Gold Coast Whale Watching Weekend List
I wake as the sun peeks over the horizon, and into a rucksack I sling a simple change of clothes, beach attire, a good tome, and a few overnight essentials with haste. I boil the kettle and pour a steaming cup of coffee into my KeepCup, before hitting the road with fervour. Pointing my wheels south, I dash down the coast while my sleepy companions snooze in the backseat.
We stop by Tedder on Woodruff for a hearty breakfast of crispy potato rosti with smoked salmon and a poached egg, before heading straight to Marina’s Cove at Main Beach to jump aboard the Spirit of Gold Coast Whale Watching boat for our sea journey. We’re savouring the smell of the salty air and the crisp wind caressing our cheeks, when just ten minutes off the coast we spot our first mammalian sea companion, gently rising to the surface to inspect its new visitors. More whales playfully reveal themselves throughout our ocean escape, treating us to their aquatic dance and majestic song. While some pockets of the coast may only have a single whale-watching operator, the Gold Coast is plush with passionate sea voyagers ready to share the beauty of nature with us land dwellers. Along with Spirit of Gold Coast Whale Watching, there is Gold Coast Whale Adventures, which also departs from Marina’s Cove, Sea World Whale Watching, departing from Sea World Cruise Terminal at Main Beach, Whales In Paradise at Surfers Paradise, and Getaway Sailing on the Gold Coast, leaving from Runaway Bay Marina.
When we’ve returned to solid ground, we turn our attention towards the bounty of local dining dens, deciding to sate our rumbling bellies with a feast of tempura zucchini flowers, lavender house-cured trout and grilled Moreton Bay bugs at Glass Dining & Lounge Bar. Then, to make the most of our coastal weekend roadtrip, we check in to newcomer Pepper’s Soul Surfers Paradise for an evening of relaxation and indulgence, so we can repeat our beach adventures again the next day. Set along the sandy foreshore of Surfers Paradise, the luxury hotel is home to an intimate wine-tasting room and a two-hat restaurant, which we make the most of as dusk begins to colour the sky. With plans to roll our sleepy selves out onto the beach for a crisp morning swim the next day, we call it a night early, conserving our energy for another day of sunshine tomorrow.
For more information about Gold Coast whale watching adventures and overnight accommodation, head to VisitGoldCoast.com.
This article was created in conjunction with our friends at the Gold Coast.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
