It's one of those bucket list things: seeing the majestic whales. What better place than the Australian East Coast where they pass by in the 1000s on their annual migration! We dreaded a bit driving up to Hervey Bay (one of the best places supposedly in SE QLD) and instead used a $50 gr0upon to go on whale watching cruise out of Mooloolaba. (Knowing some of the quality dining places in the area for afterwards, this was a no risk activity for us.) The Whale-one boat is a two-deck steel cruiser, with downstairs inside some comfy benches and a Titanic "top of the world" perched platform in front, and upstairs seating for ~50 people on cushioned benches. All seating is covered with plenty of choices for in or out of the wind. The 6-7 (wo)man crew was great; they were kind to those for whom the seas were a bit rough, pointed out where to look, and shared lots of tidbits of interesting knowledge (via the PA system) about the humpback whales, their migration patterns, mating behavior, etc. The crew used long-lenses cameras to photograph what we all saw but couldn't quite capture. Photo prints (not digital) are for sale (1 for $15; 2 for $20) at the end of the cruise. Nice day out! read more

Whale One - Simple iPhone pics, but here's 2 humpbacks & a dolphin (total 6+6 on morning cruise) - Travel Services Near Me - Mooloolaba, QLD

Useless! We booked the tour three days in advance from a tourist center. The representative confirmed our booking for 10am with the whale one office on the phone and I even received a confirmation to my email. They also took our phone number and email in case anything happens. We then stayed in a rainy Mooloolaba for two more days just to go on this trip- only to find out while boarding, that they made a mistake in our booking: they put us on an earlier trip but neglected to tell us or communicate when they saw we were a "no show". We came to Australia in October specifically because of the whales migration period and we just didn't have enough time to experience that as we had a flight that afternoon. What a disappointment!!! Forget about the money (a few hundred dollars) we spent in Mooloolaba just waiting for the tour, we feel like the experience was robbed from us just because of inefficient workers. Go with another provider if you can. read more