Whale watching is one of the favourite past times at Stradbroke island. Whales can be seen from a number of vantage points at Point Lookout. On the North Gorge Walk, excellent views are obtained from Norm’s Seat and above Whale Rock.
At the Frenchman’s Bay end of Timbin Road, elevated timber platforms have been provided, for views over Boat Rock and The Group rocks just offshore.
 The season for the Humpback Whales is between June and late November. Although this is not always the case, as sometimes the Whales can be seen into the New Year and as early as May. They move to the warmer waters to breed. They then migrate south after giving birth to their calves. The main breeding area is here and just North of here.
Whales can also be seen from the beach behind the breakers midway down Main Beach. On their more leisurely return migration, whales can be seen in the waters between Shag Rock and the more distant Flat Rock. At these times Cylinder Headland and The Stradbroke Beach Hotel are excellent vantage points.
MigrationIn the Southern Hemisphere humpback whales migrate from their summer Antarctic feeding grounds, along Australia’s continental coastline to tropical regions to breed and calve in winter. Most humpbacks return to the same breeding grounds for successive years.
After the migration passes Breaksea Spit at the northern end of Fraser Island, it enters the sheltered waters of the Great Barrier Reef and disperses widely between the Outer Barrier Reef and the coast. Calving usually occurs inside the reef at 18-19 degrees south, but has also been witnessed off Point Lookout.
ObservationThe headland at Point Lookout is approximately 35m above sea level, from which the line of sight horizon is 18km away. Despite this, it is considered that the maximum distance at which a whale could be seen was 10km under good weather and sea conditions.
Discover Straddie by Bike North Stradbroke island (Straddie to the locals) is located on the outer edge of Brisbane's Moreton Bay, and a variety of whales pass close by this Queensland island and shelter just off the many beaches and in Moreton Bay itself. After a brief rest the Humpbacks, Southern Wright and sometimes Blue Whales move on to their Hervey Bay and Whitsunday breeding grounds. The whale watching season starts with the first whale sightings in May each year and lasts until late October when the whales return to their Antartic home with their young in tow. A great way to watch the whales and all the other abundant marine life around Straddie is to do so on a mountain bike.
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