiday. Hamilton island blog hamilton island luxury accommodation. Whales choose the warm calm, protected waters around airlie beach and the islands of the. Humpback whale season on the hawaiian islands is between november and early may, but some months are better than others. Hamilton island is a perfect base for exploring the great barrier reef and worldfamous whitehaven beach. For the first time on hamilton island a unique stateoftheart ultra fast catamaran is available for private yacht and corporate charter as well as day trips and sunset cruises around the beautiful whitsunday islands. Hamilton island holiday homes provides selfcatered holiday rental accommodation, in the heart of the great barrier reef. Hamilton island is the second largest inhabited island in the whitsunday group and one of the regions star attractions.
This 100m wide passage between keswick and st bees islands allows keswick residents and visitors a unique and amazing chance to get up close to these majestic animals. Aktivitaten hamilton island great barrier reef, australien. Every year, humpback whales migrate north from the antarctic and make their way to the whitsundays to utilise the regions waters to give birth, socialise and to mate. Day trips to the great barrier reef marine park from hamilton island are provided by cruise. Hi snorkeling from shore hamilton island forum tripadvisor. This site uses cookies to improve your experience, to enhance site security and to show you personalized advertising. The whitsundays, 74 island wonders located in the heart of the great barrier reef, on the tropical coast of queensland, australia. As whales are wild creatures its impossible to guarantee their locations on any given day but its certainly worth keeping your eyes peeled when looking out to the sea during whale season. As you can see every month is good to seeing something, but the winter months mayjuly probably give the greatest range, including the occasional orca whale. Visitors can catch glimpses of migrating whales as they make their way through the. Humpback and minke whales are often sighted by whale watchers and lucky passersby from june to early november as they migrate to the warm, protected whitsunday waters, ideal conditions for a whale nursery.
Im coming to hamilton island next week and it looks as though it rains everyday. This hopon hopoff pass allows you to explore the whitsundays at your leisure, stopping as. Hi we conduct a variety of cruises departing from hamilton island, because hamilton island is the closest and most convenient point of departure to experience the great barrier reef. Is it tropical where the weather may say rain everyday but most of the day is sunny. Hamilton island whale and dolphin watching, swim with.
Whale season whitsunday 2018 whales migrate to the whitsundays every year to visit us for the winter, typically staying from june september. We welcome you aboard hamilton island s ricochet yacht hire to experience the whitsundays like never before. You will probably find that if there are whale tours going out, you wont have a choice, as there are only a couple of companies which run the various off island activities and not all cruises go every day. Hamilton island offers its guests an extensive range of over 40 activities available daily. Turtles live in the whitsundays all year long, breeding, eating, living and laying their eggs in the sands around the islands. Whale and dolphin watching is what the tour offers and takes you around the island to witness the magnificent creatures that await you there. The whitsundays encompasses islands such as hamilton island. Tours range from short snorkelling trips around catseye beach, to.
Or to see seals or penguins in their natural habitats, you can visit a seal colony or penguin colony in hamilton island. This tour departs from airlie beach in the morning where youll board a comfortable, smaller yet powerful vessel limited to just 8 passengers per trip to ensure the best possible viewing angles. Browse the latest articles, photo galleries and videos relating to hamilton island. A morning tour meets up with macropods and marsupials, and an afternoon tour engages with. The whales are amazing and the crew look after everyone so well. Theres plenty to do during your great barrier reef holiday on hamilton island.
The festive season is always in full swing with parties, live entertainment, pool side cocktail bars and much much more going on. Catseye beach hamilton island 2020 all you need to. Regarded as a second to none location for spotting whales, the whitsunday islands are known as a hot destination to thousands of migrating humpback whales. Sep, 2009 eva and vlads holidays at hamilton island and the great barrier reef, queensland, australia august 2009. As your whale watching cruise departs from sydney, enjoy roving views of popular attractions like.
During the months of june to september you can spot these beautiful creatures in the waters around the whitsunday islands, and occasionally on the great barrier reef. This decision is temporary and we will be watching the advice from the government closely in the coming weeks. Sure, mother nature can rain out your caribbean cruise or a poorly timed cold can leave you in bed on a. Click here for more information and book your whitsundays whale watching tours today. Hamilton island also welcomes new worldclass facilities with the newly opened hamilton island golf club, the architectural wonder that is the multipurpose hamilton island yacht club and a host of. Mariners seafood restaurant, hamilton island, hamilton island. February is in the middle of stinger season, so while you can snorkel off catseye beach on hamilton island, it may not be too safe although every time i have been up there in stinger season people are out snorkelling. Whales arrive at the whitsundays whale watching season is here. Its the largest island resort in the south pacific and boasts an exciting mix of things to see and do. During this time, there are thousands of these majestic creatures that can spotted around the islands, enjoying the calm and sheltered waters. This winter, go on a whale watching cruise from sydney harbour for a memorable time spotting the humpbacks. Moutohora is a small uninhabited island located off the bay of plenty coast of new zealands north island, about 9 kilometres 5.
Sunreef mooloolaba offers australias first swim with humpback whales experience, from july to october each year, premiere whale watching aboard the iconic whale one from june to november as well as local reef dives, snorkelling trips and diving on the exhmas brisbane as well as a wide variety of hire gear from jetskis. We went on a whale watching tour a few years ago in august and saw quite a lot of whales my husband even saw a mother and calf from a small fishing boat. Whale watching in australia has grown tremendously over the last decade. Hamilton island australias most popular holiday island destination in the whitsundays, and the only island in the great barrier reef with its own commercial airport. Panorama is a stunning holiday home on hamilton island with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, airconditioning, a bbq, a golf buggy and more. Every year, humpback whales migrate north from the antarctic and make their way to the whitsundays to give birth, socialise and to mate. This is still an area of volcanic activity and there are hot springs on the. Meet australian wildlife at wild life hamilton island. Whitsunday luxury sailing holiday hamilton island 2020. The island is often at its busiest in school holiday periods though this is an ideal time for families as there are also plenty of great activities for young travellers. Best months to view dolphins and whales relaxing journeys. With consistent growth over the last ten years due to the abandonment of whaling in the southern ocean, we look forward to 2020 season beginning in june.
On a holiday to hamilton island, youll be surrounded by pristine white beaches, and a kaleidoscope of coral and marine life. Best time for whale watching in australia about australia. October to december as the festive season draws close the end of the year heralds the approach of the summer season. Most of the waters around the islands are part of the whale protection area designed to minimise disturbance to whales. To see detailed rates for specific travel periods, please see our property search page. Hamilton island lies along the washington shoreline of the columbia river, upstream of pierce and ives islands and beacon rock, and downstream of bonneville dam and the former cascade rapids. Hamilton island is the largest inhabited island of the whitsunday islands in queensland. Is there any point in going to hamilton island in february. Does it rain all day or is it intermittent with at least some sun. This exclusive and comprehensive whitsundays cruise combines whale watching in wonderful surrounds with a trip to the spectacular whitehaven beach. Hamilton island apartments hamilton luxury accommodation home. With warm, tropical weather all year round, its always a perfect time to visit hamilton island. Low season 3 night minimum, high season 5 night minimum.
The whitsundays was named by the australian geographic as one of the top 10 whale watching spots in the country. In this post, we outline a guide to whale watching in the whitsundays, no matter how you choose to see them. The whale watching capital of australia, hervey bay, is a popular spot for our biggest coastal visitors, the humpback whales from june to november. Christmas and new years eve is prime time to be on hamilton island. Cuddle with tame koalas, converse with a cockatoo, feed crocodiles in warmer weather, and gaze at kangaroos, dingoes, wombats, crocodiles, and many others. The whitsundays is an important calving ground for humpback whales between may and september each year. They say the official season for stingers is november to march but.
Watch this amazing sight from the shore, boat or a kayak as returning whale and calves travel through the egremont passage. These guys are the only whale watching tour in the. At first, i was heartbroken thats no exaggeration when we called and learnt the place was fully booked for the evening. Availability and pricing may change at any time subject to the booking terms and conditions. More than 7,000 whales holiday in the fraser coast on their 5,000km migration from antarctica to teach their baby calves sweet skills like breaching, spy hopping, tummy flashes and plenty of other survival tools. Whale watching in the region is very common and the shipping companies take you out on their boats and make sure you do in fact sight a dolphin or whales. The great thing about hamilton island australia is that you can now fly directly here on jet star or virgin blue. Whitsunday holiday on keswick island whale watching. At our hamilton island resort, we offer the premier hamilton island luxury accommodation with the most luxurious hamilton island apartments on the island.
Whales are coming to hamilton island news whitsunday. Whales have arrived in the waters around hamilton island and the whitsundays as they migrate from antarctica to tropical north queensland for their annual holiday. Fraser island whale watching season if a visit between july and november is on the cards then you may be lucky enough to spot one of the many humpback whales that bypass the island every year. You will probably find that if there are whale tours. Its the home of the first man to fly across the pacific, australias largest town hall, and its first dedicated entertainment district. The snorkelling off the beach would only be pretty basic compared to seeing the coral and fish out on the barrier reef itself.