This morning we had all arranged to meet at 07:00 as Emma was leaving for 2 days to go to Fraser Island on Cooldingo tours (in a 4WD bus) and I wanted to say goodbye as I wasn't sure if I would still be here when she got back. This was the first time in 5 months that Emma and Jane would have split up and not done something together. Jane was going to leave and meet up with Emma in Airlie Beach but decided to stay at Hervey Bay with me and head there when Emma gets back.

During breakfast Jane and I decided that we would go down to the harbour to see if we could get a last minute discounted rate for one of the whale watching tours that were leaving at 09:00. So we walked down to the harbour and we certain that we would get a good deal on some tickets as it was very quiet in the town and there must be plenty of spaces left on the boats.

We were out of luck, we tried a few places and they both said the same thing. Tickets are not discounted and all the boats keep their prices very similar as it is an agreement that all of them have as not to undercut each other. This was not fair as I really wanted to get a good deal. We had a chat with each other and decided that we still wanted to go and managed to negotiate a concessionary rate for our tickets and saved $20 each.

The tickets that we go were for the boat Freedom III (www.freedomwhalewatch.com.au)

So we rushed back to the hostel to grab our bags and cameras and as we were short of time we drove back in the van and parked it up at the harbour car park. We boarded the boat and got our safety briefing and as the boat had a capacity of about 50 people and it was only about half full we had plenty of room on board to move around, sit and get to the sides to take photos.

We left the harbour and it took about 30 minutes to get out in to the bay where we started to hunt for some humpbacked whales. All the captains of the boats are in constant contact with each other on the radios and share details of the whales that they have spotted, so we headed towards a boat that had stopped close to some whales. We even got the added bonus of an escort by some dolphins who were playing around at the front of the boat as we headed out.

Once we had spent some time watching the first group of whales, we started spotting them all over the place. So the captain kept heading towards some different groups of whales hoping that some of them would get a bit more inquisitive and start coming up to us to see what we were doing. He was right, as soon as the weather got warmer and the sun came out, the whales started coming to us and popping their heads out of the water just beside the boat looking at us. All day we all wanted to see one breach but unfortunately we never got to see it. This was the only thing that I would really liked to have caught on camera but I guess you have to be at the right place at the right time to see this and we were just unlucky. Oh well, you can’t have everything!

On the way back we headed alongside Fraser Island down to the harbour and as we were so close to the beach we managed to see a dingo (wild dog) walking along the beach. So the captain took the boat as close as he could to the beach so that we could get a closer look at the dingo and then just afterwards we saw a hire boat that had been beached and sunk the day before being towed back into the harbour. I guess they lost their deposit for that accident!!!

I was expecting to have to chase around the bay trying to find and follow a single humpbacked whale all day, but it was the complete opposite. Once we found the first group of about 4 whales, we started to see them everywhere. We must have seen 20-30 different whales throughout the day and it was absolutely amazing to see them so close up, they are massive and yet still so graceful.

The food on the boat was amazing too and was included in the price along with as many soft drinks that we wanted. We got scones with jam and cream and profiteroles for morning tea, a full meat and salad buffet for lunch and cheese and biscuits and fruit for afternoon tea. You couldn’t fault the food and there was plenty for everyone. They even walked around afterwards offering out any remaining food to make sure that it was all eaten.

This was definitely worth the money that we spent on the trip and it would recommend it to anyone who gets the chance to do it. Money well spent and memories that will last a lifetime and also nearly 190 photos that will take me ages to find the best ones.

Back onshore Jane I headed for the supermarket where we bought some pork and a jar of sauce (yes, I know that I normally make it myself but I have limited supplies and money) and I cooked sweet and sour pork for both of us.