Great marine creatures

Hi 😉 as you can tell, we are taking turns writing. So now it's my turn to tell you about our second day in Hervey Bay...

Day 26: 15.09.2018 - Whale watching and Guinness

Today, we didn't have to drive, which meant sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast! When I crawled out of the camper at 6:30 am, I learned from our immediate neighbors at the campsite that their driver's cab had been broken into during the night. The two guys from Holland, along with two other parties on the grounds, had valuables stolen, including a tablet and their wallets. I had been wondering why the vacationers were having such lively conversations at such an early hour. A look into our driver's cabin reassured me - the doors were intact and the camera and music box were still in the glove compartment. The thought that the thieves had surely also looked into our driver's cab while we were sleeping was and still is a creepy thought. Luckily, we never leave anything obvious in the car.

When Juli came out of the camper shortly after me, we had breakfast and then drove towards the port of Hervey Bay. From here, we wanted to take a whale watching boat tour at 2:30 pm. But more about that later. In the Urangan district, there was a weekly market and we strolled through the stands for a bit. There were local products, nice things to browse and a lot of junk. We quickly went through and then walked to the Urangan Pier, an 868-meter-long pier that used to be over a kilometer long and was used for exporting sugar, coal, and wood. Today, this pier is full of anglers of all ages. We watched the hustle and bustle for a while and were amazed at how many fish were biting. When you looked into the incredibly clear water from the pier, you could see countless fish frolicking in the water. This fact also attracted pelicans, which had gathered in various-sized groups near the pier.

At 2 pm, we arrived at the harbor on time to check-in for our tour. We had booked the tour with a foundation called 'Pacific Whale Foundation', and the entrance fee went entirely to support them. We went out to sea on a medium-sized boat with a crew of about thirty people, under Captain Andrew. Sarah, our guide, documented the events for us and told us everything about the whales, their behavior, and their way of life during the tour.

Since the water in the bay is very calm, we hardly had any waves, so Julian didn't have to worry about getting seasick.

Between August and October, daily humpback whales frolic in Hervey Bay because the bay is somewhat shielded from the open sea by the nearby sand island of Fraser Island. The 30-ton whale mothers use these conditions to educate their calves and train them to breathe.

After a 30-minute ride out to the open sea, we saw the water splashing heavily in the distance. A baby whale jumping out of the water to breathe! We approached the animals, with the boats legally required to keep a distance of 100 meters from them. Again and again, the 5-meter-long, only one-month-old whale calf jumped out of the water with its snout first, and then let itself crash backwards. The whale mother swam protectively around her calf, and after some time, the two of them moved away from our boat. This went on the whole time. We spotted groups of whales in the distance, approached them, and watched the animals with our cameras at the ready. We saw a cow nursing her calf, and another one approached our boat. Even though it was underwater, we saw the whale mother up close as she swam under our boat. The sight was truly breathtaking. On top of that, there was the fear that the whale would surface and capsize our boat, which of course didn't happen, even though the boat started rocking quite a bit. :) With about 45 minutes left, we sped back to the harbor at about 20 knots. The wind was quite cold, and we got a few showers in our seats. With jackets and hoods, we sat shivering in the seats. One last time, we stopped to observe a whale that crossed our path, and then we returned to the harbor with the sun low in the sky. The sun gleamed through the masts of the yachts and ships, bathing the sky in a clear orange light.

Back on solid ground, we hurriedly made our way to the car, and on the drive home, Julian turned on the heater for the first time. It was probably a first for Liu, in this country, no one had probably been crazy enough to use the heater! After a large portion of noodles and a warm shower, we were acclimated again and put on long clothes. At 8 pm, we had plans to meet Natalie and Sebastian at 'Enzos on the beach'. The two of them were already sitting at a long tall table with a view of the water. It was a good thing we had our jackets with us again because there was a strong breeze coming from the sea. We all ordered a drink. Julian's beer turned out to be 'extra light beer'... the Australians have a knack for equipping their beer with no more than 3 percent alcohol, making it taste like water, and then calling it 'lager'. On top of that, they really enjoy drinking the aforementioned light beer, with extra few carbohydrates.

Since the bar staff started cleaning up around us at 9 pm, we moved on to a nearby Irish pub called Hoolihans. Since it was Saturday night, there was live music. There was more going on around the stage than at Enzos, but the place was still relatively empty. We always wonder where and when Australians go out in the evenings! Many cafes and bars here close early in the evening when the sun goes down. Equipped with Guinness and cider, we sat down at a round table, listened to the band, and witnessed a bachelorette party for a woman in her fifties. It was fun and infectious to watch the cheerful and tipsy girls dance. At 11 pm, we all walked home and said goodbye to the two of them. For the next few days, we have different plans, maybe we'll see each other again in a week in Brisbane...

When we disappeared into our camper to sleep that night, we made sure that there were no valuables in our driver's cabin. I didn't sleep as well as usual and sat upright in bed when Julian got up at some point during the night to use the toilet. But of course, our campsite was spared from the robbery that night.

The warmest greetings to our loved ones at home,

Julian and Nina