Day 7: Whale spotting in Augusta

We drove 1.5hrs from Dunsborough / Bunker Bay to a sleepy port named Augusta this morning to hang out with some whales. It was the best weather we've had so it was a great day to be on a boat too.


We left the port on a dingy (motor boat)...


And boarded a larger boat and shipped out about half an hour until we spotted some whales hanging out in the ocean.


According to the captain, male humpbacks come to this area to find mates and females often swim down here from Antarctica with their young calves to feed and teach them their whale-ways. Within 5-7 yrs they grow to be 30 meters long and 50 tons. About the size and twice the weight of the boat we were on! When they are born, calves drink about 350 liters of milk a day. That's a lot of milk!

Though they were far away, it was amazing to see these gigantic creatures swimming and sun bathing and just frolicking in the waters. These pictures don't do enough justice but they were beautiful.


If you zoom in haha you can see another whale near the horizon breaching!


After a couple hours we headed back to shore...


And ate lunch at a cafe in Augusta...


Where James struggled to stay awake from the seasick medication...


So, I became the designated skipper and drove us back to Dunsborough, picked up some groceries, and cooked us a yummy shrimp tomato dinner!


We'll be heading out to canoe and see some caves before we drive back north towards Perth again tomorrow. What a great weekend in WA (Western Australia)! Thanks, James!